Ávarp Guðlaugs Þórs Þórðarsonar umhverfis-, orku- og loftslagsráðherra á norrænni vatnaráðstefnu á Íslandi - ávarpið er á ensku

10th Nordic Water Framework Directive Conference, Iceland

Water, is one of the most important elements in our daily lives and without water there would be no life. Water resources are fundamental when it comes to countries economic growth and the value of water to our sectors, such as agriculture, aquaculture, energy production, tourism and other industries is invaluable. Access to clean water is a privilege and here in Iceland we are fortunate to have vast resources of fresh water. As the global population increases worldwide so do the pressures on our water environment. Globally, climate change and pollution are putting freshwater ecosystems under great pressure by changing and disrupting natural ecosystems and water cycles. Water management has never been more important on a global scale in order to protect biodiversity and sustainable use of water.

This is where the Water Framework Directive comes into play as one of the most important tool for water management in Europe. The goal of the Water Framework Directive is to improve the quality of water and achieve and maintain good status of water bodies and sustainable water use. The legislation is very ambitious, and much work is needed to organize and structure the water management system in each country.

To further facilitate the implementation and assist one another the platform of the Nordic conference was created. The conference has been held almost every other year since 2008 and today here in Iceland we finally can celebrate the 10th Nordic Water Framework Conference after a long halt because of covid. This platform has helped shape the water management and collaboration across the Nordic countries and enabled experts to meet and exchange knowledge, best practices, and co-operate in the implementation. The conference is very important both for gaining a Nordic perspective on water management and to assist one another on challenging issues. The conference is held for those that work in the implementation of the framework, water managers, planners and policy makers both on governmental and municipal level. In addition, those who enforce the laws related to the Directive, interest groups, stakeholders and the general public.

The co-operation between the Nordic countries is the worlds oldest regional partnership and has deep roots in politics, economics and culture. It is a great pleasure for Iceland to host this conference and to be able to collaborate with Nordic colleagues when it comes to water management. Iceland´s first River Basin Management Plan was signed and put into force in April this year. It is my hope that this conference will strengthen our cooperation even further and will be one of many cornerstones to make the Nordic region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world as announced by the Nordic prime ministers in 2019.

I wish you all a fruitful conference.