1 SOCOPSE Final Conference Future Approach to Priority and Emerging Substances in European Waters Maastricht, 24 June 2009 EU water research and its contributions to related EU water policies European Commission, Research DG Directorate Environment (including Climate Change) Panagiotis Balabanis and Javier Peinado Lebrero

2 Water research has been a major component of successive EU environmental research programmes EU funded research in the field of water covered a wide number of areas aiming to develop scientific knowledge to support environmental related policies (WFD, Drinking Water, Urban Wastewater, Nitrate and IPPC Directives, Adaptation to Climate change, etc.) and the competitiveness of the European industry Last years, EC research activities in the field of water technologies have been strengthened, as a response to EU Environmental Technology Action Plan and recent activities greening our economy and strengthening sustainable growth Three decades of EU water research

3 Contributions to EU water policies Continuous support to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and other related directives (groundwater, flood) –e.g. classification of water bodies, pressures and impacts, management measures, priority and emerging substances Supporting the revision process of Drinking Water Directive –Strong support at the early phase of revision (WEKNOW) and more recently (dedicated workshop relating to "Connecting research and policy" organised laste week in the context of the TECHNEAU project conference) Helped to synthesise and consolidate results from individual projects and strengthened the research/policy interface –WISE-RTD web portal, establishment of dedicated Science-Policy Interface Group directly related to the Common Implementation Strategy of the WFD SOCOPSE project is a very good exemple of a "policy" driven project proving concrete contributions to EU water related policy and the possibility to further strengthen research and policy

4 EC research activities in the field of water technologies – Some recent successes Development of a strong cluster of more than 50 European and international companies and institutions dedicated to the Membrane BioReactors technology (MBR-Network) A significant step forward in the development of innovative drinking water supply technologies, introducing an integrated source-to-tap approach, bringing together more than 30 universities, research centers, water utilities, industries and SME’s from Europe an developing countries (TECHENAU Integrated Project) A paradigm shift for sustainable urban water management including resilience to Global Change pressures, intervention into the entire urban water cycle, reconsidering water use and promoting more application of natural systems (SWITCH Integrated Project) Practical solutions that can be implemented cost-effectively to improve the rehabilitation management of water supply networks and provide capabilities to locate buried infrastructure with accuracy and reliability (ORFEUS) A comprehensive knowledge of about the effectiveness of both intensive and extensive water reclamation technologies for contaminant removal and guidelines for planning, implementation and operation of water reclamation and recharge schemes including risk assessment and management (RECLAIM WATER) Development of new, user-friendly technologies to assist in irrigation water management, especially in regions where water conflicts are arising and with emphasis on tools that encourage participation of a water range of stakeholders and providing harmonised integrated assessment (both environmental and socio- economic) of irrigation performance (PLEIADES) A DSS for helping water managers to control pollutants at source in urban areas to reduce the presence of priority pollutants in wastewater and rainwater flows (SOCOPSE)

5 Major policy drivers for research in water technologies in FP7 lThe Lisbon strategy which highlights the role of environment in economic growth lEnvironmental Technology Action Plan (ETAP), Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP) lEU water policies and directives lWater Framework Directive, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, Drinking Water Directive, Sewage Sludge Directive, Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive, etc. lEU Water Initiative – The international dimension lPromoting low-cost and sustainable technologies in developing countries and help meeting the Millennium Development Goals for water supply and sanitation lClimate change adaptation and mitigation lRecent European Economic Recovery Plan lPublic-Private Research Partnerships in manufacturing, construction and road transport

6 Launched in the context of ETAP Strengthen the potential for technological innovation and competitiveness of the European water industry, of water professionals and research institutions –Common strategic and visionary science and technological research agenda Step changes in the technological capacity of the European water industry, strengthening its position in the world market To ensure safe and secure water supply for different uses and sanitation services –Sustainable technologies –Appropriate institutional frameworks Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform - WSSTP

7 Some conclusions EC funded water research projects have to continue supporting related EU water policies and produce and communicate policy- related results In FP7 specific attention is given to improve more the dissemination and knowledge transfer of successful project results. This includes among else: –Introduction of specific ‘dissemination actions’ in the Work Programme to synthesise knowledge/ results –External project assistant to review project results in specific areas –Annual Review of projects made includes tasks to identify policy relevant results –Dissemination requirements embedded in the contract to further ensure the establishment of a dialogue between the science policy and science-society –External Advisory Boards of projects are requested to include, when relevant, end users of the results, such as the EEA and DG ENV It is important that results of the SOCOPSE projects are disseminated widely outside the project consortium

8 Further information Seventh Framework Programme: Information on research programmes and projects: Information on environmental research Information on water related research projects: e RTD info magazine:

9 Thank you for your attention