Umbrella opinion on the EU Blue Deal. Will Poland become a leader in the new initiative?

September 26 this year. The Consultative Commission on the Future. The country’s Council for the Transformation of Industries (CCMI) has adopted the so-called “Industrial Transformation Act. umbrella opinion on the Blue Deal, a new water strategy that could become relevant to the entire EU. Exactly one month from now, on October 26, 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee(EESC) will present its “Blue Deal” recommendation to the European Commission. In Poland, our contribution to the said initiative is already being discussed.

What is the Blue Deal?

We have already written about how theBlue Dealis a strategy that can revolutionize water management and attract the investment needed to ensure water stability, including beyond EU borders. There is increasing talk of water poverty, which directly threatens economic, social and political stability, especially in less developed regions. Even within the EU, as many as 2/3 of citizens are concerned about the quality or availability of water in their country.

According to UN data, 14. The Sustainable Development Goal, or “Life Under Water,” is the most underfunded of all the SDGs. Between 2013 and 2018, it received just 1.6% of global funding to support Sustainable Development. Meanwhile, according to Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary General of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), if $2.8 trillion were invested in ocean management today, by 2050. profits would reach $15.5 trillion. This calculation emphatically underscores how much the world needs the Blue Deal.

The initiative’s preliminary budget is €390 billion and deals with modernization in such spheres as retention, closed water circuits, wastewater monitoring and smart agriculture. He also draws attention to the problem of water use in the production of nuclear energy.

What does the adoption of an umbrella opinion mean?

The EU’s water management strategies to date are unable to cope with the challenges of climate change, especially drought, floods, high temperatures and fires. The EESC therefore plans to urge the European Commission to make water a priority and accept Blue Deal demands.

The adoption of the umbrella opinion on the Blue Deal is the last formal step before the official presentation of the EC’s demands, which will take place on October 26 at a special conference organized by the Spanish Presidency of the EU. According to the EESC, European institutions must take radical steps to forecast water demand, save water resources and manage emerging challenges. This will require the adoption of a coordinated action plan and ambitious goals.

The umbrella opinion on the Blue Deal includes recommendations prepared by various sections of the EESC and CCMI, which take into account the perspectives of various stakeholders. It draws attention to the global dimension of the challenges, especially the need to conserve the world’s limited freshwater resources. Key issues also include the need for better management of drinking water, government accountability or water-efficient technologies. Emphasis was also placed on water pricing policies and the fight against water poverty.