Strategic Moves - Regional Environmental Center for Central and ...

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C H A P T E R 6
WAT E R A N D WA S T E U T I L I T I E S I N S E E — S TAT U S A N D R E F O R M
FIGURE 11: Unaccounted-for water (UfW) in SEE countries
%
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
S T R AT E G I C M O V E S
Albania Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Source: REC survey, 2008
no data no data
Croatia FYR
Macedonia
Kosovo
(under
UNSCR 1244)
Montenegro Serbia
Individual utilities have a very limited impact on the development of the policy
and regulatory framework, although they function within it and all aspects of
their management and operations are directly dependent on it. A good policy and
regulatory framework in the water and wastewater sectors is therefore essential in
order to reform and to improve the performance of the water utilities. In addition,
a robust institutional system for the regulation of the sector is of the utmost importance
for enforcement and compliance with the policy framework.
Figure 11 shows very high unaccounted-for water (Uf W), while Figure 12 indicates
very low water invoice collection rates, especially in Kosovo (as defined
under UNSCR 1244) and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The water infrastructure investment programmes of IFIs such as the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the World Bank and the German
bank Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (Kf W) are often accompanied by a demand
for institutional reform aimed at reducing operational and financial risk by
improving transparency and accountability, but also by improving technical operations,
service quality and organisational efficiency (see the example from the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia described below). In most cases, such
demands are accompanied by an offer of technical assistance.