Water as a climate-sensitive cause

Estelle Grelier, president of the federation of water enterprises (FP2E), told AFP during a press conference that water is "a climate-sensitive cause" and "worth more than that." She emphasized that water management must be a priority in the face of increasing climate-related challenges like prolonged droughts and heatwaves.

Preventing policy reset

The FP2E aims to prevent authorities from "reconsidering these issues from scratch" every time there is a major climatic hazard, Grelier said. The federation wants consistent, long-term strategies to address water challenges rather than reactive measures during crises.

Securing financing for water services

Among the FP2E's top recommendations is "securing the financing of the water service." France faces a significant investment gap, with delays in water infrastructure estimated at 4.6 billion euros per year, plus additional costs from new regulations on drinking water quality, according to the FP2E's white paper.

Increasing water expenditure

Grelier highlighted that leaks in water networks cause the loss of one liter of drinking water out of five. To address this, the FP2E recommends increasing water-related expenditures to 1 percent of the country's GDP, up from the current 0.84 percent.

Multi-year law on ecological transition

The FP2E wants a multi-year law on the financing of the ecological transition with a dedicated water section to be adopted within the first 100 days of the election. This law should include monitoring mechanisms to ensure progress, according to Grelier.

Golden rule for water impact

The FP2E wants this law to be "supported by a kind of golden rule," which would aim to "assess the impact on water resources prior to the adoption of projects or draft laws." This would ensure that new policies do not harm water resources.

European leadership in water policy

At the European level, the FP2E wants France to be the leader of European water policy, with "an intervention capacity and conviction comparable to its commitment in energy policy." The federation believes France should take a strong stance on water issues similar to its approach in energy.

Boosting research funding

To strengthen French expertise in water quality, the FP2E wants a 2% allocation of the 7.3 billion euros of the research tax credit for private research related to drinking water quality, compared to less than 1% currently.

Fifty proposals and a debate

The FP2E has made a total of about fifty proposals and wants to organize a major debate with presidential candidates on December 1st. This would allow the federation to present its recommendations directly to those vying for the presidency.