Workshop on WATER: identifying specific policy objectives

In the morning section, the group of EMEG experts on Water has identified 7 specific objectives:

• differences in the social and economic approaches related to water management in the Euro-Mediterranean region, including the different perceptions related to the role of public private actors.

• Political difficulties in implementing regional water strategies. Policy-makers poor awareness of existing sustainable solutions an instruments and funding instruments.

• Poor engagement of water managers, scientist and end users in water policy development. Poor water governance.

• Low sensitivity and insufficiency of Eu programs towards the specific needs in various part of the Mediterranean region.

• Discontinuity of funding, discrepancy in budget allocation and rigidity of administrative and financial procedures.

• Spatial and temporal variation in priorities in Med countries. Insufficient access to information, low participation of MPC in setting regional programs and insufficient communication flow among MS, EU and MPCs.

• Low participation of MPCs in programs development and no proper mechanisms on follow up of results.

In the afternoon section, the workshop was dedicated to find specific policy objectives that will guide policy recommendations. The list of objectives which came out from the discussion in the workshop includes: participatory approaches, moving to more social approaches rather than only market-based approaches, broader stakeholders participation. These objectives are not completely novel but still valid for framing actions and policies. The question is: how to build a paradigm able to guide policy-makers in future actions towards the Euro-Mediterranean research and cooperation in water-related fields?