European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said Thursday the quality of water across European nations remained poor despite new rules to ensure clean water in rivers, seas, lakes and groundwater. Dimas said cleaning up Europe's waterways and access to clean groundwater is vital to counter climate change which has increased risks of flooding and drought across the 27-nation bloc. «We need to protect and make this precious resource sustainable,» The Associated Press quoted Dimas as saying. He said EU rules agreed to seven years ago to clean up the water system were not being fully implemented.
