INTERNATIONAL WATER PARTNERSHIPS
Water Europe
Since 2021, EYDAP has been one of the 41 new members attracted by Water Europe. The Water Europe network was created by the European Commission (EU) in 2004 as the European Technology Platform (ETP) for water. Its ambition is to represent the entire water value chain and achieve a smart European Society around water.
WE is a multi-stakeholder association with more than 250 members representing the entire diversity of the innovative water ecosystem, including the research industry, water service providers, technology suppliers and public authorities.
Water Europe's goals include:
• Improving coordination and cooperation in water and water use sectors in the EU and beyond
• Strengthening the performance and competitiveness of the European water sector and sectors that consume water
• Contribute to solving global challenges through research and innovation
Water Europe strives to generate impactful results for its members, and does so with commitment towards building a Water-Smart Society. Their activities are organized into the following programs, each of which is supported by a special annual event:
· Water Europe Advocacy Program: All about raising awareness of the value of water for our society and economy, making sure that all the right financial, regulatory, governmental, and informational drivers are put in place, and advocating for the proper inclusion of the water-related topics in European funding programs
· Water Europe Collaboration Program- All members to network, exchange knowledge and experiences, and to collaborate along the water value chain to address challengers, develop and implement new solutions, and shape successful project consortia.
· Water Europe Market Program- Enable members to bring their research results and innovative solutions to the market in Europe and beyond.
· Water Europe Communication Pillar- Supports outreach and marketing of all other activities. Includes communication, dissemination and networking services for project consortia that include at least on Water Europe member
· Water Europe Membership Pillar- consists of activities that deliver high quality services and results to members, with the aim to consolidate and expand the current Water Europe membership base.
Aqua Publica Europea-Our Shared Vision for Water
Aqua Publica Europea (APE) is the European Association of Public Water Operators. It unites publicly owned water and sanitation services and other stakeholders working to promote public water management at both European and internationallevel. APE is an operator-led association that looks for efficient solutions that serve public interests rather than corporate ones.
The members of Aqua Publica, servicing over 70 million citizens, are ready to take up the challenges ahead andcall on all authorities, citizens and businesses to put water as a priority and join in broad debate on the way forward.
EYDAP’s daily mission as a provider of water and sanitation services and a member of Aqua Publica Europea, is to offer excellent quality drinking water and to treat urban wastewater.
For this reason, we are directly addressing these global challenges. As public enterprises we are accountable to citizens and elected officials, and we pursue effective solutions driven solely by the public interest, choosing to share our best practices with our counterparts in Europe and developing countries through Aqua Publica Europea.
In 2021, EYDAP participated in the discussion and exchange of opinions of substantive experts on the ongoing revision of the EU Directive 91/271 EC on the treatment of urban wastewater. Opinions and experiences are considered extremely valuable to APE in order to identify specific challenges the water sector is facing.
As discussed and decided during the meeting, a response to the European Commission's public consultation was prepared, accompanied by a document highlighting the main priorities taken out of the meeting. The European Commission highlighted underlined specific data and best practices on the proposed measures in order to understand the costs and feasibility of these measures.
Global Water Operators Partnership
The Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) is the largest network of water and waste management agencies in the world, with over 500 members and operating within the framework of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT).
GWOPA’s direct goal is to promote and enable impactful Water Operator Partnerships (WOPs). It does this by creating awareness about WOPs, producing and sharing knowledge and tools, and rallying the funds and political backing to enable effective WOPs and practice.
Since the establishment of the organization, EYDAP has remained an active member of the GWOPA network and has participated in the International Coordinating Committee, which consists exclusively of elected members, aiming to strategically guide the network. During EYDAP’s term at the Commission, which ended in October 2021, EYDAP contributed to the development of a new financing tool for water and sanitation operators, adopted by the European Union, as well as to the creation of the official manual entitled "National Water Operators' Partnership: Short Term exchanges between Greek Operators” with the good practices of the network that can be applied in underdeveloped countries and local communities.
European Benchmarking Co-operation
The EBC Foundation (European Benchmarking Co-operation) is an industry based, not for profit benchmarking initiative for water- & wastewater services. Our mission is to facilitate water- & wastewater utilities in the continuous process of improving, innovating and raising transparency.
Since 2015, EYDAP has been in collaboration with the European Benchmarking Cooperation, providing technical and economic data and participating in its evaluation process.
International Water Association (IWA)
The International Water Organization (IWA) is the leading network and global knowledge hub for all water professionals. It connects water professionals in more than 130 countries to find solutions to global water challenges as part of a wider sustainability agenda. The IWA Organization also promotes and supports technological innovation and best practices, through international frameworks and standards.
Membership brings together the best scientific minds and industry experts and offers world-class solutions to the most pressing water management problems. The IWA organization provides its members with unique opportunities to position themselves as key players in the global water sector. By joining the IWA Organization as a member, a company has the opportunity to develop its capabilities and that of its staff.
Water-Reuse Europe
Water Reuse Europe (WRE) is an industry-focused non-profit association. Water reuse is playing an increasingly important role in the pursuit of sustainable water resource management, and there is strong growth in industrial, agricultural and municipal reuse programs across Europe. The mission of the organization is to provide a collective identity, in the European area, in the field of water reuse and to promote it in an innovative and dynamic way in the sector. Its members are companies and public organizations from all over Europe active in the field of water reuse.
The objectives of the organization are to enhance the development and competitiveness in the European Union, of the water reuse sector through:
• Public awareness and understanding of water reuse practices.
• Facilitating the exchange of knowledge, good practices, techniques, research and experiences on water reuse between public and private actors involved in water reuse.
• Promoting European products, services and know-how in water reuse to communities around the world.
• Supporting European companies, and especially SMEs, in their efforts to commercialize safe and innovative water reuse solutions.
• Promotion of research and innovation for water reuse.