News

Planning of water resources and desalination technologies at the heart of EU water project workshops

26-06-2012

A workshop on approaches to integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Mediterranean has brought together 27 participants from seven partner countries, with a focus on national strategies and plans. The meeting took place in Athens this month in the framework of the EU-funded project 'Sustainable Water Integrated Management – Support Mechanism (SWIM‐SM)'.  
 
Participants – drawn from water and environment sectors – evaluated and validated the findings of the regional review of national water plans and/or strategies realised in the framework of the project's activities, with a view to suggesting a series of policy options for further action towards the implementation of IWRM approaches and mainstreaming water resources management in other sectors.
 
Achievements in terms of the planning and implementing IWRM principles were also discussed, as well as the main constraints, gaps, shortcomings and challenges facing their implementation in partner countries. Participants also examined available and upcoming opportunities, agreed on a series of measures and plausible policy options and proposed further measures to accelerate implementation of IWRM principles. The key areas identified for priority action included institutional capacity building, cross‐sectoral coordination, stakeholder participation and decentralisation.  
 
The project also held a meeting this month of its core desalination group composed of five international authorities on water desalination, joined by national desalination experts from four SWIM‐SM countries to discuss best available technologies in the field.
 
The Core Desalination Group and national consultants supported the development of a toolbox to guide water officials in SWIM‐SM countries on the proper approach for deciding on desalination using renewable energy resources after exhausting all other available options through water resources demand management.
 
Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) is a Regional Technical Assistance Programme launched by the European Commission, with a total budget of approximately €22 million, to contribute to the extensive dissemination and effective implementation of sustainable water management policies and practices in the Southern Mediterranean Region.
 
The Programme carries forward the results achieved by two earlier EC regional programmes, SMAP (I, II and III) and MEDA Water. SWIM consists of two major Components, which are inter-related and complement each other: a Support Mechanism funded with a budget of €6.7 million and Demonstration Projects funded with a budget of €15 million. (EU Neighbourhood Info Centre)
 
Read more
 
Press release on Water Resources Planning workshop
 
Press release on desalination group meeting
 
SWIM – fiche and news
 
SWIM - website
 
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre webpage – environment
 
 


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