“Aquawareness is an excellent and timely initiative, responding directly to the challenges highlighted in the Commission’s Communication and its necessary follow-up with all stakeholders.” Stavros Dimas, EC Commissioner for the Environment

“In the name of the European Parliament I strongly welcome the initiatives that have been launched in this conference today: the European water vision for the twenty first century and the Aquawareness programme! Awareness of the current water situation in the Europe Union and its challenges, as well as a vision for the future of Europe's water, are crucial drivers in order to strive for a sustainable water management.” Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament

Aquawareness
The new voluntary program Aquawareness sets sights on changing behaviour and practices, shaping and integrating water into policy and strategy agendas as well as creating a water saving and efficiency culture among private, industrial, business and agricultural users. Through information, education and training a paradigm shift from supply to demand management shall be achieved.

Water Vision for Europe
In order to position common goals and objectives for the European water sector, a Water Vision for Europe has been worked out in a multi stakeholder process. The Vision shall serve as a joint basic starting point for both – policy making and future project setting of the European water sector - and therefore unites stakeholders to joint action on advanced water management. Actually, the vision already underpins the project settings of the European Water Awareness and Water Stewardship Program.

European Water Awareness Program
This program directs to introduce a water saving and water efficiency culture among political decision makers, key stakeholders and inhabitants within Europe. The basic tool to implement awareness on sustainable water use on all social and geographical levels is to make information on sustainable water use available for everybody. Improved information creates transparency on the water situation and ensures a realistic and objective decision making process on all levels. In that way, the program encourages the change of behaviour, practices or habits and supports an efficient policy making process.

Water Stewardship Program
The objectives of this program are to establish and provide a voluntary scheme for sustainable water use that:

•  Becomes an extensively adopted instrument for sustainable water management crossing public, private and sectoral barriers 
• Promotes water to become integral part of policy and business agendas 
• Creates knowledge&transparency on production and consumption patterns 
• Presents a common framework for assessing, implementing and communicating sustainable water management

For an overview on Aquawareness in brief, please click here.