Blog#6 | How Trump and Biden help to appreciate European’s objective to reduce NRW

No, this won’t be another vision on the politics, or lack of politics in the US. Of course I sincerely hope that reason and realism will dominate over brutal power, but this is irrelevant for my story today. Because whoever will win today in America, half of the polarised American population will feel angry and lost in the coming four years.

How different in boring, slow moving Europe. This morning I wanted to find the new directions of the European commission in the reduction of leakages in drinking water networks. It has taken years to update the current drinking water framework directive, that came in power in 1998. Working groups, political lobbies, so many different interests and voices, it is a miracle things have come together: in 2022 the new directive is expected to be published. Translated in 25 different languages (another bureaucratic horror). 

But what a beauty at the same time! I will never be a political, I’m too impatient, too much focused on direct impact. But I’m grateful and proud that our European politicians, civil servants and lobby organisations manage to bring topics forward that are important for all European citizens, and not for half of the population. Bigger water utilities will have to report their energy consumption and leakages to the public, and in that way, they will be encouraged by the public to reduce both.

The British couldn’t stand the European turtle, and ironically Brexit offers a unique opportunity to reduce the bureaucracy substantially. We can now adopt English as a neutral common language! I feel sorry for all translators and interpreters in Europe, but English can now be the official European language without giving anyone an advantage in debates or discussions. Except Ireland that is, the exception that confirms the rule.

As Europeans we have the slowest, the most bureaucratic, ánd the most beautiful political system!

https://wormintowater.blogspot.com/2020/11/thank-you-trump-and-biden-and-all.html