Water politics: How Spain’s drought became a battle ground for rural votes

Ahead of regional elections, the Spanish National Park of Doñana is at the epicentre of a clash between local fruit producers, environmentalists, and authorities after a controversial proposal to regularise illegal irrigation systems in the midst of a severe drought.

Located in the southern region of Andalucia, the natural reserve is characterised by its wetland, marshland and dune biomes, considered one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in Spain and in Europe. As such, the reserve is protected by EU law and is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage.

But as Spain experiences one of its worst droughts in history – with some regions not having seen rain for over 100 days – Doñana has turned into a political campaigning battlefield for rural votes.

With regional elections coming up in May, the Andalusian government – led by right and far-right Partido Popular and Vox – is currently processing a law to regularise over a thousand hectares of crops around the protected area of Doñana that are illegally irrigated.

The move, though welcomed by producers in the area who are experiencing the consequences of the severe drought, has been heavily condemned by environmentalists and national and European authorities.

“It is an exercise of political irresponsibility,” Eva Hernández, Head of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Living European Rivers Initiative told EURACTIV, slamming the Spanish government for handing out land use permits while there is not enough water for everybody.

Meanwhile, the European Commission’s spokesperson Tim McPhie also warned about “the adverse effects of groundwater over-exploitation in the Doñana ecosystems” during a recent press conference, based on scientific and technical evidence.

But for Juan Ignacio Zoido, MEP from the Spanish Partido Popular (EPP) and Spain’s former minister of interior, the proposed law “simply seeks alternatives with surface water to prevent the destruction of thousands of jobs,” while putting the blame on the ‘inaction’ of other governments.

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According to the latest data from the Spanish Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC), 59% of Doñana’s largest lagoons have been dry since at least 2013.

The data also reveals that 80% of these lagoons dried up earlier than expected, “indicating that human activity is altering the natural balance of the lagoons”.

It is estimated that there are somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 illegal wells around Doñana, pumping water from the aquifer that feeds the wetlands which are key reservoirs for fauna and flora.

Most of these wells are used by local agribusinesses, according to the WWF expert.

For decades, intensive farming crops around the reserve have grown “without any control”, Hernández explained, criticising the “lack of control from the authorities on compliance with the existing laws that were already there”.

The Strawberry Pact

For this reason, in 2014, producers, environmentalists and authorities signed the so-called Strawberry Pact – named after the region’s main fruit industry.

Huelva, the province in Andalucia where Doñana is located, is the largest strawberry producer region in Europe and represents 90% of the production in Spain. 

Other berries – such as blueberries, raspberries and blackberries – are also grown, reaching a total area of ​​more than 11,000 hectares.

After over seven years of negotiations, the pact found an agreement between producers, environmentalists and authorities which legalised only irrigation systems established prior to 2004, and ensured the implementation of existing laws.

The newly proposed law by the Andalusian government, however, would directly breach the existing pact, alongside the EU’s Water Framework Directive and Habitats Directive, according to a ruling from the EU’s highest court.

Despite this, Interfresa, the Andalusian association of strawberry producers, voiced its support to regularise the existing illegal irrigation systems because “it considers it is necessary to provide legal certainty to the situation of these producers.”

“Up to 30,000 red fruit jobs are in danger due to lack of water,” according to a statement by Interfresa.

Commission’s rebuke

The Andalusian government is set to meet with the cabinet of Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius on 3 May to explain the controversial proposal after the Commission has warned Spain of potential consequences if the law passes.

This is, however, not the first time the EU executive takes a stance on the matter.

In 2019, the Commission brought Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to protect Doñana’s natural reserve and breaching EU law due to the country’s failure to follow the obligations imposed by the directives on water protection and natural habitats, El País reported.

After the CJEU ruled against Spain in 2021, in July 2022 the Commission sent a letter of formal notice after Spain failed to implement the CJEU´s ruling and establish protection measures for Doñana.

“If necessary, the Commission will have the possibility to take further measures to ensure that Spain complies with the Court of Justice ruling,” spokesperson McPhie said during a press conference on Thursday (13 April).

EU socialists, Commission up in arms to protect natural reserve in Andalucía

The parliament of Andalucia, with the support of far-right Vox (ECR) and centre-right Partido Popular (EPP), approved on Wednesday (12 April) the urgent processing of a new law that would expand the irrigable land around the national reserve.

[Edited by Natasha Foote/Nathalie Weatherald]

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