Presentation - Water pricing and cost-recovery, Gari Villa-Landa EurEau

1. Water pricing and cost-recovery
Gari Villa-Landa
Co-Chair EurEau Committee Economic & Legal Affairs

2. EurEau. Water Matters. eureau.org
EurEau - Who we are
~ EurEau is the European
federation of water services
~ We represent 35 national
associations of drinking and
waste water operators from
30 European countries
~ We represent both the public
and private sector
~ With 470,000 direct jobs, we
make a significant contribution
to the European economy

3. EurEau. Water Matters. eureau.org
EurEau - What we do
~ Our experts exchange knowledge
~ We establish positions
~ We engage with EU policy makers.

4. EurEau. Water Matters. eureau.org
Water pricing and cost-recovery
Cost recovery
~ Full cost recovery / sustainable cost
recovery / broad cost recovery
~ Special focus on environmental &
resource costs

5. EurEau. Water Matters. eureau.org
Water pricing and cost-recovery
Water services & water uses
~ Water services / water uses / water users / beneficiaries /
polluters
~ ECJ ruling C525/12 (2014) - Article 9(4) of the WFD
~ Non implementation of Art.9 as reason for not achieving
the goals of WFD
~ Court of Auditors Report Polluter Pays Principle:
~ Domestic use: covers most of costs DW & WW (consume 10%
water)
~ Agriculture as main consumer but contributing the less to cost
recovery
~ Agriculture represents also the biggest source of diffuse pollution

6. EurEau. Water Matters. eureau.org
Water pricing and cost-recovery
Affordability
~ Definition Right to Water UN
~ OECD data (report 2020):
~ Potential for increasing tariffs
~ Not including increase costs due to several factors: CC, Energy,
circular economy, pollutants of emerging concern
~ Tariff structure:
~ Fixed nature costs (80% total costs are fixed costs)
~ incentives to save water
~ Broader involvement Commissions’ DGs (SANTE, AGRI,
GROW, CLIMA…)

7. EurEau. Water Matters. eureau.org
Water pricing and cost-recovery
Polluter Pays Principle
~ Commissions’ Recommendations 2024
~ Better implementation
~ Zero Pollution Action Plan

8. EurEau. Water Matters.
www.eureau.org
Rue du Luxembourg 47-51,
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 706 40 80
secretariat@eureau.org
Thank you for your attention
Gari Villa-Landa – gteureau@aeas.es
Co-Chair EurEau Committee Economic & Legal Affairs
Head of International Affairs – AEAS (Spanish Association Water
Supply & Sanitation)