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

General observations
• As a result of the decentralisation process, responsibility for water services, solid
waste services and sewage treatment falls on the lowest self-governing municipal
level.
• Water and waste utilities in SEE suffer from various inherited problems, including
low tariffs and bill payment rates; overstaffing; and the absence of
sound organisation and management. These problems make full cost recovery
difficult to achieve. In addition, there is a high level of fragmentation among
utilities throughout the region.
• No significant efforts have been made to reorganise public utilities into more
efficient organisations working according to sound economic principles. The
political independence of the utilities, their adequate human resources capacity,
efficient organisational set-up and financial health are preconditions for
successful investments.
• European practice has shown that in order to optimise the efficiency of municipal
solid waste management, cooperation among municipalities and the
sharing of infrastructure and service systems are essential.
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
S T R AT E G I C M O V E S 143