A transition towards sustainable and equitable water use in Europe is urgently required to reconcile water uses and environmental needs. The Horizon Europe-funded GOVAQUA project conceptualises for the first time sustainability transition in water governance.
The project systematically analyses and compares existing water governance systems across Europe, focusing on water use and its impacts in agriculture, industries, energy production, water utilities and the role of citizens. GOVAQUA covers niche governance innovations in legislation and regulation, multi-stakeholder participation and collaboration, economics and finance, and digital solutions for information sharing.
CSTM analyses participatory and collaborative innovations for multi-stakeholder collaboration across levels and sectors as well as for the empowerment and involvement of citizens to develop recommendations and action perspectives to effectively implement participatory and collaborative approaches that contribute to sustainable and equitable water use at the EU and national levels. Good practices related to these are systematically reviewed, analysed and compared, and further co-developed, assessed and validated together with key stakeholders.
Six living labs participate in GOVAQUA: Crau aquifer (France), Kokemäenjoki river basin (Finland), Axarquía region (Spain), River Thames/Oxfordshire (UK), Dunavat/Danube Delta (Romania), and transnationally between Finland and Sweden. GOVAQUA delivers new knowledge, participatory tools and good practice guidelines laying out pathways towards sustainable and equitable water future.