The human right to water in the EU : considerations for an effective implementation

Abstract

Access to water is a human right recognised internationally. Despite regulating important issues related to water and human rights, European Union’s law still does not recognise it explicitly. The effective implementation of this human right within the Union boundaries is already threatened by several challenges, which cannot be completely addressed by European Union’s law and policies. This issue is made more pressing by the recognition that targets established in the Water Framework Directive will not be achieved in due time (a situation that raises concerns about the quality and scarcity of European Union’s water bodies) and by the European Citizens' Initiative that invites the European Commission to submit a legal proposal to ensure the human right to water and sanitation to all, as recognized by the United Nations. In this context, time seems to have come for the European Union to legally recognise the right to water, which can provide the necessary human rights’ framework for its law and policies guidance and likewise provide its citizens with an effective ground for the protection of this fundamental right.