New German government addresses water issues

The new German government is stepping up to solve water issues at a national level. The plans include climate adaptation, flood protection, and accelerated permit processes. The water industry is reacting positively to the new German government’s coalition agreement. 

On Wednesday, April 9, the Christian Democrats in the CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats of the SPD reached a coalition agreement to form a new government. The coalition agreement serves as the government declaration or action program that has been negotiated between the parties. The agreement, titled Verantwortung für Deutschland (Responsibility for Germany), was presented at a joint press conference yesterday. The German network for water, wastewater and waste DWA is satisfied with the new coalition agreement.

Action is needed

“Future-oriented water management is indispensable for climate protection and the resilience of society. The coalition agreement points in the right direction – now it is time to put it into action,” says DWA Chairman Professor Uli Paetzel, in a press release. DWA believes the agreement’s concrete measures on water strategy and climate adaptation respond to several of its central demands. These include a planned investment in a sustainable and climate-resilient water infrastructure, support for energy-efficient facilities and investments in blue-green infrastructure. The water network  believes that this shows that modern water management is finally getting the importance it deserves in national policy. “We are looking forward to further developments and will work to ensure that the planned measures are also given a concrete and effective design,” adds DWA Secretary General Lisa Broß.

Better meet climate challenges

From DWA’s perspective, it is also positive that the coalition wants to strengthen flood protection and speed up permit processes. “We have been calling for several years to better meet the challenges of climate change and the increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events.” Germany was hit by severe floods in 2021 and is still struggling to recover from this natural disaster. DWA also welcomes the investment in research into climate impact and climate adaptation, as well as the announced support for innovations through reality labs and pilot regulations. According to DWA, this will make it possible for municipalities and regional actors to meet the changed conditions with flexible solutions.

Stop use of pesticides

DWA, on the other hand, is critical of the formulations regarding nutrient flow balancing in fertilizer issues and the use of pesticides. “The coalition agreement provides a very good basis for a sustainable Germany in terms of water management. Now it is important that we work together quickly to fill the agreement with content and implement it,” concludes Lisa Broß.

This article was published first on the Swedish platform for water professionals cirkulation.se