EU tekent waterovereenkomst met China (en)

China’s Minister i for Water Resources Chen Lei and Ida Auken signing the agreement during The 6th World Water Forum.

Representing the EU i member states, the Danish Minister for Environment Ida Auken today signed an agreement on water collaboration with China. From Europe, the collaboration will be led by Denmark and is expected to result in an increase in export of green technology and the creation of new jobs.

Denmark will play a leading role in the new collaboration which aims to help China improve its water sector. Over the next decade, the Chinese plan to spend 470 billion euro on the water sector. Danish and European know how about water planning, protection of natural water resources, and purification of waste water are core concerns of the European-Chinese water collaboration.

The agreement was signed in the French city of Marseilles today. Upon this occasion, the Danish Minister for Environment Ida Auken said:

"This agreement is a huge step forward for the European-Chinese collaboration on water. China is looking to invest large sums in its water sector, and in Denmark and Europe we have the kind of technology the Chinese will be needing. This opens up to a great range of opportunities for developing new technologies and for the export of European water solutions which I’m convinced will create many new jobs both in Denmark and in Europe".

China’s Minister for Water Resources Chen Lei and Ida Auken signed the agreement during The 6th World Water Forum which was opened on Monday and this week gathered more than 15.000 participants for a global exchange on the issue of setting the international agenda for water collaboration.

In Marseilles, Minister Chen Lei expressed his expectations for the future collaboration:

"China and EU have constructed a comprehensive strategic partnership after 36 years of diplomatic relations. Enhancing cooperation and exchanges in the water sector between China and EU is of great significance to both sides, and even for the whole world, in our efforts to address water crises".

And he continued:

"I hope that our two sides will absorb all useful thoughts, express opinions freely, exchange ideas thoroughly, shed insights upon each other, reach consensus, and boost the collaboration to continuedly promote China-Europe water cooperation in breadth and depth and make new contributions to the development of the existing comprehensive strategic partnership between China and EU".

For further information, please contact:

Press Officer, Mariam Mosen, phone (+45) 40 85 92 11, email marmo@mim.dk

Head of Section, Jakob Møller Nielsen, phone (+45) 41 72 16 07, email jamni@nst.dk