water policy
EU auditors praise water quality efforts in new member states
European Union funding has been well spent on improving drinking water quality by Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors. But a funding gap could undermine progress made so far.
Report: Switzerland lost 90% of its ponds within two centuries
Intensive agriculture has gradually dried them out, and soils are no longer able to handle violent rains, creating increased flooding and lethal mud slides. EURACTIV's partner Ouest-France reports.
Abandoned wells pump thousands of tonnes of ‘fugitive’ emissions into North Sea
Thousands of tonnes of methane could be leaking into the North Sea every year from disused offshore oil and gas wells, according to a new study.
Is water a female issue?
Around 30% of the world's population still do not have access to safe drinking water and 60% do not have safe sanitation, but lack of access to sanitation affects women more than men, Bruno Tisserand explains in the aftermath of World Water Week, hosted in Stockholm last week.
Planet’s addiction to plastic bottles ‘as dangerous as climate change’
A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and the number will jump another 20% by 2021, creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will be as serious as climate change. EURACTIV’s partner The Guardian reports.
Energy islands: Symbols of transformation and independence
Malta epitomises the value of islands in leading the transition to cleaner sources of energy, and ultimately in symbolising the potential for energy independence, writes Stuart Reigeluth.
The value of drinking water
Drinking water is essential for life. We all depend on a reliable supply for our homes, workplaces and society.
European companies compete for water solutions
European companies are competing in the petri-dish of innovative projects looking to provide water solutions in the arid lands of the eastern Arabian Peninsula, writes Stuart Reigeluth.
Europe leads sustainable development agenda
Sustainability should be integrated as a leitmotif and goal of every policy formulated and implemented, writes Stuart Reigeluth.
Using sewage to make Europe’s economy truly circular
Sewage sludge is a potentially vast source of nutrients for fertilisers. The Commission is missing a golden opportunity by excluding it from the Fertiliser Regulation, writes Arne Haarr.
Denmark cracked ‘secret code’ in water-energy nexus, official claims
Thanks to determined policies, Denmark has succeeded in breaking the seemingly inextricable linkage between water and energy use. But replicating the Danish model at European level won’t be easy, policymakers warn.
EU aid to Honduras plagued by ‘lack of expertise’ and shortcomings, auditors find
EU aid to Honduras, one of the poorest countries on the planet, was plagued by a lack of management expertise, focus and overlapping support, a damning report from the Court of Auditors found today (12 January).
AidEx opens in Brussels, with ‘localisation’ top of the agenda
AidEx, the second-biggest event in the development calendar in Brussels, opens today (16 November), for 48 hours, in which the international aid community, NGOs, professionals come together to share experiences and expertise.
Oxfam: Our ‘red lines’ on securitisation and conditionality of EU aid
The EU is in the process of reviewing its entire framework for development cooperation, to incorporate the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change - but there must be 'red lines', Oxfam tells EURACTIV.com.
‘Share the knowledge’ at UN’s Quito summit on cities – or wait until 2036
Some 90% of urban growth over the next 30 years will happen in developing countries. If we squander the chance to set them on the path to sustainability now, it may be lost for ever, write Eva Dic and Maria-Theres Haase.
Global Health Index: ‘800 million people are going to bed hungry every night’
21,000 people die every day from hunger or food shortages, and some 795 million go to bed hungry each night, according to the new Global Hunger Index, published on Tuesday (11 October).
Live link-up with Mogadishu launches MEPs ‘Fight Against Hunger’
MEPs joined with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) yesterday (28 September), with a live link-up from Mogadishu in Somalia, to launch the “Fight Against Hunger” alliance.
EU Budget: yesterday’s solutions no longer work today
Those familiar with Brussels’ routines know that, at this time of the year, EU institutions’ representatives gather to agree on the budget for 2017. Negotiations are known to be passionate, to say the least, writes Tamira Gunzburg.
EU and New Zealand: Partnership powers in the Pacific
Small developing states in the Pacific have traditionally relied on imports of fossil fuels. The cost of the fuel, combined with its price volatility, and the islands' geographic remoteness, are all significant strains on these small economies, write Andrew Jacobs and Michalis Rokas.
Oxfam questions ‘blending’ financing in SDG delivery
Oxfam has taken aim at the increasing use of ‘blending’ private sector investment with foreign aid, in a wide-ranging report looking at the future of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s.
Ethiopia blames ‘outside forces’ for protest death toll
The Ethiopian government has hit back after the international outcry over the rising death toll from protests in the country, blaming “outside forces” for fomenting the trouble.
Seven critical questions for review of ‘European Consensus on Development’
There are many changes impacting the future of European development cooperation: a serious existential crisis in the European Union in the wake of Brexit, a newly agreed 2030 global sustainable development and climate change agenda, and major geopolitical shifts, writes Andrew Sherriff.
ActionAid chief: Africa’s ‘child marriage’ is actually rape
Ahead of this year's European Union Development Days, the NGO ActionAid is focussing on the issue of inequality, with the launch of the report, The Price of Privilege.
Israeli water chief: ‘You must talk to neighbours to avoid climate change conflicts’
Israel is one of the world leaders in water desalination. But now it faces a new challenge - climate change. EURACTIV.com spoke with the Deputy Director General of Israel's Water and Sewage Authority, Oded Fixler.