In Europe, citizens are concerned about water. The first European Citizen Initiative ever submitted has water as its topic. In the focus of the debate are access to and quality of water services, the water quality itself and the appropriate level of water tariffs.
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The future of the Drinking Water Directive
02 June 2015
We all believe access to a safe and plentiful supply of drinking water is fundamental to public health and society. So it is essential there are policies and legislation in place to ensure this happens now and in the future.
Last week the European Commission brought stakeholders and experts together to discuss the future of the Drinking Water Directive (DWD)
There was widespread agreement that the DWD is one of the better pieces of EU legislation as it is clear about its intended outcomes and indeed has led to these outcomes being achieved. The quality and access to drinking water in Europe has vastly improved since the DWD was approved.
However, 5% of Europe's population are still not connected to drinking water services - and this must be tackled.
As we know, the Directive laid down the essential quality standards at EU level with a total of 48 microbiological, chemical and indicator parameters must be monitored and tested regularly. Last week there was agreement among stakeholders and experts that it is time to adapt the parameters to emerging challenges.
Another interesting issue which came up was that of materials in contact with drinking water, which is a growing concern giving the increased opening to third countries’products. It will be interesting to see how the Commission deals with this. At the moment, it has quite rightly said to water providers and others 'give us data and evidence that highlight the scale of this problem and then we will take appopriate action'.
But whether paramaters are changed, or regulations about materials in drinking wate come into play, it will of course be vital that the costs of delivering these bring appropriate benefits to customers.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-drink/legislation_en.html
Neil Dhot
Interim Secretary General
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Customer engagement essential to water sector
April 2015
The water sector faces many challenges both now and in the future, for example through climate change, extra demand through population growth, and slow economic growth.
This is why it is vital the water sector not only strives to ensure everyone has access to water and sanitation, but also explains to people the impacts of these challenges in terms of price and future levels of service.
EurEau members know good quality engagement with customers/users of water services is essential. Being transparent and explaining the costs of the services we provide now and in the future and the decisions increases our legitimacy with our customers and stakeholders.
We want to bring users of our services along the journey with us as we meet our future challanges head-on. One of the many benefits will be that customers get an even better understanding of water and what they can also do to help us protect this vital resource.
I was fortunate enough to be at an event organised by BDEW last week where Dr Matthias Schmidt (General Manager Water of RheinEnergie) talked about how they set out costs to their customers. They use good design and simple, non-technical language to explain how each Euro of customers money is spent. They really try to approach their communication from a customer/user point of view.
This type of communication and customer engagement is happening across Europe in the water sector and there are many great examples. We have to make sure that our communication with customers is creative and consistent, so that we can get our messages across but also learn from customers so we can provide the very best services now and in the future.
Neil Dhot
Interim Secretary General
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Every day more than 2,000 people die due to water-related illness. Learn more: http://bit.ly/16L2TIw #FridayFact
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Water Matters for all!
6 February 2015
We are very pleased to announce that registration for our Water Matters conference is now open. The conference will take place on Wednesday 25 March 2015 in Bozar, Brussels. It will examine the importance of access to water for industry sectors as food, energy and tourism in the context of water scarcity, demographic change and climate change. The programme is available here.
Our event will gather policymakers, water industry leaders and representatives of all types of water user – from energy producers to farmers to households. The priority action points identified by the robust event discussion will be used to help further the mainstreaming of water policy. Because water matters for all!
We will also celebrate our 40th anniversary as the voice of the water sector in Europe with a gala dinner on Tuesday 24 March 2015 also in Bozar, Brussels.Registration for the Water Matters conference is now open. Please register at www.eureauevents.org (early bird rates available till Friday 27 February 2015).
Stay up to date with the latest conference news through the EurEau website and our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and join the #EurEau40yrs debate online!
Almut Bonhage, EurEau Secretary General
Access matters
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Shout for your right to water!
5 January 2015
Water is vital to Europe’s wellbeing. I like to keep this undeniable fact, top-of-mind whenever EurEau is engaging with EU decision-makers on Europe’s many water challenges.
It’s very reassuring to know that citizens everywhere agree that water policy is so vital. For me at least that is the real value of the ongoing debate of the successfully submitted Citizen’s Initiative Right2Water.
The reach of the European Citizens Initiative is truly impressive. Mobilising almost two million signatures is testament to the importance of water and it is a timely reminder that Europe’s political, business and societal leaders need to reflect more deeply about our most vital of resources – by the way, EurEau’s forthcoming Water Matters conference is one such place where this much-needed reflection will happen.
In responding to this initiative EurEau recognises the difficult circumstances faced by many European citizens and we are supportive of efforts to ensure that water is affordable. We also note that access to water is of little value unless it is clean water. Likewise, waste water needs to be treated before it can be safely returned to the water cycle.
All of which has a financial cost.
I take pride in the fact that it is EurEau’s members who make our right to water a reality by providing high quality water and waste water services every minute of every day. And that’s why every time EurEau engages in this debate we emphasise the need for appropriate water tariffs to ensure that this great service continues to benefit all EU citizens.
Unpacking the many aspects of the access to water debate is too ambitious for one blog. In future posts, however, I will try to highlight some of the nuances, while hopefully avoiding the sometimes emotive or adversarial tones that can cloud this discussion.
If only the solution were as simple as turning on a tap…
Almut,
EurEau. Water matters. Access matters.
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EurEau. We make the right to water a reality – every minute of every day.
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A timetable for better water governance
2 January 2015
Our water resources are limited. This small fact merits a big reaction. In a recent blog post, I noted the quiet progress being made by the OECD Water Governance Initiative. Well now the initiative to develop a set of water governance principles is clearly gaining momentum…
A draft text is being circulated with OECD Committees and bodies and in March 2015 a public consultation will be launched – to which I’m sure EurEau’s members will be glad to respond. This will be followed by a dedicated session on water governance principles in the upcoming 7th World Water Forum in April 2015, prior to possible endorsement at the OECD Ministerial Meeting Conference in June 2015.
Water availability and institutional organisation varies widely both within and across countries. By way of example, centralised versus decentralised water management systems pose very different challenges. The delivery of water services and the way water is developed and managed necessarily involve a specific mix of political, institutional and administrative rules, practices and processes.
I welcome the fact that the rationale behind the OECD initiative is aware of this complexity and views governance as a problem-solving instrument. Instead of seeking to be prescriptive it reflects the diversity of situations in existence.
It is something that bodes well for principles that are expected to deliver real-life value for Europe’s households and businesses.
Almut
EurEau. Water matters. Access matters.
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Water tariffs - Setting the Right Price
4 December 2014
Aqua Publica Europea is organising a seminar on water pricing. The seminar investigates solutions how to reconcile three distinctive objectives of water services: protection of water resources, cost recovery and affordability.
APE Seminar: setting the right price www.aquapublica.eu
EurEau. Water matters. Access matters.
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Smart governance drives access to water
24 November 2014
Today sees the 4th meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative. As global water demand continues to increase rapidly, it’s worth highlighting the progress being made by this major water governance effort which may help to avert a future water crisis.
The OECD Water Governance Initiative is an international multi-stakeholder network of public, private and not-for-profit sectors that focuses on better governance in the water sector. I’m glad to note that EurEau is already supporting this process as we will be represented at the meeting by Tristan Mathieu (FP2E, France).
No stranger to the global water challenge, the OECD emphasises that, “managing and securing access to water for all is not only a question of money, but equally a matter of good governance.” In this context, governance refers to the set of rules, practices, and processes through which decisions for the management of water resources and services are taken and implemented(1).
Following on from the 6th World Water Forum held in 2012, the OECD Water Governance Initiative has been tasked with developing a set of water governance principles. At the end of the day, the principles will not be judged for their philosophical beauty; their value will lie in their real-life application.
In Europe, once adopted, the principles should encourage governments, in partnership with civil society and the corporate sector, to take steps to ensure the quality of water services. Performance indicators derived from the principles should enhance comparability, encourage best practice and hopefully be used by stakeholders to hold governments accountable.
We await the next steps in this process with interest.
Almut
EurEau. Water matters. Access matters.
(1) http://www.oecd.org/env/watergovernanceprogramme.htm
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