(De)centralized water reuse

Context

Water reuse is commonly and successfully practiced in several EU countries. However, this practice is so far deployed below its potential in the EU. 6 times more treated water could be reused than current levels. Two major barriers preventing a wider spread of this practice in the EU: 

1) Limited awareness of potential benefits among stakeholders and the public 

2) Lack of a supportive and coherent framework for water. (https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/water-reuse_en). 

The regulation on water reuse applies since 26 June 2023. The Commission will help EU countries to fully apply the new rules. These are the guidelines to help apply the Water Reuse Regulation. The regulation allows Member States to decide not to practice water reuse in their territory or to limit water reuse in certain areas, for reasons linked to geographical and climatic conditions, to pressures and status of their water resources or due to the environmental and resource costs of reclaimed water and of other water resources. Some Member States, where freshwater resources are abundant and irrigation demand is low, have planned not to allow water reuse for irrigation in their countries. Some Member States have not yet made a final decision, as resource and infrastructure costs still are being evaluated

Goals

Building on the cluster 5 on water governance of the foresight study run by DG ENV (https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/eu-foresight-system-environment-forenv_en), the project aim is at understanding the governance implications for centralised and decentralized systems of water reuse and envisioning how to act on the possible current and future barriers.

Methods

• Policy Prototyping
• Preventative anticipatory policy and foresight
• Behavioural experiment