EU water initiative

Clean drinking water and good sanitation facilities are largely taken for granted in the European Union. However, much of the developing world is not so fortunate. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg in September 2002, the EU launched a water initiative. The EU water initiative is designed as a catalyst and a foundation on which future action can be built to contribute to meeting the millennium development goals (MDGs) for drinking water and sanitation, within the context of an integrated approach to water resources management.