In a Europe of 27 countries with varying climates and water management experiences, the European Commission's and Parliament's Environmental legislation must remain broad and flexible. A one-size-fits-all approach is unsuitable. Each state needs flexibility to adapt the legislation to their own needs and the physical challenge of the country

In the history of European Environmental policy, Southern countries have continually struggled with policy that reflects environmental troubles and trends from the Northern countries. The South has seen its own challenges left to the side by a generation of law makers formed in the North.

This sentiment rises again when reading the Commission's document on water scarcity and droughts. There is precedent of clear proposals and flexible models (for instance the Water Directive and the Bathing Water Directive). However, the document on scarcity is not of the same structure and offers no real solutions to the Southern troubles resulting from climate change.

On the subject of adaptation to new environmental conditions, the document focuses on: saving water, putting the right price tag on water, improving land use planning, financing water efficiency, improving drought risk management and creating an observatory and early warning system on droughts. Nonetheless, the real problems in the Mediterranean countries are: lack of rain, desertification and evaporation.

These issues signal the centrality of agriculture in this discussion. Agriculture permits the soil to retain water, to fill underground aquifers and lessens evaporation. The importance of agriculture and agricultural best- practices are the missing piece of the puzzle in the discussion of water scarcity.

In conclusion, saving water at the tap is not enough. We must find a new lens through which to view water and the related issues. Adaptation does not mean merely a new piece of legislation but an entirely new paradigm -- both for local actors and for the European Institutions.

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