<s>[INST] The next text is a question of a member of the European parliament:"On 2September 2008, the Commission answered a question tabled by the Spanish MEP MrIrujo on the diversion of water from the Ebro river basin to river basins in Catalunya which had been approved by Royal Law Decree. He questioned whether the decree was legal as it was in breach of Article4 of the Water Framework Directive(1) and contradicted the principles of the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council entitled ‘Addressing the challenge of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union’ (COM(2007)414).  The Commission admitted that the Spanish Government had not informed it of its intentions, not even once the initial work to lay the infrastructure for the diversion had started, thereby failing to comply with Article2 of Council Directive85/337/EEC(2) on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment and Article24(2) of the Water Framework Directive. Nonetheless, the Commission had not taken any disciplinary action against the Spanish Government nor had it responded to the petition calling for the latter to be required to repeal the Royal Law Decree.  1.What is the Commission’s stance on Member States that carry out de facto measures that contravene EU environmental legislation without giving any official notification of their actions or intentions, despite objections by citizens?  2.What steps will the Commission take to ensure its own compliance with the principles and criteria for preventive action that it set out itself in its communication of 11December 2002 on better monitoring of the application of Community law (COM(2002)725)?    (1)OJL327, 22.12.2000, p.1.  (2)OJL175, 5.7.1985, p.40."
Analyze carefully the text and assign it to the most relevant policy area among those listed below. Do not explain your answer and return only a number.
Policy area numbers: 1 = Macroeconomics
2 = Civil Rights, Minority Issues and Civil Liberties
3 = Health
4 = Agriculture and Fisheries
5 = Labour, employment and pensions
6 = Education
7 = Environment
8 = Energy
9 = Immigration
10 = Transportation
12 = Law and Crime
13 = Social welfare
14 = Regional and Urban issues and Planning
15 = Banking, finance and domestic commerce issues
16 = Defence
17 = Space, science, technology, and communications issues
18 = Foreign trade
19 = International affairs and foreign aid
20 = Governance and government
21 = Public Lands, Water Management and Territorial Issues
23 = Culture and media
[/INST]. Answer = [7]. </s>
On 2September 2008, the Commission answered a question tabled by the Spanish MEP MrIrujo on the diversion of water from the Ebro river basin to river basins in Catalunya which had been approved by Royal Law Decree. He questioned whether the decree was legal as it was in breach of Article4 of the Water Framework Directive(1) and contradicted the principles of the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council entitled ‘Addressing the challenge of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union’ (COM(2007)414).  The Commission admitted that the Spanish Government had not informed it of its intentions, not even once the initial work to lay the infrastructure for the diversion had started, thereby failing to comply with Article2 of Council Directive85/337/EEC(2) on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment and Article24(2) of the Water Framework Directive. Nonetheless, the Commission had not taken any disciplinary action against the Spanish Government nor had it responded to the petition calling for the latter to be required to repeal the Royal Law Decree.  1.What is the Commission’s stance on Member States that carry out de facto measures that contravene EU environmental legislation without giving any official notification of their actions or intentions, despite objections by citizens?  2.What steps will the Commission take to ensure its own compliance with the principles and criteria for preventive action that it set out itself in its communication of 11December 2002 on better monitoring of the application of Community law (COM(2002)725)?    (1)OJL327, 22.12.2000, p.1.  (2)OJL175, 5.7.1985, p.40.