The countries of the Balkans are European countries that aspire to become member of the European Union. Compared to other basic services, the conditions concerning water and sanitation are the least ‘European’.

This counts in particular for the access to safe drinking water. Contrary to what one might expect, only half of the population has access to the, often intermittent, public water supply system. Those not connected to the public water supply consist for a large percentage of poor households. They derive their drinking water from other sources such as springs, wells, rivers or rainwater. Most of these poor households are situated in rural areas, where there is no quality inspection and control of continuity (freezing in winter); let alone protection measures for the water sources that could guarantee an acceptable drinking water quality.

SNV’s contribution to improve the access to safe drinking water will focus on the following:

A) Inclusion of the rural poor: The rural poor are a priority in the water sector. The sheer complexity of the transition process is not an excuse for inaction to improve services to the rural poor part of population. Investments in improvement of existing basic water supply in the rural areas can have major impact on health and quality of life. It can also be the trigger for income generation and hence poverty alleviation. Failure to tackle rural areas would mean further degradation of water resources and a continuing brake on social and economic development.

B) Compliance with EU standards: Compliance with EU standards on the local level is the next priority in the water sector. There is a need for mobilising expertise and to assist in preparation of the sub-laws that are necessary to make the water laws operational in practice. National authorities and international organisations tend to focus on the higher levels of government for transfer of information, knowledge and experience regarding compliance with EU standards. Since the majority of directives will have to be implemented at the lower levels ample attention is required for capacity building at these lower levels. The longer local levels are excluded, the bigger a problem will arise, especially at the implementation level (e.g. at the municipality level). Cooperation between existing public companies responsible for drinking water supply can be seen as a challenge to make the existing components work together coherently in order to perform according to the EU standards and to provide better services.

C) Partnerships and participation: Partnerships and participation are the last but not the least issues for intervention in the area. There is a wide range of stakeholders that can contribute to development and improvement of drinking water problems in the region. Establishment of partnerships between political and governmental authorities, private companies and civil groups in society is seen as a driving force for developing sustainable drinking water supply. It should be assured that the public is informed on time and it actively contributes/participates in all relevant phases of the service delivery. Public participation mechanisms need to be developed urgently.

Partners
SNV does not work on these issues in isolation. SNV links up with the relevant government ministries and institutions at all levels. An even more direct relationship is being built at the lower levels of government, also through the Local Government Associations, as well as with the (public) water companies and agencies. Next to these state actors involvement of the private and civil sector is of key importance to foster a climate of partnership and participation.