· Context
On 25 June, the Environment Council held an exchange of views on the state of play and the way forward one year after the publication of the Water Resilience Strategy. The Environment Council brings together Environment Ministers from all EU Member States. You can find more information about the meeting here.
· Key mentions of irrigation
During the debate, two Member States explicitly mentioned irrigation:
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The Spanish Minister of Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen Muñoz, highlighted modernization of irrigation systems as one of Spain's three key water efficiency challenges, noting that irrigation accounts for 85% of water use in Spain. She also cited their Water Cycle Digitalization Plan, with €172 million and over 380 projects funded under Spain's Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
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Monique Barbut, French Minister of Ecological Transition, also directly referenced irrigation infrastructure. She stated that the agricultural component of France's national water plan is hindered by current EU rules on state aid for irrigation infrastructure, which she said are blocking agricultural hydraulic projects adapted to climate change. France called for an evolution of the regulatory framework on state aid and EU funds, notably the CAP in the next programming period, to unblock these projects.
