The German Water Sector: From Liberalisation to Modernisation

Presentation: Speech
Date: 24 May 2004
Location: Münster, Germany
Speech: Eduard Interwies

Eduard Interwies, Senior Economist at Ecologic, presented an assessment of the impact on the German water sector of recent developments concerning the potential liberalisation of water services at EU level.

Important documents linked to the issue of liberalisation of water services in Europe have been published within the last months. These include:

WRc-Ecologic study on the applicability of EU competition law in the water sector,
recent EU Green Paper on services of general interest
subsequent White Paper on services of general interest,
EU Internal Market Strategy 2003-2006,
EU Green Paper on Public-Private Partnerships.

Furthermore, changes regarding the application of state aid rules and a stricter implementation of EU public procurement law to water services are currently the focus of the European debate.

Eduard Interwies presented a preliminary assessment of these recent EU developments and analysed their relevance for the German water sector. In this context, he also outlined the present status of implementation of the modernisation strategy for the German water sector and pointed out relevant linkages with EU developments.

Here you can download the presentation [pdf, 64 KB, German].

This activity is linked to the EUROMARKET project in which Ecologic is participating. The presentation was given at Münster on 24 May 2004 with an audience consisting mainly of representatives from German Stadtwerke.

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European Liberalisation Trends: Effects on the Water Sector in Germany

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European Commission plans indicate that the water supply should no longer be subject to municipal self-administration, but instead to European competition rules, and maybe even to a mandatory tendering procedure. Such a development would have far-reaching effects on the German drinking water supply, which is characterised by strong communal influence.

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Year 2005

Presentation:Speech

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Trends in the European Water Sector

21 April 2005
R. Andreas Kraemer

Presentation:Speech

The Technical University Berlin hosted the conference "Water – Economic Good, Weapon, Human Right" on 9 February 2005. Ecologic Associate Britta Pielen spoke on the recent trends towards liberalisation in European water policy and the implications for the German water sector. Over the last years, the water and sanitation sector has increasingly been put under reform pressure. In particular at the European level, a political trend towards liberalising the provision of water services can be observed. These attempts are generally justified by the supposedly positive experiences with the liberalisation of other network industries, as well as with stricter environmental and quality requirements.

European Liberalisation Tendencies – Implications for the German Water Sector

9 February 2005
Britta Ammermüller

Publication:Article

According to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), all water bodies in the European Union should reach 'good status' by 2015. The WFD is one of the first environmental policy directives of the European Community that explicitly draws on economic considerations for achieving its ambitious objectives. By the end of 2004, an economic analysis of the importance of water uses has to be completed for each river basin district. This article summarises the present implementation status of the economic analysis in Germany and other European Member States and outlines challenges ahead for the reporting deadline 2004.

Potential noch nicht ausgereizt

Kostenaspekte der europäischen Wasserrahmenrichtlinie

Year 2004

Project:FP 5

The future of the water sector in Europe has been increasingly at the heart of political debates. Potential evolution of the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector had not, however, been the subject of in-depth studies. The EUROMARKET project filled this gap by analysing a selection of scenarios for the evolution of the European WSS sector, ranging from delegation contracts to community management, and investigating their social, economic, environmental and institutional implications.

Water Liberalisation Scenarios (EUROMARKET)

Jan 2003 - Dec 2005

Presentation:Speech

R. Andreas Kraemer, the Director of Ecologic Institute, presented a first assessment of recent developments concerning the potential liberalisation of water services in Europe.

Liberalisation of Water Services in Europe: Recent Developments

21 May 2003
R. Andreas Kraemer

Publication:Report

Herbke, Nadine; Britta Pielen; Jessica Ward et al. 2004: Deliverable 7 Implications of the Different Scenarios – EUROMARKET Water Liberalisation Scenarios - Analysis of the Environmental Implications of the Scenarios. Ecologic– Institute for International and European Environmental Policy/ UNESCO-IHE – Institute for Water Education.

Analysis of the Environmental Implications of the Scenarios

Deliverable 7 Implications of the Different Scenarios

Year 2005

Event: Stadtwerke zwischen Privatisierung und Daseinsvorsorge
Speech: Eduard Interwies
Date: 24 May 2004
Location: Münster, Germany
Language: German
Project: Water Liberalisation Scenarios (EUROMARKET)
Project ID: 1977
Keywords: Water

liberalisation, water services, modernisation strategy, water

Attachments

Presentation slides by Eduard Interviews (63.12 KB)

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