12th EMWIS Steering Committee meeting, 21st July 2008 in Athens (Greece)

A brief meeting of the EMWIS Steering Committee was held in Athens on 21 July 2008 at the occasion of the conference of the water directors of the Euro-Mediterranean and south-eastern European countries. The meeting was attended by representatives of Cyprus, Egypt, France, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the EMWIS Technical Unit support organizations (CEDEX and OIEau).

France formally handed over the Presidency of EMWIS Steering Committee to Italy. Jean-Claude VIAL, French Deputy water director thanked the countries for their active participation in EMWIS and their support since November 2005 when France took the Presidency in Rome. He reminded that this early transfer of Presidency is due to the fact that Pascal BERTEAUD who was the French water director and EMWIS Steering Committee President moved to a new position in the beginning of July and it was not making sense to appoint a new person for a few months.


Walter MAZZITTI, new EMWIS Steering Committee President, congratulated France for the progress made during its EMWIS Presidency and for the organisation of the Euromed Ministerial conference on water planned for the 29 October under the French Presidency of the EU. All participating countries thanked France and in particular Pascal BERTEAUD for its leading role and for having boosted the Euromed cooperation in the water sector.

All participating countries thanked France and in particular Pascal BERTEAUD for its leading role and for having boosted the Euromed cooperation in the water sector.
 
It was decided that the renewal of the Steering Committee membership including the vice-Presidency as well as Presidency and vice-Presidency of the Coordination Committee  will be undertaken at a later meeting of the Euromed water directors meeting in December 2008 or during the 1st semester 2009.

Current membership of EMWIS Steering Committee is as follow: Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority. The Vice-Presidencies are assumed by Lebanon and Morocco. While Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the EMWIS coordination committee are respectively led by Algeria and Cyprus.

Finally, the participants were reminded that comments on the final report on “the assessment and prospects for cooperation in the Mediterranean water sector” (and more especially on the 3rd part) prepared by Mr H. LAINE and P. MARCHANDISE are expected by xxx September 2008 as this report will be one of the background documents for the Ministerial conference. Indeed this study was launched in the framework of EMWIS Steering Committee in Madrid in July 2007.