Water supply and sanitation in Belgium
Encyclopedia
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... : Water and Sanitation |
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!align="center" bgcolor="lightblue" colspan="3"|Data
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!align="left" valign="top"|Water coverage (broad definition)
|valign="top"| 100%
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Sanitation coverage (broad definition)
|valign="top"| 100%
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Continuity of supply (%)
|valign="top"| Continuous
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Average water use (l/c/d)
|valign="top"| 106 l/c/d in 2005
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!align="left" valign="top"|Share of household metering
|valign="top"| n/a
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Average non-revenue water
Non-revenue water
Non revenue water is water that has been produced and is “lost” before it reaches the customer. Losses can be real losses or apparent losses . High levels of NRW are detrimental to the financial viability of water utilities, as well to the quality of water itself...
|valign="top"| n/a
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!align="left" valign="top"|Average water tariff
|valign="top"| 2.92 Euro/m3 (2006), incl. sanitation
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!align="left" valign="top"|Annual investment in WSS
|valign="top"| n/a
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Share of self-financing by utilities
|valign="top"| High
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Share of tax-financing
|valign="top"| Low
|-
!align="left" valign="top"|Share of foreign financing
|valign="top"| Zero
|-
!align="center" bgcolor="lightblue" colspan="3"|Institutions
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!align="left" valign="top"|Decentralization to municipalities
|valign="top"| Partial
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!align="left" valign="top"|Water and sanitation regulatory agency
|valign="top"| None
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!align="left" valign="top"|Responsibility for policy setting
|valign="top"| Environmental authorities of the regions
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!align="left" valign="top"|Sector law
|valign="top"| No
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!align="left" valign="top"|Service providers
|valign="top"| 2 regional companies (VMW and SWDE)
60 municipal and inter-municipal utilities
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Water supply and sanitation in Belgium is provided by a large variety of organizations: Most of the 589 municipalities of Belgium
Municipalities of Belgium
Belgium comprises 589 municipalities grouped into five provinces in each of two regions and into a third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, comprising 19 municipalities that do not belong to a province...
have delegated the responsibility for water supply and sanitation to regional or inter-municipal utilities. There are more than 62 water supply utilities, including 2 regional, 30 inter-municipal and 30 municipal utilities. Another 100 mostly small municipalities provide services directly without having a legally of financially separate entity for water supply. Water is not scarce in Belgium and water supply is generally continuous and of good quality. However, wastewater treatment has long lagged behind and Brussels only achieved full treatment of its wastewater in 2007. In 2004 the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
ruled condemning Belgium's failure to comply with the EU wastewater directive, and the ruling has not been fully complied with so far. Wallonia satisfies 55% of the national needs in drinking water while it counts only 37% of the population. Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
are dependent on drinking water from Wallonia, at a level of 40% and 98% respectively.
An interesting aspect of the Belgian water and sanitation sector is the recognition of a basic right to water. The Walloon and Brussels Regions have set up Social Funds for Water, which provide financial support to people having difficulties to pay their water bill, while in Flanders everyone has the right to a minimal supply of 15 m³ (41 liter/capita/day) of free water per person per year.
The average water tariff in Belgium for large users in 2008 was Euro 2.92 per cubic meter, the second-highest among 14 industrial countries compared in a recent survey. Between 2003 and 2008 water tariffs in Belgium had increased by 80%, the highest increase in that period among all 14 countries.
Water resources
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Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
(known in French as Escaut
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
) that both take their source in France and flow into the sea in the Netherlands. The major aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
s are located in Wallonia. Belgium does not face water stress, despite its high density of population. Internal water availability is around 12,000 Mio m³/year (average 1990-2004), or 1,168 m³/capita/year. The yield of groundwater is around 900 Mio m³, exploited at a rate of 75%. This picture hides strong regional disparities, with the North dependent from the South. Wallonia satisfies 55% of the national needs in drinking water while it counts only 37% of the population. Flanders and Brussels are dependent on drinking water from Wallonia, at a level of 40% and 98% respectively. The picture is complicated by the strong dependence of the Netherlands on the water of the Maas for its drinking water production.
Modave
Modave is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. On January 1, 2006, Modave had a total population of 3,722. The total area is 40.37 km² which gives a population density of 92 inhabitants per km². The magnificent "Château des Comtes de Marchin" or...
in the Hoyoux valley, located more than 100 km Southwest of Brussels, produces about 20% of the capital's water supply from galleries in the hills surrounding the valley. In Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
surface water from the Maas is treated to provide another 30% of the city's water needs; in Vedrin, part of Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, water is pumped from an abandoned Pyrite
Pyrite
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...
mine; springs in Genappe
Genappe
Genappe is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 Genappe had a total population of 14,136...
, wells in Waterloo
Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
and Zaventem
Zaventem
Zaventem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Nossegem, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Sterrebeek and Zaventem proper. On January 1, 2006 Zaventem had a total population of 28,651...
, and mines in Ligny
Ligny
Ligny is a village in the municipality of Sombreffe . It is known as the site of the Battle of Ligny, when Napoleon defeated Blücher two days before the battle of Waterloo while Wellington and Marshal Ney were engaged at Quatre Bras...
and Écaussinnes
Ecaussinnes
Écaussinnes is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Écaussinnes had a total population of 9,924. The total area is 34.77 km² which gives a population density of 285 inhabitants per km²....
provide the remainder of Brussel's water supply. The city of Antwerp is supplied with water from the Albert Canal
Albert Canal
The Albert Canal is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, named after King Albert I of Belgium. It connects the major cities Antwerp and Liège and the Meuse and Scheldt rivers. It has a depth of , a free height of and a total length of...
. The city of Liège is supplied from wells pumping from the Hesbaye
Hesbaye
Hesbaye or Haspengouw , is a region spanning the south of the Belgian province of Limburg, the east of the Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, and the northwestern part of the province of Liège.The Limburgish portion contains the cities of Tongeren, Sint-Truiden, Bilzen and...
aquifer.
Distribution losses are estimated at 13%. According to some sources residential water consumption was 106 liter/capita/day, while other sources say it was 135 liter/capita/day in 2003, down from 171 liter/capita/day in 1995.
Infrastructure
In 2005 the length of the drinking water network was 101,026 km with 4 million connections. In 2001 Belgium had 511 wastewater treatment plants serving 6.6 m inhabitants. 90% of the population was connected to sewers and 47% of the population had its wastewater treated in a public wastewater treatment plant. In 2003 the number of wastewater treatment plants had increased to 541.Attempt at creating basin agencies
Before the Second World War Belgian policymakers focused on drinking water supply with little emphasis on sanitation: The national water company Société Nationale de Distribution d'Eau (SNDE) or Nationale Maatschappij der Waterleidingen was set up in 1913 to provide water supply where municipalities did not have the ability to do so on their own. After the war the emphasis moved to the management of wastewater with an initial focus on industries. In 1963, authorities admitted that there was a lack of implementation and the institutional arrangement was redesigned: Through the law of 1967 on the regulation of non-navigable rivers and the laws of 1971 on the protection of surface and groundwater the Central State attempted to reinforce its competence to the detriment of the municipalities. The Minister of Public Health promoted the creation of three public companies of purification responsible of the collective systems of purification and with a power of advice on industrial discharges in surface water. The territory of the companies corresponded to three water basins (the Coast, Maas and Scheldt), and not to the three Belgian regions. This design did not anticipate the federalisation process launched in 1970. Implementation thus failed once again: The laws on the protection of groundwater and surface water have not been implemented and the purification companies have functionally created.The regionalization of policy and institutions
The Regions start to develop their own water policy from 1974 onwards. Intercommunales were created in Wallonia since 1977. In the 1980s the first regional water decrees focus on the protection of potential drinking water. The SNDE breaks apart in the early 1980s, splitting into the Société Wallonne des Distributions d'Eau (SWDE) and the Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Watervoorziening (VMW). According to The Evolution of the Natural Water Regime in Belgium, "[t]he different regional water regimes end up being very dissimilar, as they are inspired by different models from abroad (France and the Netherlands)."Lagging behind on wastewater treatment
The 1991 European directive on wastewater raises the pressure on Member States to act on wastewater treatment. Despite major efforts undertaken in this respect, Belgium lagged behind in its implementation of the directive. In 2000 the European CommissionEuropean Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
observed that the Flanders Region has failed to identify sensitive areas correctly, that the Walloon Region has failed to apply the treatment requirements for urban waste waters discharged into sensitive areas, that both the Brussels and Walloon Regions have failed to provide the Commission with adequate implementation programs and that all the Belgian Regions have failed to ensure that appropriate collection and treatment systems have been established. In 2004 the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
ruled condemning Belgium's failure to comply with the wastewater directive in that 114 settlements in Flanders, 60 in Wallonia and Brussels-Capital had either no wastewater collection systems or did not ensure that wastewaters were made subject to specific phosphorus and nitrogen treatment before being discharged into the natural environment.
Case study:Wastewater treatment in Brussels
Senné
Senné is a village and municipality in the Veľký Krtíš District of the Banská Bystrica Region of southern Slovakia.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
basin, itself being part of the Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
(Escaut) basin. The Senne, which had become a heavily polluted drain, was covered at the end of the 19th century when parts of the river disappeared under boulevards. During the 1950s it was completely covered, with a mixture of storm water and untreated wastewater being discharged into the environment until 2007. To remedy this situation, a wastewater management plan was put together in the 1980s and early 1990s by the Brussels and Flanders regions. It foresaw the construction of two wastewater treatment plants, one in the South and the other in the North. The Brussels-South wastewater treatment plant, situated between Anderlecht
Anderlecht
Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region.There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality.-Pronunciation:* Dutch: * French:...
and Forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, came into service in July 2000. It treats about a third of the Brussels's wastewater. A 20-year Built-Operate Transfer contract for the larger Brussels-North wastewater treatment plant was awarded to Aquiris, a consortium led by Veolia Water, in 2001.
The plant was completed in March 2007 and discharges into the Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal
Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal
The Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal, also named the Willebroek Canal, is a canal in Belgium linking Brussels with the river Scheldt. The canal was known as the Brussels-Rupel Maritime Canal, prior to the establishment of a direct link with the Scheldt in 1997.The canal is one of the oldest...
.
Introducing the basic right to water
Flemish Region. Since 1997, the Flemish Region has recognised that ‘every customer is entitled to a basic uninterrupted supply of […] water for household purposes in order to be able to live decently according to prevailing living standards’.Walloon region. Since 2003, the right to equitable access to water for everyone has been a point of Walloon law, with a tax of 0,0125 euros/m³ going into a Social Fund set up to help pay for water for those in francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
areas who cannot afford it. There was no assistance provided for communities speaking German. In 2008, the IELRC reported that Walloon was also "in the process of introducing a new water tax to finance water projects in selected developing countries".
Belgian constitution. If a 2006 proposal before the Belgian Senate is passed, the Constitution of Belgium
Constitution of Belgium
The Constitution of Belgium dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility for the government policy and the Trias Politica. The Constitution established Belgium as a centralised unitary state...
will be amended with a new paragraph on Article 23 recognising a constitutional "right to an adequate water supply, sufficient in quality and quantity".
Responsibility for service provision
Belgium is a Federal State composed by three regions: the Flemish region, the Walloon region and the Brussels-Capital region.Policy and regulation
The governments of the regions are responsible policy and regulation related to water supply and sanitation, and for environmental policy more generally. Within the regional governments, the leading role is assured by the regional administrations of the environment: The Flemish Ministry Energy, the Environment and Nature with its environmental agency in Flanders, the Direction générale des Ressources naturelles et de l'Environnement (DGRNE) in Wallonia and the Institut Bruxellois pour la Gestion de l'Environnement (IBGE) in Brussels. The Federal Government has only a very limited role in water supply and sanitation.Service provision
The 589 municipalities of BelgiumMunicipalities of Belgium
Belgium comprises 589 municipalities grouped into five provinces in each of two regions and into a third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, comprising 19 municipalities that do not belong to a province...
(308 in the Flemish region
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
with 6.2 million inhabitants, 262 in the Walloon region
Walloon Region
The Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, is one of the three federal Regions of Belgium, and its capital is Namur. It comprises, as defined by Article 5 of the Constitution of Belgium, the provinces of Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Liège, Luxembourg and Namur...
with 3.4 million inhabitants and 19 in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
with 1.1 million inhabitants) are responsible for providing drinking water and sanitation services. However, most municipalities have delegated this task to regional or inter-municipal water or sanitation companies. In total, according to one source there were 72 water supply companies in Belgium in 2005. However, another source indicates that there were more than about 62 water supply companies, including 2 regional companies, 30 inter-municipal utilities and 30 municipal utilities. Another 100 mostly small municipalities provide services directly without having a legally of financially separate entity for water supply.
Flanders
The Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Waterzuivering (VMW) is the regional water company in Flanders providing water and sewer services to 2.6 million clients in 170 municipalities. The Antwerp Water WorksAntwerp Water Works
The Antwerp Water Works or AWW produces water for the city of Antwerp and its surroundings. The AWW has a yearly production of 150 million m3 and a revenue of 100 million euro.-History:...
(Antwerpse Waterwerken, AWW) is the provider of drinking water to 7 municipalities in the Antwerp region - Antwerp, Mortsel
Mortsel
Mortsel is a city and municipality close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper. On January 1, 2006 Mortsel had a total population of 24,427 people. The total area is 7.78 km² which gives a population density of...
, Boechout
Boechout
Boechout is a municipality of Belgium located in the Flemish province of Antwerp.The municipality comprises the towns of Boechout proper and Vremde. On January 1, 2006 Boechout had a total population of 12,090. The total area is 20.66 km² which gives a population density of 585 inhabitants per...
, Edegem
Edegem
Edegem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Edegem proper. On January 1, 2006 Edegem had a total population of 21,668. The total area is 8.65 km² which gives a population density of 2,504 inhabitants per km²...
, Kontich
Kontich
Kontich is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Kontich proper and Waarloos. On December 31, 2010 Kontich had a total population of 20,584...
, Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, Zwijndrecht
Zwijndrecht, Belgium
Zwijndrecht is both a village and a municipality located in the Flemish province of Antwerp, in Belgium. As well as Zwijndrecht proper, the municipality includes the villages of Burcht. As of January 1, 2006, Zwijndrecht had a total population of 18,231....
and Kapellen - and TMVW is the service provider in 67 municipalities in the Gent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
region. Aquafin
Aquafin
Aquafin is a Belgian company specialized in wastewater treatment and mainly active in Flanders. Luc Bossyns is the managing director of Aquafin.-History:The company was established in 1990 by the Flemish government, which is also its sole shareholder...
is a regional wastewater treatment company in Flanders. It was established in 1990 by the Flemish government, which is also its major shareholder. Its mission is to design, finance, build and operate all supramunicipal infrastructure needed to treat domestic wastewater and to optimise all main sewer and sewage treatment plants which Aquafin took over from the Flemish Environmental Agency. The private British water company Severn Trent held a 20% minority share in Aquafin until it was sold to the Flemish government in 2006.
Wallonia
The Société wallonne des eaux (called SDWE after its former name Société Wallonne des Distributions d'Eau) is the most important water service provider in Wallonia with about 960,000 connections and 2.4 million clients in 200 municipalities, providing water to about 70% of the population of Wallonia. SDWE does not provide sanitation services.Besides SDWE there are seven intermunicipal water utilities in Wallonia:
- AIEC - Association Intercommunale des Eaux du CondrozCondrozThe Condroz is a region in the center of Wallonia and in the south of Belgium. Its unofficial capital is Ciney....
- AIEM - Association Intercommunale des Eaux de la Molignée
- CIESAC - Compagnie Intercommunale des Eaux Source les Avins - Groupe Clavier
- CILE - Compagnie Intercommunale Liégeoise des Eaux in Liège
- IDEN - Intercommunale de Distribution d'eau de Nandrin-Tinlot et environs
- IECBW - Intercommunale des Eaux du Centre du Brabant Wallon
- INASEP - Intercommunale Namuroise de Services Publics
The towns of Chimay, Burg-Reuland, Trois-Ponts and St-Vith have their own municipal utilities.
There are also six intermunicipal sanitation utilities:
- AIDE - Association Intercommunale pour le Démergement et l’Epuration des communes de la Province de Liège
- AIVE - Association Intercommunale pour la Valorisation de l'eau pour la Province de Luxembourg
- IBW - Intercommunale du Brabant Wallon
- IGRETEC -Intercommunale pour la Gestion et la Réalisation d'Etudes Techniques et Economiques
- INASEP - Intercommunale Namuroise de Services Publics
- IPALLE - Intercommunale de Propreté Publique du Hainaut Occidental
There is also one intermunicipal water and sanitation utility: IDEA - Intercommunale de Développement Economique et d'Aménagement de la Région Mons-Borinage-Centre.
The seats in the boards of directors of the intercommunales are distributed according to political majorities in the communes. "Most intercommunales are controlled by coalitions between the (Walloon) Socialist Party and the (Walloon) Christian Democrats Party."
Brussels region
The Intercommunale bruxelloise de distribution d’ eau (IBDE) is in charge of water dsitribution and billing for 19 municipalities in the Brussels region. Previously the Intercommunale Bruxelloise d'Assainissement (IBRA) had been in charge of stormwater drainage and sanitary sewers in the Brusels region, which had only been created in 2000 to replace four Intercommunales for Sanitation. The former Compagnie Intercommunale Bruxelloise des Eaux (CIBE), renamed Vivaqua in 2006, sells bulk water to the city of Brussels. It also operates its sewer network and the Brussels-South wastewater treatment plant on behalf of IBDE. Vivaqua also provides services to other municipalities and intermunicipal associations in both Flanders and Wallonia with a total of 309,000 connections and 2.1 million direct and indirect clients.Associations
BELGAQUA is the Belgian federation for the water and sanitation sector representing its member utilities. It regroups three regional trade associations:- AQUABRU for the Region of Brussels-Capital
- AQUAWAL for the Walloon Region
- SVW for the Flemish Region.
Aquawal is the trade association of public water and sanitation service providers in Wallonia.
Tariffs
Water tariffs throughout Belgium are increasing-block tariffs with higher unit prices for higher consumption. The number and size of blocks as well as tariff levels for each block vary between regions and service providers.Although PIDPA (in the Flemisch Region, the Antwerp Campine (de Kempen in Dutch)) has changed this in 2009. The unit price has risen for those who have a low consumption (<250 Cu meter/year), and fallen for higher volumes (+ 250 Cu meter/year). The price is now the same.
Flemish region. Everyone has the right to a minimal supply of 15 cubic meters (41 liter/capita/day) of free water per person per year. Concerning sanitation, those living under the Minimum Subsistence Level are exempt from the sanitation tax.
Walloon region. For water, there is an increasing-block tariff with four blocks of consumption. The first block is up to 30 cubic meter per household per year (82 liter/household/day).
Brussels region. The increasing-block tariff has also four blocks, the highest beginning at 60 cubic meter per person per year. The first cubic meter costs 3.8 times less than the highest one. A Social Fund for Water has also been set up, financed by a tax of 0.01 Euro/cubic meter.
Financing
Walloon region. The Walloon region has established a public company dedicated to the financing and operation of sanitation infrastructure and watershed protection. The Société Publique de Gestion de l'Eau (SPGE), created in 1999, operates under five-year performance contracts with the government. Tariffs are being monitored by an independent entity (Comité de Contrôle) and results are independently monitored by a Collège d'Evaluation. Its two core functions are carried out in two different ways:- For the financing of sanitation infrastructure, it signs a contract with utilities that obliges them to carry out the investment and operate the infrastructure. SPGE perceives sewer tariff revenues to recoup its investment and to finance the operation of the sanitation infrastructure.
- For watershed protection, it signs a contract with utilities under which they pay SPGE for its services.
SPGE finances its investments from its capital, through long-term loans from the European Investment Bank
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...
(EIB) and other sources, as well as through short-term borrowing.
More than 80% of SPGE is owned by public entities - almost 40% by the Walloon regional government, 24% by Aquawal and 20% by SWE - and less than 20% is owned by private companies, including about 10% by Dexia
Dexia
Dexia N.V./S.A., also referred to as the Dexia Group, is a Belgian-French financial institution active in public finance, providing retail and commercial banking services to individuals and SMEs, asset management, and insurance...
and 5% by Auxipar.
Flanders region. In Flanders, the public company Aquafin is a major financier of sanitation and also benefits from long-term lending provided by the EIB.