Genèse des deux modèles nationaux d'industrie de l'eau : Angleterre – Allemagne

In a book chapter (in French), R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute and Bernard Barraqué trace the historical development of modern water services in Britain and Germany. The chapter describes the different roles of municipalities and central government in the process.

Today, Germany and the United Kingdom have very different legal and policy frameworks, and institutional arrangements for organizing, investment and financing, managing and supervising their water services. In Germany, local or municipal government retains the original right (and obligation) to provide these essential services, and can chose from a variety of organizational models. In the UK, the role of central government is much stronger, to the point that local government no longer has any responsibility in the field, and the resulting structure of the British water industry is not only more centralized but also much less diverse than that in Germany.

The chapter is a contribution to a book on the history and current structure of water supply and sewerage in France, notably Paris, published in memory and celebration of the work of Eugène Belgrand, considered in France as the father of modern urban water services.