Environmental and Civil Society Organizations have joined forces to urge the Portuguese and Spanish governments to increase their cooperation and elaborate strategies and plans to address the problems of shared river basin’s management.
Since the two countries have signed the Albufeira Convention and the UN International Water Convention, water conflicts have significantly increased due to the impacts of climate change and increasing consumption, unnecessary in many cases.
Also, biodiversity declined due to water abstraction, pollution, and poor management. The signatory organizations are of the opinion that the Albufeira Convention, in its current form, is not fit for addressing the existing problems.
In the last years, environment and civil society organizations have been advocating for improved transboundary cooperation between Portuguese and Spanish authorities in relation to water management.
In December 2022, five of those organizations decided to inform the Implementation Committee of the UN Water Convention about the ineffective planning of the two countries, the lack of transparency, and the difficulties of becoming
involved in the planning process. In their opinion, Portugal and Spain do not comply with the requirements of the UN Water Convention. Since then, a lively communication between the Implementation Committee of the UN Water Convention and
the two countries emerged.
Although it has become clear that Portugal and Spain are in close communication to synchronize the answers to the Implementation Committee, the Committee is not yet satisfied with the answers. Through a letter of 14 March 2023, the Implementation Committee concludes that there is no integrated basin-wide management plan for the shared rivers as required by the Convention.
The Committee therefore asks the following:
• Why is there no integrated basin wide planning for each of the shared river basins as a basis for the national River Basin Management Plans?
• Why is there no permanent secretariat for the Albufeira Convention where individuals and organizations can ask questions and get information?
• Why is there no clarity about the role and responsibilities of the permanent secretariat of the Albufeira Convention?
The two countries have sent their responses on 23 June (Portugal) and 13 July (Spain) and again reiterate that there is coordination. But indeed, river basin management plans are not well coordinated between Spain and Portugal, and there is no functioning joint secretariat for the Albufeira Convention (as approved by both Governments 15 years ago, in 2008).
Additionally, the Albufeira Convention website is completely outdated, with the last update in 2020. Furthermore, the flow regime agreed in 2008 under the Albufeira Convention is outdated and does not ensure compliance with ecological flows (and hence with the Water Framework Directive) – particularly in the lower Guadiana, where a flow regime was never fully established, and where both countries are planning large additional (and currently illegal) water abstractions, and in the lower Tagus, where new dams and hydraulic “regulation” projects are planned.
The next meeting of the Implementation Committee, where the course of action will be decided, will take place on 11-12 December 2023.
NOTE:
In 1998, the Portuguese and Spanish governments signed the Albufeira Convention, in which they assumed the obligation to cooperate on the management of the rivers Lima, Minho, Douro, Tejo and Guadiana, that flow from Spain to Portugal. The Convention was revised in 2008.
In addition, the two countries signed the UN International Water Convention, that also requires the two countries to cooperate on these transboundary rivers.
Signatory:
