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ECA: Sustainable use of water in agriculture
Freshwater is a vital resource. The pressures of economic activity and climate change influence the availability of freshwater. In the EU, the 2000 Water Framework Directive introduced an ecosystem-based approach to water management, with the objective of protecting and improving the status of all freshwater bodies by the end of 2015.
Agriculture is responsible for at least one quarter of freshwater use in the EU, mainly for irrigating crops.
With a view to the new common agricultural policy (CAP) period, the European Court of Auditors has launched an audit of the impact of EU agricultural policy on the sustainable use of water. We will focus on the extent to which the CAP promotes the principles of sustainable water use, looking at whether Commission and Member State action to apply and enforce those principles in agriculture is both suitable and effective.
Source: European Court of Auditors
Read the Audit preview in its entirety here.