European Water Partnership

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Revision as of 16:47, 13 December 2008 by Tommy (talk | contribs) (The Euuropean Water Partnership and the World Water Forum)
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Mission and Objectives

Mission

The European Water Partnership is pursuing a strategy of facillitating a multi-stakeholder approach to water policy in Europe. Its not so clear however if this approach is to include all stakeholders, including workers and domestic water users for example. More likely is the multi-stakeholder approach including only elite actors, for instance business, lobby networks, think tanks and bureaucrats.

They write how "The EWP mission is to give water one common voice in Europe. We commit to the European Water Vision and will initiate, support and enforce all actions and projects that will help to achieve the vision (aims)", see below for a discussion of the European Water Vision. Encapsulating their mission is the European Water Vision, which envisages a successful policy when "We have achieved sustainable water resource management and universal access to modern and safe water supply and sanitation because we value water in all its dimensions - in its economic, social, environmental and cultural importance [1]. Using such benign language masks the potential implications of such an approach. Namely that the economic dimension could dominate all others and ultimately price water at a cost that is too expensive, detrimentally affecting the social, environmental and cultural dimensions.

Objectives

  • Provide an open and independent forum to discuss innovative management, technological and financial solutions,
  • Mobilise funding methods for water and develop new procurement approaches,
  • Stimulate and support cooperation between members,
  • Put water on the mainstream political and media agenda, improving awareness of the urgency of water challenges among policy makers and business,
  • Promote the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals in the wider Europe and through an EU neighbourhood policy for water and the Horizon 2020 programme for the Mediterranean,
  • Contribute Independently to the EU water-related initiatives,
  • Promote technological and managerial innovation, developing projects to demonstrate innovative techologies and solutions, enabling these technologies to reach the market.

Background

According to the European Water Partnership, "The European Water Partnership has been established in 2006, borne of two major initiatives in the European water sector: the Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP) and the European Regional Process, which produced the European position at the fourth World Water Forum in Mexico in March 2006 [2].


Aquawareness

Blue Gold Blog

European Water Vision 2030

Conferences

People

Affiliations

The European Water Partnership and the World Water Forum

References

  1. European Water Partnership Mission and Objectives, Accessed 13 December 2008,
  2. European Water Partnership History, Accessed 13 December 2008,