According to UN figures, around 290 million people will have limited access to water in the region by 2025, a situation which could lead to social and territorial conflicts and that the Union for the Mediterranean wishes to avoid with a plan which, over the next 15 years, aims to reduce 2005 consumption levels by 25%. To agree the strategy, a meeting is being held in Barcelona bringing together ministers from the 43 countries which form part of the Union for the Mediterranean, representatives from the European Commission and the Arab League and representatives from civil society and financial institutions.
Espinosa pointed out that the Mediterranean is an imbalanced hydrological basin, with extreme phenomena of cyclical floods and droughts, which requires the Union member nations to adopt a "common strategy for a scarce resource". The minister said that Spain is a pioneer in resource management when it comes to tackling "water shortages" and that the country's investments in infrastructures have ensured demand is met.
The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Ahmad Masa'deh, called for urgent action to guarantee access to water for all the inhabitants of Mediterranean countries and for development that does not compromise ecosystems. Ahmad Masa'deh explained that around 50 projects are already underway and said that the debate on water cannot be held at a local level and that it needs to involve the UN, the Arab League and the African Ministers' Council.
The French Secretary for European Affairs, Pierre Lellouche, warned that social tension caused by water resources in the Mediterranean will get worse due to the increased demand from international tourism and a decrease in rainfall and higher temperatures.
The strategy will be the first major challenge of the recently created UfM. It will establish the political, methodological and financial framework for introducing regional policies on this issue. It must promote the use of scientific and technological innovations and guarantee that water reaches populations throughout the region at a time of demographic expansion and when the effects of climate change are being felt.
Once approved in Barcelona, the Strategy will be presented at another Euro-Mediterranean conference on the environment to be held in Dubrovnik (Croatia) on 21 and 22 April and at the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference on agriculture due to be held in Egypt on 15 and 16 June. The heads of State and Government of the UfM will also address this issue at their summit on 7 June in Barcelona.
