What does watertime aim to do?
| Watertime addresses the issue of how to improve the quality of urban life by reaching economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable decisions on water systems in cities. The project will study current decision-making on water systems in 29 European cities, as well as long-term historical experience.Two final reports will be produced: one on best practices, and the other developing a model for participative decision-making. The work will be disseminated to stakeholders and public authorities, who will also be involved during the course of the research. The team of partners is drawn from different parts of Europe – Spain, UK, Germany, Finland, Hungary – and with a range of expertise, including economics, political science, environmental science, law, and water institutions. |
Who are the partners involved in Watertime?
| WaterTime Team: Research Partners The interdisciplinary team of researchers involved in the project is drawn from different parts of Europe – Spain, the UK, Germany, Finland, Hungary – and brings together expertise from a range of different areas, including economics, political science, environmental science, law, and water institutions. Steering Committee The Watertime project is overseen by a steering committee with representatives from consumer organizations, environmental organizations, and trade unions. European Commission Watertime is funded by the European Commission under the Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development Section of the Fifth Framework Programme. |
| Research Partners: | |
| PSIRU, University of Greenwich, UK | PSIRU undertakes empirical and policy research into the restructuring of public services across Europe and around the world. It maintains an extensive database on privatisation, and produces public policy reports on sectoral and regional developments. |
| ERL, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain | The ERL conducts teaching, research and consultancy around the core subjects of work, employment and society. Its multidisciplinary team has conducted research in Spain and internationally in the fields of public finance, administration and water. |
| Institute of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology (IEEB), Tampere University of Technology, Finland | IEEB has carried out research on water sector institutions and organisations for the past 18 years, in Finland, Europe and developing countries, and part of IEEB has developed the path-dependency analysis of decision-making using a past-present-future axis. |
| International Water Affairs, Hamburg, Germany | IWA is a consultancy specialising in water management, international water law and politics, whose work is centered on multi-disciplinary assessment of water-related EU Directives and their expected influence on European water policies. Its work combines technical, legal, cultural and natural science expertise and integrates it with political analysis. |
| Eötvös József College, Budapest, Hungary | The College has educated water engineers and managers for 40 years, and its courses for both civil and environmental engineers include specific preparation for management, decision-making and information management. |
| Steering Committee: Consumers International | |
| European Environmental Bureau (EEB) | |
| Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) | |
| European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation (CEEP) | |
| European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) | |
| The Consumers Protection Association of Romania | |
| the municipal water utility of Cordoba, Spain (EMACSA) |
Who is Watertime funded by?
| European Commission: Watertime is a research project supported by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) and contributing to the implementation of the Key Action 4: City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage, Thematic Priority 4.1.2: Improving the quality of urban life, within Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (EESD). |