Cemagref, a public research institute in France, brought together representatives from over 16 countries to discuss the challenges, issues and action for sustainable water management in Europe.
The research institute is involved with management issues such as water resources and agricultural technology. They have worked with its partners from the PEER (Partnership for European Environmental Research) network to organise the symposium to discuss Europe’s future with freshwater.
"Water lies at the heart of major issues for the new century, it reveals certain tensions and certain methods, it is a source of institutional innovation, particularly in France," noted Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, the French State Secretary for Ecology, during the opening ceremony. She also stressed "the usefulness of looking at problems from different angles, of a transversal and multi-disciplinary approach to water."
European Union directives are placing water at the top of several questions, as discussed at the symposium: How can we evaluate its quality and quantity to better conserve it? How can we reconcile social development and sustainable management of aquatic environments? How can we share the resource and avoid water-related risks? How can we organise the scientific, ecological, social and political approaches throughout Europe?
The symposium comprised of four related sessions, which covered numerous international examples, and highlighted the need to continue efforts in breaking down barriers between the scientific, social and political sectors concerning water issues.
It was also an occasion to gauge the efforts required to reach those goals, notably the requirements imposed by the Water framework directive. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the most substantial piece of EC water legislation to date and is designed to improve and integrate the way water bodies are managed throughout Europe.
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Date Published: December 01, 2008
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