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PRESS RELEASE (Brussels, 21 March, 2007) - On the eve of World Water Day and the European Water Conference, where the Commission’s new report on how well EU water law has been implemented is expected to reveal major gaps, the Dutch society for nature protection, Natuurmonumenten, and the European Environmental Bureau, Europe’s largest federation of environmental citizens’ organisations, present the results of a new study, commissioned from the economics institute ‘Triple E’. The report, “Water flows and cash flows”, demonstrates not just that the environment suffers from poor implementation, but also that ensuring European water attains the official ‘good’ status can bring important economic benefits. Serious implementation gaps have previously been identified by successive reports by environmental organisations, and have now largely been confirmed by the Commission’s official evaluation. “Improving and maintaining our water’s cleanliness has strong economic advantages”, said John Hontelez, EEB’s Secretary General. “This makes an even stronger case for looking after this precious asset. But the EU’s water laws have so far been very poorly implemented, so it’s far from clear whether we can reap the benefits of having well-managed water resources. The Commission and EU nations must make tackling the very serious implementation gaps their highest priority.” The economic advantages of keeping water quality high include:-
Investing taxpayers’ money in water and nature conservation gives good returns. In one case study, society’s return on investment took just over a year, whereas government returns on investment take nearly ten years. The case studies also confirm that benefits outweigh costs. Possible benefits associated with gains in biodiversity and recreational use are up to five times higher than calculated costs. Another example of river rehabilitation and habitat improvement in Denmark, which enhanced water quality and quantity, recreational opportunities and reduced flood risk, brought benefits of € 32.1m.
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