Sustainable water management in the Balkan and Southeast Mediterenean area

Main objectives:

To develop and implement a plan for integrated management of water resources by introducing the concept of risk management emphasizing on drinking water and irrigation to counter-act widespread water scarcity in the regions involved.

To develop the adequate "critical mass" of human resources, infrastructure, technical and methodological tools, on local level referring to Balkan areas and Southeast countries that can ensure the improvement of the level of offered services to the citizens by securing:

a. The qualitative and quantitative control of the water resources and through this, the prevention of hazardous situations to public health, properties and environment due to local and transfrontier caused pollution to the water resources, as well as the prevention of disasters due to draughts or floods in the Balkan and South Mediterranean Countries area, by the early warning of the Local Authorities.

b. The discourage of the potential "pollution contributors" and organizations, industries, farmers and individuals which overuse the water resources.

The proposed objectives satisfy vital practical requirements of the participating areas such as the adequacy of drinking and bathing water, confrontation of disaster and prevention of human lives, etc. while they contribute to the economic and social development of the areas involved.

The trans-regional co-operation secures the success of the proposed objectives by the direct involvement of Organizations that already work on regional level to the above mentioned issues and they have direct knowledge of existent problems and responsibility of water management.

It facilitates the technology and experience transfer from European regions to Balkan areas regarding national models of water management and the adoption of European directives concerning the quality of water and prevention of high risks.