Medaware Program

The Mediterranean countries are characterized by a severe water imbalance, mainly in the summer months, especially those located in the North Africa and Middle East region. This imbalance in water demand versus supply is due mainly to the relatively and uneven distribution of precipitation, high temperatures, increased demands for irrigation water and the impacts of tourism. To alleviate water shortages serious consideration must be given to wastewater reclamation and reuse. The sustainable wastewater treatment and reuse is a continuous challenge.

In the Mediterranean countries, wastewater, at different level of treatment (raw, secondary or tertiary) is used alone or mixed with fresh water, mostly on forage and cereals but also sometimes on fruit trees and even vegetables, depending on national legislation and its enforcement.

The MEDA Water programme

The official name of the MEDA Water programme is Euro-Mediterranean Regional Water Programme for Local WaterManagement. The programme is part of the support of the European Union for the development of the water sector in the North African and Middle East (MENA) countries under the MEDA Regional Indicative Programming.

The available budget for MEDA Water is 40 million euros. From this amount, nine different consortia of nonprofit organisations (NGOs, Universities and Government Agencies) receive grants up to 5 million euros for the implementation of measures related to local water management.

The programme started in 2002 with a call for proposals. Out of more than 40 applications, 9 projects were selected for implementation. Implementation of the first projects started in May 2003 and activities will last until the end of 2008. The EMWIS project, though not financed from the MEDA Water programme but from the general MEDA budget, has important dissemination tasks with respect to the MEDA Water programme and is therefore also included in this brochure.

Download MEDA Water brochure