Section 2.3 provides for an institutional mapping of key public actors at national and subnational level in water policy design, regulation and implementation to illustrate the policy gap. The governance issues related to management of water resources and services, and the policy responses adopted, are discussed in Sections 3 and 4. The main governance challenges lie in the need to integrate different sectoral and territorial institutions in water strategic planning and design at central government level, and to co-ordinate activities across diverse subnational actors and between levels of government. This level of institutional fragmentation at central government level is similar to that in many other OECD countries.8 Since 1999, the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea (MATTM) has been responsible for water policy and co-ordinating river basin authorities. It is in charge of planning, priority-setting, and establishing overall frameworks for water resources management and water services provision (quality, continuity, access and tariffs).