Water Supply and Sanitation

Water resources management is central to EU environmental policies within and outside the EU.

The EIB has long been a major player in the water sector. It has provided lending on some water supply and sanitation projects in both the EU and Partner Countries. These projects have helped to safeguard the natural environment and contribute to the welfare of the people concerned.

The EIB and European Commission jointly undertake the funding of many water investment projects and capital expenditure programmes, blending EIB finance and EC grants. The joint financing provides adequate resources for such investments, as well as compliance with the principles and recommended practices of EU legislation, including the EU Water Framework Directive and related directives.

The provision of basic water services also supports the EU development and cooperation policies for reducing poverty in the Partner Countries where water is a basic need and a key element in food production.

The Bank is also committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set in 2000 for water and sanitation. The work of the EIB in this sector actively contributes to the MDG target to “halve by 2015 the proportion of people in urban and rural areas without sustainable access to safe drinking water”.

Cooperation

The ACP-EU Water Facility was launched by the EC in 2004 within the framework of the EU Water Initiative’s (EUWI). This water-dedicated instrument works directly with those most affected by water and sanitation shortages in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries. The Facility provides funds for technical assistance, acts as a catalyst for additional funding and enables more effective co-financing between EU grant aid and EIB financing instruments.

Horizon 2020 is a cooperation initiative launched by the EU Commission to clean up the Mediterranean. The EIB is amongst the partners involved. The EIB will focus on the reduction of the most significant sources of pollution in the Mediterranean countries and create a pipeline of bankable investment projects, in close cooperation with the World Bank and the United Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP)/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the EC Directorate-General for Environment.

The Bank’s technical services can also act as sector specialist advisers to the European Commission in the assessment of projects, including water projects.