Water is the basic element of life. Adequate availability and purity of water is the prerequisite for the functioning of all ecosystems and also of human economy and cohabitation. Based on its awareness of water’s necessity, the EMA would like to appropriate the following guidelines for the Water Forum.
The EMA’s Water Ethics
Water is the basic element of life. Adequate availability and purity of water is the prerequisite for the functioning of all ecosystems and also of human economy and cohabitation. Based on its awareness of water’s necessity, the EMA would like to appropriate the following guidelines for the Water Forum.
The Forum will address current challenges related to water pollution, the imminent drop in fresh water resources and water distribution. Particularly in the countries of the Mediterranean and the Near and Middle East, the supply of water and the preservation of ecological water circulation are major and serious challenges that urgently require solutions.
Often, these problems exceed the capacities of the responsible government agencies, which is why much hope has been and will be placed in private companies. There have been excellent examples of collaboration between public and private companies – the so-called public-private partnerships (PPP). In the research and application of new techniques for the purification and treatment of water, private or semi-private companies – especially in Germany – are very advanced and have a lot of know-how and experience
The EMA provides PPPs with a platform for establishing contact and continuous cooperation. At the same time, we are also aware of problematic experiences, which were partly made with multinational water groups. They tend to use similar concepts of supply and disposal worldwide, which can cause social and environmental problems. The EMA would like to highlight alternatives and promote innovative strategies. We are primarily concerned with strengthening the role small and medium-sized enterprises in the competition. Local public companies interested in cooperation with the EMA countries are also welcome.
The tendency to favor cities and, above all, their wealthy population is part of entrepreneurial logic, but contradicts the idea of a fair water supply. Rural water supply and sanitation are also an important market for our target group – especially as the majority of the population of the EMA countries live here. It is an interesting market for small and medium-sized enterprises that offer products for decent decentralized care. As for agricultural irrigation and industrial water use, the EMA would like to support the success of techniques and processes that enable a more economical and environmentally friendly use of water.
To enable us to achieve a balance between profit orientation, local adequacy and fairness in water distribution, we would like to invite as many different providers of technical and organizational solutions as possible to the EMA Water Forum, in order to meet the needs of their respective countries. Both tried and tested but also innovative concepts of established as well as young companies are to be utilized.