EMWIS Flash N°52, October 2007

EMWIS Flash - October 2007 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- with the support of the E.C. It is available in English, French & Arabic.

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In this issue N°52 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash52)
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HEADLINE
1- EMWIS National information seminar in Tunisia
IN BRIEF
2- Europe-INBO 2007: International conference on the implementation of the European WFD
3- 4th Euromed & South-East European Water Directors conference, Ljubljana (Slovenia) 10-11 December 2007
4- Water in the heart of the Mediterranean Union
5- 1st announcement of the 5th World Water Forum
6- Regional Workshop on "Environmental knowledge and information exchange in the Mediterranean"
7- MELIA 1st Workshop: “Water culture and water conflict in the Mediterranean Area”
8- Waste water treatment: EC gives Luxembourg final warning, seeks clarifications from Belgium
9- France: The water in the grenelle of the environment; a summary of proposals
10- Egypt plans to 'green' Sahara desert
11- China donates water engineering equipment to Morocco
12- Jordan: US$600 million project to end water shortage
13- Syria and Turkey: MoU signed on river basin development
14- Turkey: Municipal Services Project
15- Potential for Water Saving in the European Union?
16- European Water Initiative European Research Area Network
17- Regional Dialogue and Twinning to Improve Transboundary Water Resources Management in Africa
18- Bunyah GCC Infrastructure Fund will target investments in potable water and waste water projects in MENA region
19- Global Water Tool for sustainable water use management in companies
20- Inauguration of the European Centre for Research on water, environment, food and toxicology (CEREAT)
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- On 22nd November 2007, the EMWIS Tunisian focal point will organise a national information seminar on the development of a National Water Information System in Tunisia following the recent feasibility studies carried out on such system at the national level and on the Mediterranean Water Observatory Mechanism. Activities on water account initiated by the Medstat project with the National Statistic Institute will be discussed in order to take their needs into account into the NWIS development. Further information on EMWIS website

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- The «EUROPE-INBO 2007» meeting will be organized simultaneously with the General Assembly of the Mediterranean Network of Basin Organizations (MENBO), in Rome (Italy) (08 - 10/11/2007). The meeting will be organized around the main current topics on the Framework Directive implementation in the European River Basin Districts in 2007, specific to water management in the Mediterranean region. Further information on EMWIS website

3- The next Euromed and South-East European water Directors conference will be held next 10-11 December 2007 in Ljubljana (Slovenia). Following the Conference held on November 2006 in Athens, the main objective of the 2007 Conference, will be the preparation of the Euromed water ministers' conference in 2008, including: - Progress review of key regional water initiatives and recommendations for further action; -  updated mandate for the Euro-Mediterranean and SEE Directors Forum taking into account recent developments; - Identification of the topics and main products (declaration, plan of action, etc) of the Ministerial Conference; - Action plan for the preparation of the Ministerial Meeting. Further information on EMWIS website.

4- During his official visit to Tangiers (Morocco) last week, French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, invited Heads of State and Governments of Mediterranean countries to meet in France in June 2008 in order to develop his “Mediterranean Union” project further and to discuss his initiative of a Mediterranean Union, based on four main pillars: environment, inter-culture dialog, economic growth and security. If the Mediterranean Sea is the link among all of these countries, then water should be the main component of this union. This idea incited the President of the World water Council to report on water in the Mediterranean Region on 26 September to the French National Assembly’s Commission of Foreign Affairs, proposing a review of water and its stakes in the region. Further information on EMWIS website.

5- The World Water Council has launched the First Announcement of the 5th World Water Forum. It is now available online. This Forum will take place in 16-22 March 2009, around the UN-World Water Day (March 22nd) in Istanbul (Turkey). Further information on EMWIS website.

6- The SMAP Regional Management and Support Unit, co-lead by the Italian Environment Protection Agency (APAT) and the Finnish Environmental Institute (SYKE), organises the Regional Workshop on "Environmental knowledge and information exchange in the Mediterranean" to be held in Rome,  on 5-6 December 2007. The workshop will assemble some 50 participants from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, including all the SMAP Clearing House Focal Points and Administrators, regional organisations and projects, institutes dealing with environmental information and the EC. This workshop will continue the dialog initiated last year. Further information on EMWIS website.

7- The first workshop within the framework of the MELIA project “Water culture and water conflict in the Mediterranean area” will be celebrated in Tunisia from the 22nd to the 26th of November. The Workshop intends to pull together scientists, decision –and policy- makers, water users, relevant NGOs and Organisations from all the Mediterranean countries for discussing and sharing views and experiences on Water Culture and Prevention of Water Conflicts, considering terms from the historical, economical and social point of view, and the possible application of the principles of the Water Framework Directive. Further information on EMWIS website.

8- The European Commission is sending Luxembourg a final written warning that it will be taken to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for the second time and possibly face fines unless it quickly brings the country's waste water treatment up to EU standards. Belgium has already received a first written warning of a possible second round of Court action and fines over the same issue, and will now be sent an additional letter requesting certain clarifications. Both member states are still not complying with the 1991 EU Directive on urban waste water treatment, despite having been condemned by the ECJ for this. Further information on EMWIS website.

9- This document lists the scattered proposals in the reports of eight working groups of the Grenelle of the Environment. It does not identify the content of the contributions of the different players. Furthermore, it retains only the proposals that directly impact the water sector, with the understanding that the proposals on the environment as a whole have obviously a positive impact in the water sector (for example: environmental responsibility, implementation of the polluter pays principle and environmental taxation, public information, tighter controls, reduced use of chemicals and implementation of European regulation REACH, etc.). Further information on EMWIS website.

10- The Egyptian government is keen to encourage people to move to the desert by pressing ahead with an estimated $US70 billion ($A77.7 billion) plan to reclaim 3.4 million acres of desert over the next 10 years. Among the incentives are cheap desert land to college graduates. But to make these areas habitable and capable of cultivation, the government will need to tap into scarce water resources of the Nile River as rainfall is almost non-existent in Egypt. Egypt's project to reclaim deserts in the south, called "Toshka", would expand Egypt's farmland by about 40 per cent by 2017, using about five billion cubic metres of water a year. Further information on EMWIS website.

11- China donated engineering equipment valued at a total of 22 million dirhams (about 2.3 million U.S. dollars) to Morocco to help the country enhance its capacity to implement major hydraulic projects. In recent years, cooperation between China and Morocco, particularly in the management of water resources has been intensified, Moroccan state secretary for water and environment Abdelkebir Zahoud said while receiving the equipment. Many Moroccan officials working in the management of water and environment resources continued to receive training in China annually, according to Zahoud, who hailed Sino-Moroccan ties. Further information on EMWIS website

12- Jordan has launched a US$600 million project to pump water from its Disi aquifer in the south, signaling an end in sight to the kingdom's chronic water shortage, experts and government officials say. A Turkish company named Gama was declared the winner of the project's bid, floated by the government to build pipelines and pumping stations to bring water up to 250km from Disi, on the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border, to Amman , the capital, and other cities. The project will be executed on a BOT (build operate and transfer) basis, whereby the Turkish firm will sell water to Jordan for 40 years before handing the project to the Jordanian government. Further information on EMWIS website.

13- The Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) between Syria and Turkey signed last October 17th during President Bashar Al Assad's trip to Turkey, called for establishing cooperation on the Euphrates and Tigris basin based on sustainable water development and in this framework both sides will exchange visits, viewpoints and ideas. It added that efforts will be exerted to realize the proposed project to build joint dam on Orontes river as soon as possible and finalize the precocious warning system to avoid floods in this basin as well as exploring opportunities to develop joint irrigation projects in this region. Further information on EMWIS website

14- Iller Bank of Turkey has received a loan from the World Bank for the Municipal Services Project and has allocated a portion of this credit for financing the “Antalya Sewerage System Construction and Potable Water Network Rehabilitation Project.”  Further information on EMWIS website.

15- Water scarcity and droughts (WS&D) is a growing concern in Europe. Indeed, the number of Member States that experience seasonal or long term droughts has increased. In recognition of the acuteness of the issues caused by water scarcity and drought in Europe, in 2006 and early 2007 the Commission undertook an in-depth assessment of the situation across the EU. This assessment revealed that current water management practices have a large margin for improvement, especially with respect to their water saving potential. Nevertheless, at this time there was no quantified information on the potential for water saving. In this context, in a recent study commissioned by the European Commission, European researchers and consultants estimated the water saving potential across Europe by 2030. The study addresses the savings that can be achieved via technical measures. It also takes into consideration instruments such as water pricing, labelling or drought management plans that can promote the implementation of these measures. Overall, the results show significant possibilities for water savings by avoiding overexploitation, non-conventional water production and promoting integrated water saving measures. The conclusions of this study offer practical tools for the development of a European strategy for water savings. Further information on EMWIS website.

16- SPLASH is the name of the European Water Initiative European Research Area Network (EU-WI ERA-NET). SPLASH comprises fifteen partners from eleven European countries (organisations supporting developing countries). The ERA-NET scheme is financed within the sixth framework programme of the European Community, for coordination of national and regional activities. The strategic objectives of SPLASH are: to improve the effectiveness of EU member state research on water for development in Africa and the Mekong; deliver innovations which make a real improvement to the lives of the poor; and speed up the transfer of knowledge from research through to practical use. Further information on EMWIS website.

17- The Regional Dialogue and Twinning to Improve Transboundary Water Resources Management in Africa is a UNDP/GEF project aiming to increase African leaders' and stakeholder's knowledge and political will for balancing sustainable uses of water resources at the transboundary and regional basin systems scales by institutionalizing systems-thinking and adaptive management feedback mechanisms. Main focus themes of activities are on groundwater management and climate change, within the overall IWRM approach and considerations. Focus area is the North African countries and their interaction with the African as well as the Euro-Mediterranean context. The target groups are Parliamentarians and Media while interaction with water stakeholders will be facilitated. Activities will be implemented from September 2007 to May 2010 and the total foreseen budget is 120,000 USD, with 60,000 USD contributed by UNDP/GEF. Further information on EMWIS website.

18- A recently established infrastructure fund sponsored by Kuwait Investment Company is targeting investments in the water sector in the GCC and MENA region. The US$400m Bunyah GCC Infrastructure Fund is managed by Instrata Capital in Bahrain and will target investments in potable water and waste water projects as well as other types of utility, transportation and industrial infrastructure. The fund is already evaluating investments in the GCC and typically works with major international and regional companies with experience in the water sector. Instrata Capital works on projects at all stages of development and is also evaluating opportunities in water privatisation. Further information on EMWIS website

19- The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has launched a free & easy-to-use tool for companies and organisations to map their water use and assess risks relative to their operations and supply chains in various countries. After entering the company’s water use figures, the tool automatically provides outputs, such as graphics and metric charts indicating the efficiency of water use at different sites as well as information on the corresponding water availability. These datasets provide details on the status quo of the actual water consumption and serve as a basis for further action towards sustainable water use strategies. Further information on the tool can be found online. Further information on EMWIS website

20- On October 18, 2007, Mrs. Martine Aubry, Chair, Board of Directors of the Pasteur Institute of Lille inaugurated the European Center for Research on water, environment, food and toxicology (CEREAT). The CEREAT will contribute to strengthening the scientific leader of the Pasteur Institute of Lille in its areas of excellence. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS & VACANCIES
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21- King Mohammed VI of Morocco appointed the new Government upon proposal of Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi whose conservative Istiqlal (independence) Party won the September 7 legislative elections. Mrs. Amina Benkhadra became the new Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, and Mr. Abdelkébir Zahoud became the Secretary of State to the Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, in charge of Water and Environment. Further information on EMWIS website.

22- Assignment of New Members at the Jordanian Focal Point of EMWIS: The Ministry of Water & Irrigation (MWI) in Jordan informed that Ms. Suzan TAHA who has been working with EMWIS during the past 8 years is now retiring from MWI. Omar TAHA has also left MWI to work outside Jordan. Accordingly, the new nominees for the new members of the focal point team aer as follow: 1- Eng. Mohammad Bany Mustafa: EMWIS NFP Coordinator; 2- Mr. Hashem El-Naser: EMWIS IT Manager; 3- Eng. Nisreen Haddadin: EMWIS Data Manager. The above team shall commence its tasks within EMWIS as of October 17th, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

23- Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water introduces 3rd round: A special new Creativity Prize, worth 1 million Saudi Riyals (SR) (approximately USD$266,000), has been added to the awards available to researchers in the Water Resources sector under the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water 2006-2008. The Creativity Prize, will be awarded to original work which is considered a breakthrough in any water-related field. The work must be practically applicable, economically feasible and environmentally friendly. Closing date for entries for any of the five prizes on offer is 31 December 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

24- Position announcement at ACTeon - Innovation, Policy, Environment: (Junior) Environmental socio-economist: ACTeon, a small research and consultancy company active in the field of environment policy, is looking for a dynamic and qualified (young) expert for a new full time position. This junior expert will participate in studies and projects of ACTeon dealing with environmental policy development and implementation in Europe and neighbouring regions (e.g. the Mediterranean region). Emphasis will be on water policy, climate change/renewable energy, nature protection, “green transport” policy and marine resources, policy areas where ACTeon is currently developing new expertise. Further information on EMWIS website.

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PUBLICATIONS
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25- "EMWIS Focuses on Data, Scarcity and Wastewater Reuse": The article "EMWIS Focuses on Data, Scarcity & Wastewater Reuse" was published in the OOSKA news "Weekly Water Report": Middle East and Africa (p:16) in October 22nd, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website

26- New MEDSTAT website: MEDSTAT II, the EU-funded regional Euro-Mediterranean Statistical Co-operation programme, has just announced that its new dedicated website is now online. The site provides information in English, French and German on MEDSTAT II, its background, organisational structure and partners, as well as on the programme’s activities, events and publications and, of course, statistical data relevant to MEDSTAT’s priority areas. Further information on EMWIS website

27- The new MAP website is now available in English, French and Arabic: MAP tackles Mediterranean environmental and sustainable development issues. It gets different sectors of Mediterranean society involved in preserving the region's human and natural resources that have been eroded by rapid development,  and that have not always been planned with a view on the need for sustainability. Further information on EMWIS website

28- One year “www.mbr-network.eu”, the webplatform dedicated to the MBR technology: The webplatform dedicated to the MBR technology “www.mbr-network.eu” and edited by the European projects cluster “MBR-Network” is now entering its second year of existence. In meanwhile MBR-Network gathers today close to 600 international members, all experts and professionals of the MBR field, including more than 100 companies and institutions, and provides an efficient on-line exchange platform to the MBR community. The frequentation of the site increased also steadily, with up to 10,000 pages viewed per month recently. The numerous free and automatic services offered on the site have contributed to the success and frequentation of the network. Further information on EMWIS website

29- The Community of the Mediterranean Universities (CMU) has published the conclusions of its Workshop on “Water Management in the Mediterranean” held in the city of Valencia, Spain, on 18 May 2007. The main objective of the workshop was to give an overview on the water management policies and tools in the Mediterranean and discuss how Mediterranean countries are facing the problem of water shortage, as well as their strategies to reach a sustainable development of this rare resource.  Further information on EMWIS website.

30- Financing water in Northern Ireland - a critique and an alternative: A critique of the proposed corporatisation of water in Northern Ireland, identifying unnecessary costs including EUR 54m. costs of restructuring and EUR 48m. dividends, with alternative requiring no new charges. This paper was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA). Further information on EMWIS website.

31- Groundwater of Egypt: “an environmental overview”: Although Egypt has the great Nile River, which is the main supply of water, Egypt’s water is limited to 55.5 billion m3 per annum. Owing to the rapid growth of the population and the increasing consumption of water in agriculture, industry, domestic use, etc., it is expected that Egypt will rely to some extent on groundwater to develop the new projects such as Tushka in Upper Egypt and East Oweinat. Further information on EMWIS website

32- Zer0-M newsletter 2-2007 - August 2007: This is the latest issue of the Sustainable Water Management Journal, produced in Zer0-M, a project in the Euro-Mediterranean Regional Programme for Local Water Management (MEDA-Water). Zer0-M aims at concepts and technologies to achieve optimised close-loop usage of all water flows in small municipalities or settlements (e.g. tourism facilities) not connected to a central wastewater treatment. Further information on EMWIS website.

33- WWC (World Water Council) News Update, issue No°29 is now available. Further information on EMWIS website.

34- GEWAMED Newsletter, Issue n°6: The Issue n°6 of the GEWAMED Newsletter (Mainstreaming Gender Dimensions Into Water Resources Development and Management in the Mediterranean Region) has just been published. Further information on EMWIS website

35- NOSTRUM-DSS Newsletter - 3rd issue: The third issue of the NOSTRUM-DSS electronic Newsletter is available for download. The final expected outcome of this Co-ordination Action is a set of Best Practice Guidelines for the design and implementation of Decision Support System (DSS) tools for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Mediterranean Area. These Guidelines have been developed through the active involvement of relevant stakeholders in the different stages of the project and are currently under finalisation. Further information on EMWIS website

36- RISKBASE published a new newsletter (Issue 01 - October 2007): The EU project "RISKBASE", a Coordination Action on Risk Based, is funded as Coordination Action within the 6th RTD Framework Programme of the European Commission. The objective of RISKBASE is to review and synthesise the outcome of EC FP4-FP6 projects, and other major initiatives, related to integrated risk assessment-based management of the water/sediment/soil system at the river-basin scale. RISBASE hast just published a new newsletter (Issue 01 - October 2007). Further information on EMWIS website.

37- IAHS Newsletter 89, September 2007: The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) has published its last newsletter issue n°89. Further information on EMWIS website.

38- SedNet Newsletter issue for September 2007: Through the E-newsletter service SedNet keeps you regularly updated on SedNet and any other sediment related, latest policy or management developments, EC news, events (workshops, conferences, training courses etc.), publications etc. At the ‘Join SedNet’ site you can indicate whether you want to receive this E-newsletter. Further information on EMWIS website.

39- SWITCH project 1st newsletter: SWITCHED ON! will keep you up to date on what have been the recent highlights and achievements of the SWITCH project, the key events, and any publications and products which may be of interest. The contact address for the newsletter is switchnews@lboro.ac.uk . Further information on EMWIS website.

40- Cap-Net together with MetaMeta Communications recently launched a web site on water related training and education communication materials.  www.knowwiththeflow.org  is freely accessible filled with useful tips for presentations, communication tools, tutorials for the use of common media, software and a picture gallery.  Further information on EMWIS website

41- The pan-European region: environmental challenges: The EEA joins forces with the OECD and the UNDP to voice some key concerns to Europe's environment ministers when they meet at the Belgrade Conference on 10–12 October 2007. Three reports give an in-depth view on the pan-European environment and its policies. Together, they highlight progress made over the past four years towards meeting the region's environmental challenges. Further information on EMWIS website.

42- Special edition of the LoGo Water newsletter on symposium "Water for Local Needs", Benoni, South Africa, July 2007: LoGo Water is an EU Funded project that brings together African and European researchers along with local governments from Southern Africa, for jointly contributing to support local governments to improve water resources management in the region. . Further information on EMWIS website.

43- New publication: Water, Wealth, and Poverty. This book explores the dynamics of water security and growth, and seeks lessons of experience that can inform the difficult trade-offs inherent in water management. It will also assist decision makers in finding the most acceptable balance among human aspirations for growth and poverty alleviation, social and cultural integrity, and environmental sustainability. Further information on EMWIS website

44- Proceedings of the ISPRS Working Group VII/1 Workshop ISPMSRS'07: "Physical Measurements and Signatures in Remote Sensing" - Davos, Switzerland, 12-14 March, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

45- The supporting documentation for the first meeting of the Task Force on Water and Climate under the UNECE Water Convention are available (22-23 November 2007). The Task Force was established at the fourth meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention and entrusted with activities in two main areas of work: transboundary flood management and water and climate adaptation. Further information on EMWIS website

46- Practical Wastewater Treatment: This book serves as both a textbook for the working professional and a guide for the student to learn about the elements of wastewater treatment. The book presents a straightforward discussion of what one needs to know in order to handle various types of industrial wastes and how to design a wastewater treatment plant. Industrial wastewater treatment is no longer taught in either the Civil or Chemical Engineering Curricula. Further information on EMWIS website.

47- New Publication: Environmental Protection of International Watercourses under International Law: Dr. Owen McIntyre has published recently this book, which seeks to deconstruct the principle of equitable utilisation with a view to understanding the place of environmental protection considerations within this process of equitable balancing. Further information on EMWIS website.

48- Recommendations on Payments for Ecosystem Services in Integrated Water Resources Management: Payments for ecosystem services have the potential to be an environmentally effective, economically efficient and socially equitable tool for implementing integrated water resources management. These Recommendations consist of a set of strategic, rather than technical, recommendations for the various steps involved in the establishment and operation of various schemes for payments for ecosystem services and a set of other annexes, which are of a technical nature. Further information on EMWIS website.

49- Publications from the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture: The results of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, produced by over 700 researchers and practitioners, are documented in the book Water for Food, Water for Life. Further information on EMWIS website.

50- Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring and Change Detection: This publication is a compilation of papers that were presented at the symposium on Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring and Change Detection organised by the IAHS International Commission on Remote Sensing. The 30 contributions cover approaches using the thermal infrared, microwave and radar; studies monitoring vegetation, snow and ice, and evapotranspiration; and the combination of remote sensing techniques and GIS for hydrological applications. Further information on EMWIS website.

51- A thematic catalogue on "Water, Sanitation & Distribution", has been published in this month by Editions TEC & DOC. It includes several new books covering themes such as: Hydrology, Water resources management, Irrigation, Aquatic Ecosystems,
Water treatment, etc. Further information on EMWIS website. (Almost books are available only in French)

52- The book of Bernard Drobenko "Law of Water" has just been published by Gualino Publisher. Further information on EMWIS website.

53- The principles of law and the administration of water: The aim of this book is to provide a tool to deal with the legal and the institutional aspects of water resources management by all those who are called upon to perform functions within administrations responsible for water, and to tackle problems of water management. Further information on EMWIS website.

54- A series of educational films on Water: This is a series of six DVDs: The water in nature, water and agriculture, irrigation, water molecule, sustainable management of water, and water and human activities. Further information on EMWIS website.

55- OGRES, Management Tool of Water References of the Sandre: In an effort to improve water management repositories, Sandre has launched its new tool OGRES: www.sandre.eaufrance.fr /ogres. It aims to improve the management and the intrinsic quality of deliverables. This tool is closely linked to the introduction of the reference laboratory Aquaref and LABEAU website for the management of amenities laboratories. The French Data Reference Centre for Water (SANDRE) is in charge of implementing a common language for water data exchange. Working within the French Information System for Water (SIE), its top priorities are to make compatible and homogeneous data definitions and exchanges between producers, users and databanks. Further information on EMWIS website.

56- Publication of Sanitation Information System Dictionary (SIS): The SIS is a subset of the water information system (WIS), aims to monitor the implementation of regulations in the field of sanitation on water, to evaluate the effectiveness of public policy, banking and disseminate data on sanitation. As part of its introduction, Sandre (the French Data Reference Centre for Water) has just published the first version of the data dictionary that describes: The data will be integrated into the SIS throughout, and the organization of these data through a data model. Further information on EMWIS website.

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CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
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57- LIFE+ draft application guidelines just published by the European Commission, to help project applicants begin work on their project proposals, ahead of the submission deadline of the first LIFE+ call for proposals (November 30, 2007). The final application guidelines will be published together with the formal call of proposals in the second half of September. Further information on EMWIS website

58- The second call of the Environment priority under FP7: The EC has announced that the second call of the Environment priority under FP7 will be published on 20 November 2007 with the February 19, 2008 as deadline for submissions. An indicative budget of about €216 million is allocated to the 2008 work programme, where more than 50 topics for research have been identified. A DRAFT of the second call is available on the website - note that the final version may vary from this, but the draft does give an indication of likely topics. Remember, there are also opportunities for water-related projects in other priorities, but note that deadlines vary across different work programmes. Further information on EMWIS website.

59- The call FP7-INCO-2007-3 for Activities of International Cooperation-ERA-NET and ERA-NET PLUS has been published. The objective is to increase the cooperation and coordination of research programmes carried out at national or regional level in the Member States and Associated States and which target one third country or several third countries in a given region. The activities will contribute to the success of the European Research Area by improving the coherence and coordination across Europe of international S&T cooperation programmes. ERA-NET actions allow Member States and Associated states to avoid overlap between their programmes and to develop expertise from mutual learning. In general, ERA-NET actions should not cover very limited research areas. They should not overlap with other ongoing ERA-NET actions or create further fragmentation. Complementarities to, or coordination with FP7 activities should be ensured where possible. ERA-NET actions will result in concrete co-operation between research programmes, such as their networking, their mutual opening and the development and implementation of joint programmes and activities. Budget: € 11 M. Deadline: February 12, 2008 at 17:00:00 (Brussels local time). Further information on EMWIS website.

60- Call for Proposals for civil society capacity-building projects in Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia: Mr. Tim Jones, DJEnvironmental on behalf of Wetlands International has announced a Call for Proposals for civil society capacity-building projects in Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, in the field of integrated water resource management. In the framework of the project Engaging Civil Society in Water Management in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Region funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the implementing partner, Wetlands International, is seeking project proposals from Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. The primary objective of proposed projects must be the building of capacity of civil society organizations to engage effectively in water-resource planning and management at river-basin level. The final deadline for the receipt of project proposals is November 5, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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61- Call for contributions for the 5th International Conference Conference on Solid waste, Sewage and Air emissions management. This conference will be held in Kharkiv (Ukraine) in 03-04 April 2008. Its objective is to support and promote the transfer and exchange of best practices and experience, and the development of environmentally sound waste management business; to present new developments, equipment and services; to establish and strengthen contacts between the interested parties; to attract attention of investors, industry managers, business community, public groups, government officials and mass media to the issue of waste management. Deadline for abstracts is December 1, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

62- The 3rd International Scientific Conference BALWOIS 2008: After the great success of BALWOIS 2004 and BALWOIS 2006 - more than 300 participants from 30 countries with 249 papers in 2004 and 304 in 2006 all available on www.balwois.net - the Third International Scientific Conference BALWOIS 2008, traditionally will be organized in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia from 27th to 31st May 2008. The main topics of BALWOIS 2008 are : 1 - Climate and Environment, 2 - Hydrological regimes and water balances, 3 - Droughts and Floods, 4 - Integrated Water Resources Management, 5 - Water bodies protection and Ecohydrology, 6 - Lakes and wetlands, 7 - Hydrological modelling, & 8 - Information systems. Deadline for abstracts submission is: October 31, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

63- Call for contributions to a University review: "Horizons maghrébins-the right to memory -2008 Alimentation & population in the Maghreb & the Middle East". The thematic scope is: Self-sufficiency or food dependence, agro-alimentary Policies, Food Quality, Revival of country agriculture and experiments of agro-ecology, urban Agriculture, Water Management & Farm prices. Deadline for contributions: March 31, 2008. Further information on EMWIS website

64- Call for abstracts for the Water Loss Seminar and Workshop 2008: Water Loss Seminar and Workshop 2008 is organised by Bentley, software provider for the lifecycle of the world's infrastructure. This seminar is organised in conjunction with The Water & Environmental Exchange, an action oriented summit for leaders in water, which will take place from January 30-February 1, 2008. This event will focus on the most recent modelling techniques to reduce water losses in pipe networks. Abstract and Paper Deadlines: November 16, 2007: Submission of abstracts. Further information on EMWIS website.

65- Call for abstracts for the 24th Conference of the Danubian Countries on the Hydrological Forecasting and Hydrological Bases of Water Management: This conference will be held in Bled (Slovenia) in 2-4 June 2008. The conference topics are (1) Hydrological forecasting; (2) Hydro-meteorological extremes, floods and droughts; (3) Global climate change and hydrological processes; (4) Water management; (5) Floods, morphological processes, erosion, sediment transport and sedimentation; and (6) Developments in hydrology. Deadline for abstract submission: November 16, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

66- Call for abstracts for the DHI 2nd European Software Conference – “Water Across Europe”: The 2nd European DHI Software Conference is arranged by DHI, Proning DHI and Proneko, DHI’s technical support service and Software Agent in Croatia. It will be held in Split (Croatia) in 9-11 June 2008. Deadline for abstracts: December 21, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

67- Call for abstracts for the international symposium: "The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management": The sympsium will be held in the Isle of Capri, Naples (Italy) in 14-16 October 2008. Its purpose is to discuss ways in which hydrologists can contribute most effectively to the planning and management of freshwater projects, including the efficient operation of existing systems faced with new socio-political situations. It will also address how water resource managers can capitalise on the hydrological expertise available to them. Deadline for abstract submission: December 31, 2007. Further information on EMWIS website.

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TRAINING
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68- Water Resources Research and Management Training Course: The Royal Scientific Society (RSS) of Jordan and InterAcademy Panel (IAP) on International Issues are arranging the regional training course titled “Water Resources Research and Management” to be held during the period November 18-20, 2007 at the premises of the Royal Scientific Society in Amman-Jordan. The course aims to provide knowledge and develop understanding about the water research and water management in the national, regional and international levels. It provides the skills to assess, plan, execute and implement the actions in water resources research and management. Further information on EMWIS website

69- Conclusion of the Training Workshop on Water Resources Monitoring and Data Management Systems (3 – 30 July 2007): A ceremony was held on 30 July 2007 at ACSAD’s headquarters in Damascus, Syria on the occasion of the conclusion of the Training Workshop on Water Resources Monitoring and Data Management Systems which was organized by ACSAD in cooperation with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for 20 trainees from 14 English-speaking African countries. The ceremony was concluded with the distribution of certificates for the participants in the training workshop. Further information on EMWIS website.

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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) 
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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