Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, Denies Plans To Impose Water Restrictions In Europe

I got the following as a reader comment. It’s a statement that appears to be direct from Janez Potočnik’s office. He is a European Commissioner for Environment and he refutes the story that they plan to mandate water saving measures in Europe.  That’s a relief – saved from another stupid idea, at least for now (Don’t worry though – they’ve got plenty of others, for sure).

 The statement was sent by a fellow named Joe Hennon.

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Statement by Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment

I am aware of allegations that appeared in the German press concerning future plans to restrict water use in the Member States and to impose regulations on landlords and households. These allegations are unfounded.

I wish to make it very clear that the Commission has no plans at present to make water-saving taps mandatory in any Member State, no plans to oblige Member States to reduce household water consumption, and no targets have been set in these areas.

The main aim of EU water policy has always been to ensure that good quality water is available throughout the EU in sufficient quantities. The Commission is committed to addressing water scarcity as part of a Blueprint for Water in 2012 and, as always, a number of studies are ongoing in this area.

Several policy options are being examined regarding the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of regulatory and non-regulatory options for water performance requirements for buildings, but no new decisions have been taken in this area, nor are they indeed pending.

The European law-making process is a highly consultative one. When legislation is proposed, proposals are accompanied by studies assessing the potential environmental, social and economic effects. Any targets or legislation in the area of water use would be accompanied by the appropriate impact assessment as a matter of course, taking account of the extent to which the situation in Europe is diverse, with a view to avoiding a “one size fits all” approach.

I regret that articles on sensitive questions such as Commission proposals for water use in Member States appear in the media before any details have been checked with the relevant staff at the European Commission

Joe Hennon
ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/potocnik/index_…
joseph.hennon@ec.europa.eu

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(No mention if Joe Hennon is an aide to Potočnik, or what his function is.)

14 responses to “Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, Denies Plans To Impose Water Restrictions In Europe”

  1. Adolf Balik

    The name of his is rather suggesting he has water in his mind. Potočník means “man of brook”. Perhaps, something like a certain type of the creature you call “wassermann”. He is going to pull you under water any way. 🙂

  2. DirkH

    Joe Hennon from The People’s Republic Of EU-Ireland:
    http://www.euireland.ie/people/joe_hennon

  3. R. de Haan

    I was just listening to the Berlin Hearing about the energy future of Germany.
    One speaker was Dr. Felix Matthes
    http://www.oeko.de/das_institut/mitarbeiterinnen/dok/630.php?id=59

    This is one of the lunatics who is killing the entire energy infrastructure of Germany and the EU.

    Not so long ago saboteurs like this would end in front of a firing squad for treason.

    In the entire show was performed by people who were all in agreement.

    [-snip]

    These are complete idiots.

    I watched this at Phoenix.

  4. Edward

    I think they were “testing the water” as it were PG.

    Don’t doubt though: this bonkers blueprint – will return in some form.

  5. M White

    “What does all that mean? It means that the developed countries are simply moving their CO2-intensive industry off their territory, and placing it on territories that are exempt from mandatory reductions”

    What does all that mean? Jobs are being exported.

  6. DirkH

    More info fresh from the horses mouth.

    http://www.derwesten.de/wp/region/Plaene-zum-Wassersparen-id4584773.html

    “„Ich will sehr deutlich machen, dass die Kommission derzeit nicht vorhat, wassersparende Hähne verpflichtend zu machen“, sagte EU-Umweltkommissar Potocnik in Brüssel. Allerdings untersuche seine Behörde Möglichkeiten, in Europa Wasser zu sparen. Die Behörde arbeite an einem Grundsatzpapier zum Thema Wasser für 2012. Derzeit würden Studien dazu erstellt. Dabei gehe es auch um den Wasserverbrauch in Gebäuden.”

    “I want to make it very clear that the commission currently does not intend to mandate water-saving faucets.” said EU Environment Commissioner Potocnik in Brussels. But, he said, his office analyzes possibilities to save water in Europe. His office is in the process of producing a fundamental paper regarding water, due in 2012. Currently studies are done. This, he said, also affects water usage in buildings.

    The article goes on to mention a German maker of faucets who looks very confidently into the future, as he already has, you guessed it, exactly the right faucets for the future.

    Joe Hennon, i hope you are happy with that translation.

  7. DirkH

    “The main aim of EU water policy has always been to ensure that good quality water is available throughout the EU in sufficient quantities.”

    Joe, we know what happens to incandescent light bulbs. They simply get prohibited piecemeal. The EU commission will prohibit anything they want to prohibit. If they feel like it we will all be wearing Mao suits.

    “The European law-making process is a highly consultative one.”

    Good that you didn’t use the word “democratic” here.

  8. R. de Haan

    It’s a fraud, it’s a fraud, it’s a fraud!
    http://www.zerohedge.com/article/todays-chinese-fraud-du-jour-sino-clean-energy-scei-complete-hoax-alfred-little

    The science is a fraud, the policies are a fraud, the green energy frenzy is a fraud. It’s like handing over your wallet to the mafia.

    Wake up people. We’re going down the drain.

  9. DirkH

    While we’re talking about when and how the European Commission will prohibit what, here’s an interesting bit of information about CFL’s. The thing i find most obnoxious about them is that they don’t deliver a continuous spectrum, disabling you to perceive colors as they are meant to look like. No, your shirt is not dyed in three primary colors red, green and blue like the pixels of a TV set. And no, it won’t look the same in daylight as in CFL (or LED) light. Not at all.

    Turns out there is a measurement for that.
    “And what about lighting quality? Well, take color, for example. Imagine that you care about distinguishing between brown and purple so that you don’t pick a bad necktie and your socks match? Well that might be a small problem with CFL. On the other hand, no one will be likely to notice unless you go outside during daylight…and their mismatched outfits will probably look just as dumb. A guide produced by lightbulb researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute declares that CFL bulbs fall so short of the needed color rendering index (CRI) of 85 to 90 that most manufacturers don’t even list this poor rating information on their packages.”

    http://blogs.forbes.com/larrybell/2011/04/19/how-many-politicians-are-needed-to-screw-up-a-light-bulb/

    Maybe the EU commissioners just love to see all the proles running around in mismatchingly colored cloths. I bet they get all the incandescent light bulbs they want through diplomatic baggage from non-EU countries.

  10. DirkH

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index
    (Table is two thirds down on the right; shows CRI for various light sources)

    Now what is the CRI of a good CFL?
    “Good quality consumer CFLs use three or four phosphors to achieve a “white” light with a CRI (colour rendering index) of around 80, where 100 represents the appearance of colours under daylight or a black-body (depending on the correlated colour temperature).”
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Spectrum_of_light

    I’m impressed. 80! Out of 100! I guess the EU commissioners must be very proud of their achievements. I have a great idea. Why not prohibit ceilings higher than 1.50m? Find some lame pseudoscientific excuse for it, and force everyone in the EU to walk ducked. Refitting all buildings would make for the biggest construction boom since Ireland pre-crisis.

    1. Edward

      “lame pseudoscientific excuse for it, and force everyone in the EU to walk ducked”

      Perhaps ‘they’* wish for all of the population of the EU to be of smaller stature, then, more ‘units’ can be fitted into less housing – what a saving!

      *The EU politburo of Brussels (/ hobgoblin congress) = intellectual pygmies.

  11. R. de Haan

    Very nice, no reduction over water consumption right, but in the mean time we have EU directives boosting water prices beyond your imagination.
    http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2007/05/water-water-everywhere.html

    and
    http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/02/its-foxtrot-oscar-time.html

  12. R. de Haan

    Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, Denies Plans To Impose Water Restrictions In Europe.

    No imposed water restriction but gigantic price hikes.

    Janez Potočnik is working for the MAFIA.

  13. business daily

    The institutional organization of public water supply and sanitation does not fall under the purview of the EU but remains a prerogative of each member state…… .This Council Directive on Urban Waste Water Treatment concerns the collection treatment and discharge of urban waste water and the treatment and discharge of waste water from certain industrial sectors. Its aim is to protect the environment from any adverse effects due to discharge of such waters..According to the directives timetable .

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