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hy is EU water-related research needed?

This is an important question, one that will be answered on these


pages of the website.

Overall policy objective


Sustainable development requires water. Water is an essential resource for human life, for the economy and
for ecosystems. However, more than 1.2 billion people still do not have access to safe drinking water and
over 2.4 billion lack basic sanitation. The need to focus on this issue has been strongly affirmed by the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (2002) that fixed clear targets for halving this
dramatic situation by 2015. As a consequence, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development has also
put water supply and sanitation as two of its three priorities for 2004-2005.
However, the problem is not limited to the developing world. Pollution, over-exploitation of natural
resources, damage to the aquatic ecosystems, climate and global change, and security aspects are
challenging the sustainability of European water systems, prompting the need for huge investment.
Advanced water technologies, powerful management tools, monitoring, automation and control systems, as
well as improved source control instruments are essential to cope with a demanding integrated water
management framework.
Climate change and the growing habitation of vulnerable areas are dramatically increasing the risk of flood
damage, especially in urban areas, worldwide. The Commission document, entitled the Environmental
Technology Action Plan, has identified water supply and sanitation technologies as a potential topic to be
supported through a European Technology Platform. This Platform should develop among the key
stakeholders a strategic vision for the development of sustainable water supply and sanitation
technologies, with a medium-to-long time frame in order to define a common research agenda and
implementation plan. The Platform should also address other barriers to innovation that slow down the
deployment and take-up of new technologies.
In this specific context, the term water technologies has to be taken in its broadest meaning. Water saving
techniques, prevention and reuse approaches, clean processes, end-of-pipe treatments, system design, ITtools for management, monitoring and control systems, flood forecasting techniques, ecological engineering,
appropriate technologies, desalination, etc. should all be embraced. And they should also carry with them
the framework conditions institutional settings and governance to be effectively deployed.
The overall objective of a shared vision on water research will be to face the global challenge of ensuring
safe and secure water supply for different uses and sanitation services through the development of
sustainable technologies within the appropriate framework conditions.
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Europes position in a global context


European water enterprises are world leaders in delivering water services. However, European technology
providers and engineering companies have to face very strong competition. European research on water
technologies is of very high quality, but the sectors expenditure on research still remains low in comparison
with the full scope of the water market.
The world faces huge economic and social challenges in supplying water and sanitation to billions of people.
To address this economic challenge, and the need to develop the world water market, long-term visionary
research activities are essential, research which is capable of producing a step-change in the water system
towards sustainable solutions. Climate change is further threatening the availability of clean freshwater
resources in many parts of the world. These challenges can only be tackled through a wide and concerted
public-private effort.
Research activities at European, national and local levels in the water field have been supported for
many years, both publicly and privately, particularly in more industrialised countries. More convergence and

efficiency is definitely necessary, mobilising critical resources to deliver competitively priced tools and
solutions to the European water industry and to consumers.
Research and development activities in FP5 poured about 100 million into water technology areas. Water
technology related topics in FP6 were spread across a few priorities and were, initially, allocated a smaller
budget than in FP5. After the approval of the Environmental Technology Action Plan, more substantial
actions on water technologies were introduced in the FP6 work programme for the Global change and
ecosystems priority (6.3).
The problem of fragmentation and likely unavoidable duplication of research activities being undertaken
simultaneously via national, regional and local initiatives, and backed by public- and private-sector funding,
needs to be addressed. This could be done through a common vision and the setting up and adoption of a
strategic research agenda and action plan which give due attention to addressing the existing barriers to the
effective diffusion of new technologies.
Many international and European water associations and networks currently exist, but their specific driving
forces are diverse, varying from research to industrial interests. A shared platform, bringing together all the
key actors, will be an excellent opportunity to overcome such obstacles.
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Primary justification for action


Todays water system, infrastructure-intensive and capital-demanding as it is, was conceived centuries ago
and grew slowly because of limited capacity to adapt technologically. Growing populations worldwide,
economic development and increasing degradation of clean freshwater resources make this system
unsustainable for the world of tomorrow. Competition between water users and sectors is a growing
potential source of conflicts which will bear powerful political and socio-economic consequences. The impact
of climate change is exacerbating this scenario, either because of water scarcity in many parts of the world
particularly in large metropolitan areas or because of increasing flood risks. There is a growing need for
new security means requiring new technologies and new management systems.
In 2002, the worldwide market for water and wastewater totalled more than 250 billion, and analysts
foresee an overall growth rate of 18% by 2005, and up to 60% by 2010. The World Bank has ongoing
commitments of about 17 billion in water projects. And the more than 300 European Investment Bank
(EIB) loans for water and sanitation projects totalled about 8.3 billion over the past five years.
The European water sector is a major economic player (1% of the EU-15 GDP) that has many positive
impacts, both socio-economic and environmental. In recent years, the turnover of this sector (about 80
billion in the EU) grew by an average of 5% per year compared with an average of 2.5% economic growth.
In addition, employment in this sector grew faster than turnover, at a rate of between 6 and 7% per year.
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Worldwide market for water


Water policy is a large part of European environmental legislation. Today, regulation is a major driver of
investment. In particular, the requirements of the Drinking Water Directive, the Urban Wastewater Directive
particularly for the new Member States and the implementation of the Water Framework Directive will
necessitate massive investment in the water sectors of the EU-25, requiring a considerable portion of the
Regional Funds to upgrade and extend water supply and sanitation systems, and to bring water ecosystems
up to the appropriate ecological and chemical standards.
Demand for water services on the international markets has been covered successfully by some of the major
European water service providers, a position that should be strengthened and consolidated. It is expected

that, if the trend of concentration and globalisation in this sector will continue, by 2015 less than 20 large
operators may control 50% of private participation in the world water market.
The European water industry is working in a competitive worldwide market, where the major drivers of
success are finance, technology, internationalisation and attention to user needs. However, to face future
challenges, additional effort and investment in research are required to foster international competitiveness.
Development of new and cost-effective technologies is vital in the water market, which is increasingly
considering and integrating environmental externalities and energy aspects.
At the global level, the objectives set in Johannesburg to halve by 2015 the number of people without
access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation have to be achieved. There is a growing awareness
that Johannesburgs water-related objectives are of fundamental importance for the success of poverty
reduction strategies. For this, the EU has launched the EU Water Initiative, and it has created a 1 billion EU
Water Facility for Africa and ACP countries.
The simple transfer of existing consolidated Western technologies would be too costly with respect to the
possibility of mobilising public and private financial resources, and would lead to unsustainable consumption
of water resources. Setting up partnerships should not only help broaden the financial support base, but
should lead through better access to knowledge to wider access to appropriate technologies and
technological services. The promotion of technological innovation and public awareness worldwide will help
remove barriers limiting the potential diffusion of new sustainable technologies.
EU research activities should aim to address both problems at home and problems faced by other regions of
the world, knowing that any research findings in the broad field of water can help reduce the cost and
improve the quality, safety and long-term sustainability of water resources. It could also cut the time needed
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, thus freeing up financial resources for other objectives.
Only through a broad and co-operative public-private partnership can stakeholders assemble the critical
mass of willingness and resources to face one of the most critical challenges of the new Millennium.

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