MunServNet: Improving Sustainability of Municipal Service Provision in the Field of Water and Waste Water Management
As budget constraints of most municipalities are increasing, municipal service providers in the water and waste sector face pressures to improve efficiency and decrease costs. Additional challenges arise from legal obligations, such as EC directives to meet water quality and environmental standards as well as from rising public expectations concerning quality of service. To meet these demands municipalities need to invest in infrastructure and upgrade the capacity and know-how of infrastructure providers. Overall objective / Objectif général The overall objective of “MUNSERVNET - Improving Sustainability of Municipal Service Provision in the Field of Water and Waste Water Management” is to exchange experience and identify good practices in water and waste management in the participating regions. More specifically the operation aims to help increase service quality, customer satisfaction and environmental standards in municipal service provision. The EU has co-financed activities in the water and waste sector through various aid instruments such as Pre-accession Aid, Cohesion funds and Structural Funds. MunServNet aims to make those interventions more cost-effective, target oriented and tailored to the needs of the specific region. Expected results / Résultats attendus The operation increases the capacity of partner cities with regard to municipal water and waste management and policies. It improves the efficiency and quality of service, fosters the introduction of innovative technologies, raises public awareness and enhances capacities in project development. Activities include SWOT analyses of the water and waste sector in each participating region, analysis of innovative approaches and techniques and the identification of good practices. Based on workshops, seminars and trainings, partners develop a guidebook on the efficiency and quality of services. Dissemination activities include a joint campaign for the World Water Day.