The Environment and Emergency Services and Consumer Protection Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) of Clare County Council will travel to Odense, Denmark (left) this week to study Danish practices related to management of water resources.
By mid-October 2009, all County and City Councils must produce River Basin Management Plans under the EU Water Framework Directive. The process is due to commence when draft Plans are published in December 2008.
Following consultation with the Danish Embassy in Ireland, Denmark was selected as a suitable country to visit because of its similarity to Ireland in population, area, length of coastline, urban-rural mix, and climate, as well as its accessibility.
Odense is the third biggest city in Denmark, and is located near the middle of the country on the island of Fyn. It is the main centre of the Odense River Basin District, a mainly rural area. To implement the EU Water Framework Directive, each member state selected one river basin as a pilot area to ensure that similar practices were applied in all countries; the Danish pilot river basin was Odense. As one of the leading participants in drafting a management plan for the Shannon river basin, which was the Irish pilot area, Clare County Council has decided to visit the Odense basin.
A group of protestors has gathered outside the Fianna Fail think-in in Galway, which is being attended by Clare's two Fianna Fail T.D.s Tony Killeen and Timmy Dooley.
