EMWIS Flash N°63, October 2008

EMWIS Flash - October 2008 Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector EMWIS is a program of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. For further information: http://www.emwis.net Monthly Flash produced by the EMWIS Technical Unit- OIEAU, CEDEX, SOGESID It is available in English, French & Arabic. (French & Arabic versions are available few days later)

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In this issue N°63 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash63)
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HEADLINE
1- Barcelona Process: a Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Water, October 29, 2008 (Jordan)
IN BRIEF
2- Euro-Med Finance Ministers move forward on specific projects such as the de-pollution of the Mediterranean
3- Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly adopted Recommendation on its role in the Union for the Mediterranean
4- EU Ministers meet to take forward the European Space Policy
5- Water scarcity and droughts in the EU: Seeber report
6- Regular monitoring of Horizon 2020 process
7- Great success for the 6th "EUROPE-INBO 2008" conference
8- Financing water and sanitation at local levels
9- Water issue in the Mediterranean decentralised cooperation
10- New USAID initiative for water governance in the MENA region
11- Turkish GAMA Energy set to launch huge water project in Jordan
12- France: Water prices became under the EU average
13- Israel, Cyprus & Jordan: Graywater recycling systems
14- Israel: Veolia Environnement on track for the Soreq desalination project
15- Europe needs to intensify actions to adapt to climate change impacts
16- The climate change and adaptation in the Maghreb
17- Arab NGOs Unite to Combat Climate Change
NOMINATIONS & VACANCIES
PUBLICATIONS   
CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
CALL FOR PAPERS
TRAINING
EVENTS
BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
CONTACT US / COMMENTS
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HEADLINE
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1- Within the context of the "Barcelona process: a Union for the Mediterranean", a ministerial conference on the water , co-chaired by France, Egypt and Jordan, will be held in Jordan the 29 October 2008 with a double objective: i) to define the main lines of the water strategy for the Mediterranean which should be approved by these same ministers in 2010 and submitted if possible as soon as possible to the Heads of Governments at the time of their second Summit; ii) to mobilise the governance authorities of this Process to set priorities on the identification of infrastructure water related projects in line with this strategy and on the mobilisation of financial organisations in favour of these projects. On the eve of the ministerial conference (28 October 2008), a day dedicated to civil society will be held  as well as events related to infrastructures projects. New documents have been uploaded on the official conference website  at : http://www.medaquaministerial2008.net/. In order initiate the work on the Mediterranean water strategy, an experts group meeting will be held 11 and 12 December in the South of France. Further information on EMWIS website.

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- The Euro-Mediterranean finance ministers have moved forward on the financing of specific projects under the “Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean” and affirmed their determination to continue their work in favour of economic growth despite the financial, energy and food crisis. According to a French EU Council Presidency press release, following a meeting in Luxembourg, the ministers particularly emphasised the role played by the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) in three of the projects promoted under this process: the de-pollution of the Mediterranean, motorways of the sea and the Mediterranean solar plan. The ministers welcomed the FEMIP's new strategy, enabling it to step up its already significant efforts and stimulate investments, particularly from the private sector in favour of these three key projects. Further information on EMWIS website.

3- The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) is recommending to the “Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean” meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers that it formally declares it as the parliamentary institution of the process. It wishes to see “a legal basis created and a formal link established between the executive branch and the parliamentary branch of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean”. The Recommendation, that defines what the EMPA should be doing as a consultative body, was adopted at the Assembly’s extraordinary plenary recently held in Jordan 12-13 October. It will be forwarded to the Foreign Ministers meeting, taking place 3-4 November, in France, along with a separate Declaration on the Middle East Peace process. Further information on EMWIS website.

4- Ministers in charge of space activities within ESA and European Union Member States met in Brussels for the fifth Space Council. Europe now has a stable foundation for its space activities, supported as they are by the three legs of the European Space Agency, the Europan Union and their respective Member States.  This will be reinforced not only by this meeting but also by the ESA Council at ministerial level, which is due to take place on 25-26 November in The Hague. The Space Council identified the need to draw up a plan that provides for sustainable operational funding for Kopernikus (formerly known as GMES "Global Monitoring for Environment and Security") and welcomed the proposal by the European Commission to start this with a new preparatory action in the preliminary budgets for 2009. Four additional priority areas have been identified: space and climate change, contributions of space to the Lisbon Strategy, space and security and space exploration. The Space Council welcomed in particular the joint preparation by ESA and Eumetsat of an innovative programme proposal for Meteosat Third Generation, which will also contribute to Kopernikus, to the monitoring of climate and thus to the detection of global climate change. Further information on EMWIS website.

5- Richard SEEBER from the European Parliament puts forward an own-initiative report on water scarcity and droughts in the European Union. The Environment Committee urges the Commission and Member States to acknowledge that deforestation and unrestrained urban development are contributing to growing water scarcity.  It stresses as well that any supply of water regardless of the purpose of its consumption must comply with the principle of fair water tarification, thereby encouraging companies especially to use water more efficiently. The report stresses that the cross-regional and trans-border nature of river basins can have a serious cross-border impact on upstream and downstream regions, and that it is thus indispensable for the Member States, as well as regional and local authorities, to cooperate on the issue of water scarcity and drought ensuring sustainable and fair use of water resources. Further information on EMWIS website.

6- The 1st meeting of the Review, Monitoring and Research sub-group took place in Athens (Greece) on 9-10 October 2008. This meeting, chaired by the European Environment Agency, brought together representatives from EU members states, Mediterranean Partner Countries, UNEP-MAP, MEDSTAT, GWP-Med, EMWIS, MIO-ECSDE, SMAP RMSU, the European Commission (DG Environment, Eurostat, JRC). The participants reviewed their expectations and discussed the way forward the preparation of a first report for the Environment Ministers meeting in 2009 and a more comprehensive reporting process including scorecards in the framework of a Med Shared Environment Information System. Further information on EMWIS website.

7- The annual "EUROPE-INBO 2008" conference of the European Basin Organizations on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) took place in Sibiu, Romania, from 1st to 3 October 2008, at the invitation of the Romanian Authorities. It gathered 195 participants coming from 26 countries. This conference was an important step before the World Water Forum of Istanbul. A workshop on the IWRM-Net (European network of research programmes on IWRM) project was organized as a side event. Three workshops presented many case studies and exchanges were particularly fruitful. The EU-non-member countries were very present, proof of their growing interest in the WFD. Further information on EMWIS website.

8- WaterAid carried out analyses in 12 developing countries in Africa and Asia to identify key blockages and systemic weaknesses that stand in the way of development finance reaching local authorities responsible for delivering water and sanitation services. The research showed that in spite of policy commitments to decentralisation, local governments are consistently by-passed by those financing development, resulting in a high risk of duplication and inequitable coverage. Recommendations are provided for the different stakeholders - national governments, donors, NGOs and local government - to improve financing and governance at the local level. Further information on EMWIS website

9- The degradation of water resources is a serious threat to the eco-systems. Climate change has increased the risk of flooding, landslides and mudflows. The increase in drought periods coincides with long-term water shortages that are not offset by levies. The expected rise in sea level will lead to a decrease in inhabited territories and lift salt in groundwater. Wetlands are essential for ecological balance, are in considerable decline. These are among the themes that will be debated at the MedCoop annual meeting on decentralised cooperation to be held next 28 November 2008 in Sophia Antipolis (France). Further information on EMWIS website

10- The International Resources Group and partners have just been awarded a USAID contract for water resources governance in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Region. The project called "Regional Water Governance Benchmarking" (ReWaG) was launched in September 2008 to run for 18 months and is funded by the USAID Office of Middle East Programs (USAID/OMEP) at a level of $1.5 million. Implementing partners working with IRG include the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Institute for Water and Watersheds at Oregon State University (OSU), Computer Assisted Development Incorporated (CADI), Nile Consultants of Egypt and ECO Consult of Jordan. Further information on EMWIS website

11- GAMA Energy will launch the $990 million plan to extract 100 million cubic meters of water a year from the 300,000-year-old Disi aquifer 325 kilometers (200 miles) south of Amman. Infrastructure work on the much-delayed project in the desert kingdom is expected to take around four years. This will include using 250,000 tons of steel and digging 55 wells to pump water from Disi to Amman, where per capita daily consumption of its 2.2-million population is 160 liters. Jordan's overall population of nearly six million is growing by almost 3.5 percent annually, and it is one of the worlds 10 most water-impoverished countries, relying mainly on rainfall to meet its needs. The demand for water is constantly rising in Jordan, which has seen an influx of around 750,000 Iraqi refugees since the U.S.-led invasion of its eastern neighbor in 2003. The water ministry says Jordan, where 92 percent of the land is desert, will need 1.6 billion cubic meters of water a year to meet its requirements by 2015. Further information on EMWIS website.

12- The Professional Federation of Water Entreprises in France (FP2E) released the results of its annual survey on water prices in Europe. Produced by Nus Consulting firm, the 2008 edition shows that French individuals pay on average € 3.01 their cubic meter of water. € 1.51 is the part related to drinking water production and distribution. The remaining € 1.50 is spent on wastewater treatment. By comparing the price of water on 1 January 2008 in the five largest cities in ten member countries of the European Union, the study places France in the 5th position of the least expensive behind Finland, Sweden, Spain and Italy. In the 10 countries surveyed, the average is 3.40 € per m3 ranging from 0, 84 in Italy to € 6.18 € in Denmark. According to the FP2E, water prices in France should continue to increase in coming years. Large investments are still expected to complete upgrading of sewage treatment plants. Further information on EMWIS website

13- A start-up of less than a year, based in Haifa and supported by the Technion, announced that they are able to save 40% of household water. With a workforce of 4 people, the Water Arc company has developed a technology to treat and redirect the "gray water" from showers, toilets or washing machines. This water is cleaned and distributed to hunt food and water hoses. On the other hand, Cyprus has also initiated a subsidy program for households to install graywater reuse systems for domestic landscaping and toilet flushing. There is also documentation of graywater reuse at certain hotels. Dual plumbing systems have also been introduced to allow the reuse of graywater in toilet flushing with a conservation of drinking water from 35% - 40% of the per capita water consumption (Kambanellas 1999). In Jordan as well, there is a need to improve the efficiency of water use by customers. Examples of such ‘demand side management’ improvements include the use of low-water-use fittings (faucets, showers, toilets etc), improvement of plumbing codes to ensure better quality plumbing, and the reuse of graywater. The Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) in Jordan has published a report on that. Further information on EMWIS website.

14- At least four or five consortia should respond to the tender for the construction and operation of the fourth desalination plant in Israel: Soreq Plant. This plant which will deal with 100 million cubic meters per year is expected to cost between 1.5 and 2 billion shekels. This project is planned for 2012. Among the consortia are found side by side in the Israeli market players and major international names such as American General Electric or French Veolia Environment. The Hebrew state should guarantee a minimum price of redemption of the water produced for a period of 25 years. Further information on EMWIS website

15- Increasing temperatures, changing precipitation, rising sea level, more intense and frequent extreme weather events and melting glaciers, ice sheets and Arctic sea ice are some of the challenges for Europe already triggered by global climate change, says a report released by the European Environment Agency, the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Further information on EMWIS website

16- The University of Marrakech and its partners (CDRT, Maroc Météo, NC DIVERSITAS Morocco, OSS), with the support of the Climate Change and Adaptation in Africa program (CCAA) will organise a two day international workshop to be held on 25 and 26 of November 2008 in Marrakech (Morocco). The title of the conference is "Climate change in the Maghreb: thresholds and limits to adaptation". The overall objective of this conference is to consider strategies for adapting to climate change, in particular to explore the potential barriers to adaptation that may limit the ability of societies in the Maghreb countries to adapt to climate change and to identify opportunities for overcoming these barriers. Further information on EMWIS website

17- The Arab world will be one of the most impacted regions by climate change, particularly with water resources growing scarcer and the agricultural sector becoming the victim of more weather extremes. As the international community faces the challenge of developing a new treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, 15 NGOs from 9 different Arab countries unified their work on this process by forming the ‘Arab Climate Alliance (ACA)'. The objectives of the Alliance are to build the capacity of Arab civil society's institutions on climate science and policy (specifically on the Post-2012 Climate Agreement's negotiations), and to conduct regional activities and communication. The ACA calls on other civil society organizations to join the Alliance. On January 19 and 20, 2009, the Arab League will hold in Kuwait an extraordinary summit on economic and developmental issues, where climate change must be on its agenda. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS & VACANCIES
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18- Dr. Ghani Chehbouni has been nominated as the new representative of IRD Egypt, started from September 2008 but he will take up officially his post on the 1er of January 2009. Co-director of the international program Salsa and responsible for the space hydrology team within the UMR Cesbio. G. Chehbouni has also authority on all activities of the IRD in Jordan, Syria, Libya and Lebanon. Further information on EMWIS website

19- Spain: The General Board of FERAGUA has elected Margarita Bustamante Sainz (Seville, 1962) as new president of the association of irrigators communities, which is majority in Andalusian irrigation. Further information on EMWIS website

20- The deadline for submitting candidatures to the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize, originally planned for 15 October 2008, has been extended to Friday 14 November 2008. This 3rd edition of the Prize will be held in Istanbul, in March 2009, on the occasion of the 5th World Water Forum.  Further information on EMWIS website

21- Water Resources/Harvesting Specialist required to work with ICARDA in Aleppo (Syria):The appointee will work with ICARDA scientists from other disciplines, with national program partners, and with advanced research institutes to assess water resources in the dry areas, mainly in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), to design and implement research and capacity building programs on micro and macro catchment water harvesting systems and associated small structures for managing water resources. Closing Date: 30 October 2008. Further information on EMWIS website

22- SwissRe invites applications for the International ReSource Award for Sustainable Watershed Management 2009: The Award worth USD 150 000 is an internationally recognized prize for leadership in implementing the principles of sustainability in watershed management, and is granted to one or several projects selected by an international jury. The prize money is open to NGOs, private, scientific and public institutions. As the world’s leading and most diversified global reinsurer, Swiss Re offers financial services products that enable risk taking essential to enterprise and progress. Deadline: 31 May 2009. Further information on EMWIS website

23- Water and Environment Journal is welcoming applications from reviewers with suitable expertise in a subject within the scope of water and environmental management. Reviewers enjoy free online access to WEJ for one year and a 20% discount on Blackwell books. For more information or to submit your CV please contact Joanna Cooper, jcooper@ciwem.org. Deadline: 31 May 2009. Further information on EMWIS website
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PUBLICATIONS
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CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
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43- LIFE+ new call for proposals to be launched: publication of the Regulation in the Official Journal L149 of 9 June 2007.  This second call for proposals for LIFE+ has been published in the Official Journal (2008/C 178/20) on 15 July 2008. The Deadline for the submission of proposals to the Member States is 21 November 2008. A total amount of €207,5 million is available for the 2008 call for proposals. Further information on EMWIS website

44- The European Commission has published a number calls for proposals under the specific programmes Cooperation and Capacities of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Related to the water community, see the call on Environment (including Climate inducing changes in water resources in southern Europe and neighbouring countries as a threat to security) - FP7-ENV-2009-1. Deadline for application: January 8, 2009 (17:00hrs Brussels local time). Further information on EMWIS website

45- FP7 - Environmental research - First & Second Call: A catalogue of water related projects is available: The catalogue "Water Research" briefly presents the related projects resulting from the FP7-ENV-2007-1 and FP7-2008-2 calls, including a short abstract, the partners involved and the overall grant proposed by the Commission. So far, it represents about 19 projects totalling €62,6 million out of the EC funding for the Collaboration 'Environment (including Climatic Change)' theme. The projects proposed for funding that resulted from the FP7-ENV-NMP-2008-2 call, organised jointly by the Environment theme and the Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production technologies themes, are presented in the catalogue "Nanotechnologies for water treatment". Further information on EMWIS website

46- A Call for expressions of interest (Reference Nr EuropeAid/ 123304/C/SER/TPS) for the "Provision of training on various subjects related to the implementation of projects financed from the EU General Budget in the context of external actions" is open until 4 February 2009. The activities for this Call may be related to distance learning, or pedagogical methods such as on-the-job training or case studies. The sub-fields are including Knowledge Management projects and Information systems. Further information on EMWIS website.

47- Serbia: "Duboko Solid Waste Water Management Project".  Tenders must be delivered to the office before 27 October 2008 at 14:00 hrs CET Belgrade local time. Further information on EMWIS

48- Mitigating Flood Risk in Flooded Areas in the GAP region in Turkey: The global objective of this assignment is to increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of the 'Mitigating flood risk in flooded areas in the GAP region' project. Closing date: 19 December 2008. Further information on EMWIS website.

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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49- This 7th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation will be held in Berlin (Germany) in 4-5 May 2009. You are invited to contribute a paper for presentation at the symposium.  The one-page, single-spaced abstract of no less than 300 and no more than 500 words must be received by 31 October, 2008. Further information on EMWIS website.

50- The Department of Environmental Engineering of Democritus University of Thrace (Greece) organizes two parallel conferences: 1. 2nd International Conference on Water Economics, Statistics, and Finance Alexandroupolis, Thrace - Greece, 3-5 July 2009 for which full manuscript submissions deadline is 30 November 2008, and 2. Asset Management of Medium and Small Wastewater Utilities, Alexandroupolis, Thrace - Greece 3 - 4 July 2009, for which full manuscript submissions deadline is 05 December 2008. Further information on EMWIS website.

51- RRC 10th Annual Network Conference - First Call for Paper and Poster Abstracts: This conference will be held at the Nottingham University the 1th & 2nd of April 2009. Deadline for abstracts submissions is: 7th November 2008. Further information on EMWIS website.

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TRAINING
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EVENTS (Full Agenda)
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BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
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ABOUT EMWIS (Priorities, Activities, Objectives, Structure, Funding, Team)
WATER in the EURO-MED PARTNERSHIP (MEDA programme, Key dates, European Neighbourhood Policy)
EMWIS NATIONAL WEBSITES: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg
EMWIS WATER MULTILINGUAL THESAURUS (Available in English, French, Arabic, Spanish & Italian)- Water glossaries
WATER PROJECTS DATABASE (MEDA-NIPs, MEDA-Water, LIFE, SMAP, INCO-MED, FP4-FP6, INTERREG, etc)
DOCUMENTATION (EMWIS meetings, Documentary database, Funding for water, Key documents, Water Legislation)
WHO DOES WHAT IN THE WATER SECTOR (By contacts, organisations & information sources)
PARTNERS & SPONSORS (OIEau, CEDEX, SOGESID, EC, INBO, IME, GWP-Med, MED-EUWI, SMAP-RMSU)
MEDA-WATER PROJECTS (ADIRA, EMPOWERS, EMWater, IrWA, ISIIMM, MEDAWARE, MEDROPLAN, MEDWA, Zer0-M)
WATER INITIATIVES (MED-EUWI, WFD, INCO-MED, LIFE, MEDSTAT, SMAP, EXACT, UNEP-MAP, MSSD, HORIZON 2020, Union for the Mediterranean) & Mediterranean Water Information Mechanism
FORUM ; FAQ ; TOPICS (MedWIP, Water scarcity, groundwater, wastewater reuse, desalination, satellite data, etc)
SEARCH EMWIS WEBSITE
EMWIS SITEMAP
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CONTACT US
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