Futura PAC Y en este marco resultará determinante la labor que realice el nuevamente nombrado ministro de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Luis Planas, a la hora de negociar la futura Política Agrícola Común (PAC). Su experiencia previa en Europa debe ser un aval para ello. Si en España no tuviéramos obras de regulación y viviéramos a expensas del agua que circula de manera natural por los ríos, seríamos muy ecológicos, pero únicamente podríamos abastecer las necesidades de 4 millones de habitantes en los meses de julio y agosto. Y, gracias a ellas, se está abasteciendo a más de 70 millones de personas. En otras palabras, para poblar hay que regar. De cara a 2020, en el comienzo de la recién estrenada legislatura, existen algunas serias amenazas, como la subida del precio del agua -como medida para garantizar un uso eficiente- que se propone en el borrador del “Libro Verde de la Gobernanza del Agua en España”. Una propuesta que carece de toda lógica, dado que en España se recuperan el 80% de los costes financieros relacionados con el agua y cerca del 70% de los costes totales, lo que demuestra que efectivamente se cumple con la normativa europea, independientemente de que la Directiva Marco de Agua no exija recuperar el montante total, sino tener en cuenta el principio de recuperación de costes. Otros deberes Finalmente, Transición Ecológica debe avanzar en el desarrollo de la normativa de balsas para que se establezcan distintos criterios técnicos de seguridad con respecto a las presas. En materia energética, queda pendiente sacar adelante los dos contratos eléctricos al año para reducir los costes y compensar el fuerte esfuerzo en modernización llevado a cabo. Y el último de los retos, pero no por ello menos importante, pasaría por la defensa del uso de aguas regeneradas y desaladas como complemento a las obras de regulación para garantizar la alimentación en el futuro, teniendo en cuenta que la población ganará más de 2.000 millones de habitantes en los próximos 30 años, que más de 800 millones de personas en el mundo sufren desnutrición y que la presión sobre los recursos naturales no deja de incrementarse. But above and beyond numbers and classifications, irrigation represents wealth, not only for farmers but for the entire associated agro-food sector that lives off irrigation. This is a strategic sector that accounts for well over 2% of GDP and provides jobs for over 4% of the active labour force, not counting those employed in the agro-industrial and agricultural services sectors. In other words, irrigation is an economic engine and a creator of jobs. It is, therefore, vital to keeping population centres alive, to the point where the population grows in areas in which these types of crops are cultivated. Nonetheless, one of the problems we have in Spain, and in many European countries, is the fact that farmers under the age of 35 account for just 5% of all farmers, except in areas with very large irrigation surface areas. Future CAP In this context, the work carried out by the newly-appointed Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, in negotiations on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be vital. His previous experience in Europe should be a guarantee in this regard. If we did not have water regulation infrastructure in Spain and we depended solely on the water that flows naturally in rivers, we would be very eco-friendly but we would only be able to supply the needs of 4 million inhabitants in the months of July and August. Thanks to this infrastructure, over 70 million people are being provided for. In other words, in order to populate, it is necessary to irrigate. Looking ahead to 2020, at the beginning of a new legislature, we are facing some serious threats, such as the increase in water prices -as a measure to guarantee efficient use- proposed in the draft “Green Paper onWater Governance in Spain”. This proposal lacks any logic, given that, in Spain, 80% of financial costs and 70% of total costs associated with water are recovered, which demonstrates compliance with European regulations, irrespective of the fact that theWater Framework Directive does not require recovery of the total amount, but rather that the cost recovery principle be taken into account. Other homework Finally, the Ministry for Ecological Transition must make progress in the area of legislation governing irrigation ponds, for the purpose of establishing different technical safety criteria in relation to dams. In the area of energy, we are still awaiting the introduction of two power supply contracts per year in order to alleviate energy costs and offset the great financial expenses incurred in the upgrading of irrigation systems. And the last challenge, but by no means the least important, is the defence of the use of reclaimed and desalinated water to complement water regulation infrastructures in order to guarantee future food supply, bearing in mind that the world population will grow by over 2,000 million in the next 30 years, that over 800 million people worldwide are suffering frommalnutrition and that pressure on water resources is increasing all the time. A fondo: Análisis 2019 | In depth: Analysis of 2019 FuturEnviro | Febrero February 2020 www.futurenviro.es 43
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