EC fears conflict between EU countries due to water shortage – Kommersant

Conflicts may arise between EU countries due to water shortages, according to a confidential communiqué of the European Commission, which leads Politico. The document notes that the trend of water shortages is increasing, and by the end of the century, frequent droughts threaten to reduce EU economic growth by 7%.

The communique states that water shortages will pose risks to almost every aspect of life: food and drinking water, infrastructure, human health and basic economic activities. “These risks may come in a variety of forms, some of which include increased competition for water resources between sectors and uses, including the potential risk of conflict within and between member states over transboundary water resources,” the communique said.

The communiqué states that frequent events such as floods and droughts have already become one of the climate threats facing Europe. The European Commission’s assessment “identified 36 key risks for Europe, some of which are already at catastrophic levels and have a high degree of urgency.”

In some EU countries there are already disputes over water supplies. In Spain, drought-stricken Catalonia is trying to persuade the Spanish central government to divert river water from neighboring Aragon. In France, there were clashes last year over plans to create new reservoirs.

The European Commission is calling on member states to speed up preparations to combat climate change, pointing out that they are far behind plans. Due to climate change, the European Commission expects more natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, forest fires, extreme heat, as well as epidemics, crop failures, and damage to infrastructure. Climate change, according to a conservative estimate by the EC, could reduce the union’s economic growth by 7% by 2100.

According to the European Commission for 2019, more than a third (38%) of residents of the European Union faced water shortages. Drought costs the European economy €2-9 billion annually. In general, most member countries have sufficient water resources, but droughts are becoming more frequent – especially in countries in the south and west of Europe.

Read about the fight against global warming in the material “Climate Responsible”.

Anastasia Larina