The Committee endorses the proposed framework directive as a whole. It improves earlier legislation by clarifying the relevant rules through a total or partial repeal of those directives which have become obsolete in practice. At the same time it retains the acquis communautaire which has served to create the EU's water policy, as requested by the ESC in its opinion on the communication
The ESC takes the view that financial transfer mechanisms should be devised so
that future increases in the cost of water can be reinvested in conservation measures and costs do not rise for those most affected.
In order to provide guidance on the possible ways of complying with the objectives of transnational river basin management plans which include non-EU countries, the ESC urges the Commission to introduce and/or strengthen the following:
- international institutional agreements covering both objectives and policies at a level higher than the Community;
- action on more limited pollution problems, boosting voluntary agreements with non-Community
productive sectors, official bodies, users, etc.
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