Access to Water: A public good and a human right

The Water Framework Directive states that ‘water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such’. Water and sanitation are a human right that depends on the availability of an essential and scarce resource.

Access to water is a precondition for life as well as for sustainable economic development. In order to understand better the practical implications of this human right and to ensure that future generations have access to water, a debate involving all stakeholders needs to take place now.

This kick-off event of the “Agriculture and Water Management” Working Group, which took place in Strasbourg on 29 April 2015, brought together European decision makers, international institutions, national and local authorities, industry and civil society to explore ways to guarantee access to water and sanitation to citizens taking into account the different experiences at European level.