The Junta de Andalucía is to ask the European Union to recognise the serious drought situation in the region in order to be able to claim special treatment in terms of funding and resources from Brussels.
The regional Minister for Sustainability, the Environment and the Blue Economy, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, announced on Thursday in Almeria that the Junta would ask the Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) of the European Committee of the Regions to take into account Andalucía’s situation suffered by so that it can be considered the driest region in Europe. The European Environment Committee of the Regions is due to hold its next meeting in Malaga at the end of September,
Fernández-Pacheco said that “the drought is the main problem we have and we are the leading agricultural power in Spain. Water in Andalucía is a scarce and at the same time extremely valuable asset, which supports the main economic pillars of this region such as agriculture, tourism, the service sector, and also industry”.
According to Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, “without water, the machinery of Andalucía simply grinds to a halt, so we have to invest enough to alleviate the consequences of the drought and the daily lives of thousands and thousands of Andalusian families”.
The regional Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Carmen Crespo, also said that this request will be made to the central government “so that drought is included as an integral and priority issue within European policies”.
Source: SUR in English
