European approaches to wastewater reuse regulation: A comparison between Spain, Malta and the Netherlands

Abstract

AbstractWastewater reuse is encouraged and facilitated by legislation and policy across the EU. A recent example is the EU Regulation 2020/741 on minimum requirements for water reuse. This and other regulatory developments have gone hand in hand with an increase in research in technological innovations that facilitate wastewater reuse, including advanced water treatment technologies. Despite these harmonised developments at the EU level, there appear to be large differences across Member States in the volume of reused water, its sources and the purposes of wastewater reuse. These differences are mirrored in the differences in the regulation of wastewater reuse across the European Union. The present paper has two goals. The first is to provide an overview of the regulation of wastewater reuse in three EU Member States, namely, Spain, Malta and the Netherlands. The comparative analysis reveals evidence of variability in the division of roles and responsibilities, substantive provisions on water reuse, and the allocation of costs. The second objective of the paper is to highlight how, even within the boundaries of the theoretical best practices, national regulation can be heterogenous.