The European Water Association (EWA) is an independent non-governmental and non-profit making organisation dealing with the management and improvement of the water environment. It was founded on 22 June 1981 as the European Water Pollution Control Association. The scope of the Association was enlarged in 1999 with the change of name to the European Water Association.
Water Related Waste, Drinking Water and Wastewater
It is one of the major professional associations in Europe that covers the whole water sector, wastewater as well as drinking water and water related waste. With member associations from nearly all European countries EWA consists of most European Union member states, including all countries from Central and Eastern Europe which joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Other European countries represented within the EWA are Croatia, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro, Norway, and Switzerland.
The aim of EWA is to provide a forum for the discussion of key technical and policy issues affecting the growing European region. This is done through conferences, workshops, meetings and special working groups of experts all organised on an international basis together with regular publications.
EWA informs its members on the development of EU legislation and standardisation and seeks to influence the drafting when appropriate. It has close contacts with the European Commission (DG Environment), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Parliament.
Soil Environment, Sustainable Water Management and Safe Water Supply
Through this exchange of knowledge the objective of EWA is to contribute to sustainable water management, a safe water supply and the protection of the water and soil environment.
Water Management
Today, EWA consists today of about 25 European national associations each representing professionals and technicians for wastewater and water utilities, academics, consultants and contractors as well as a growing number of corporate member firms and enterprises. EWA thus represents about 55,000 professional individuals working in the broad field of water management.
Total Water Cycle and Water Professionals
The organisation was founded on 22 June 1981 within the framework of the International Trade Fair for Wastewater and Waste Disposal (IFAT) in Munich, Germany. As a major and influential European organisation representing water professionals through their national associations, EWA promotes the sustainable management of the total water cycle for society`s needs coupled with excellent service provided by informed and expert people. This is how the organisation is structured:
- National professional member organisations propose members for the Council
- The council elects a President and chooses a Vice President, the Honorary Treasurer and the Management Committee
- The Management Committee appoints the Secretary General, recommends and appoints Committees
- Chairpersons of the Standing Committees are proposed by the Management Committee and appointed by the Council
- The Chairpersons propose the members of the Standing Committees, who are appointed by the Management Committee
- The Standing Committees organise a series of working groups, the so-called Task Groups, for the relevant areas within the water management sector
