Review of National Water Allocation Policies in Six European Countries
GOVAQUA policy matrix Part A
- Publication
- Citation
Rouillard, Josselin et al. 2024: GOVAQUA policy matrix Part A – Review of national water allocation policies in six European countries. Ecologic Institute: Berlin.
The present report describes and analyses the legal and regulatory frameworks for water allocation in six European countries. This analysis contributes to ongoing policy discussions on the role of water allocation in sustainable water management and the implementation of the WFD in Europe.
National Policy Development
The six studied countries face different challenges in implementing water allocations, largely due to varying degrees of policy development on this topic:
- All countries studied have well-developed permitting regimes and drought management planning
- Countries with a longer history of water scarcity and droughts, such as Spain and France, or with high abstraction pressure due to population density such as England, have institutionalized more formal practices to plan water allocation at river basin level, and strategies that aim to address overallocation.
- Finland and Sweden lack such frameworks entirely. They primarily rely on the permitting regime to control water abstraction, with limited consideration of basin-wide needs and adapting long term allocations.
Challenges for water allocation legal and regulatory frameworks
There are shared challenges in the implementation of water allocation in the studied countries:
- Countries face challenges in integrating responses to increasing water scarcity conditions under climate change and drought conditions
- There are incomplete provisions for an integrated management of surface water and groundwater, and missed opportunities to better manage the two resources jointly.
- The reviewed countries present limited powers to strategically adjust permit conditions and facilitate the transfer of water-use rights.
- Major challenges exist in adapting society and economic sectors and establishing a water saving culture.
- Stakeholder engagement could be further integrated in different steps of the regulatory framework for permitting, planning and enforcing water allocations.
- Monitoring programs need to be further supported, as well as processes for sanctions and compliance control.
Contact
- Language
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English
- Authorship
- Credits
The authors would like to thank all GOVAQUA team members for their useful inputs during the preparation of the deliverable, and Suvi Sojamo and Gül Özerol for their insightful feedback to the draft deliverable.
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International - Published by
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Ecologic Institute, Germany - Year
- Dimension
- 63 pp.
- Project
- Project ID
- Table of contents
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Click to show full table of contents
- Keywords
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water allocation policies, sustainable water management, GOVAQUA policy matrix, national water policy, water regulation Europe, water scarcity, drought management, water permitting regimes, water abstraction, river basin planning, climate change water policy, surface and groundwater management, water-use rights, water policy challenges, stakeholder engagement water, EU water directives, WFD implementation, water monitoring programs, water governance, water saving strategiesEurope, Spain, France, Sweden, Finland, EnglandReview of European legislation and existing guidance on water management, characterization of key institutions, analysis of three pillars of European water management planning (permitting regime, river basin management planning, drought management), development of a template for national data collection, interviews with national expert
Kampa, Eleftheria et al. 2024: GOVAQUA policy matrix Part B – Review of national eflows policies in six European countries. Ecologic Institute: Berlin.
Penttilä, O. et al. 2024: GOVAQUA policy matrix Part C – Regulating value chains and sustainable water footprints. Ecologic Institute: Berlin.