The Case of the Water Framework Directive and Irrigation in Mediterranean Agriculture

Irrigation in the Mediterranean countries is an essential requirement for agricultural production, while water for agriculture is used only marginally in central and northern European countries. There are significant pressures on water resources and aquatic ecosystems in Spain, Italy and Turkey because of the very large areas under irrigation, with a combined annual water demand close to 80,000 hm3. Irrigation development in these three countries has been driven by large and sustained public investments in water projects to store, transport and distribute water to irrigation fields. In addition, there have been large increases of groundwater extractions in Italy and Spain during the second half of the twentieth century. The escalation in groundwater extractions has been driven by the falling costs of pumping technologies, especially in areas with profitable irrigated crops. In contrast to the large collective irrigation systems, these private groundwater extractions are not subject to much control by the water administration.