Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency
International cooperation
Territorial communities • Public bodies • Economic stakeholders
The Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency
is a French public body regulated by the Ministry for Ecology, Energy,
Sustained Development and Spatial Planning.
Its role is to help elected representatives and local communities,
economic stakeholders and inhabitants use water resources rationally
and fight against the pollution and deterioration of aquatic
environments. To achieve its goals, it collects charges based on the
“polluter-payer” and “taker-payer” principle. It also funds initiatives
for the conservation and exploitation of aquatic environments,
in the form of subsidies paid to public or private developers.
As part of the national and European water management policies,
the Water Agency implements the guidelines defined by the RhoneMediterranean and Corsica Basin Committees, which like genuine
“water parliaments” bring together the representatives of the water
stakeholders from these major river basins.
A public body dedicated
to integrated water resources managment
THE WATER AGENCY AND THE RIVER BASIN AUTHORITIES
RhOne-MEditerranEAN
BASIN COMMITTEE
CORSICA BASIN
COMMITTEE
36 members
165 members
The Basin Committee President
is ex officio the President
of Corsica’s Executive Board
The Basin Committee President
is elected for 3 years by the electoral
colleges of communities and user groups
THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
ARE SELECTED FROM THE BASIN COMMITTEES
WATER AGENCY BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
38 members
1 State-appointed President;
33 members taken from the Rhone-Mediterranean Basin Committee,
3 members taken from the Corsica Basin Committee;
1 staff representative.
THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
MANAGES THE WATER AGENCY
WATER AGENCY
State body
State-appointed Director − 380 employees
Basin Committee missions
The Basin Committee is an
assembly where all the water
stakeholders at each major
river basin’s level meet to
decide on the water policy
and develop the agencies’
actions plans; coordinate on
behalf of the French State the
implementation of the European
Water Framework Directive;
take part in the development
and implementation of the
international cooperation actions
carried out by the water agencies.
International Water Agency projects
In line with French foreign policy and
within the framework of the law on
water of 30 December 2006*, the Water
Agency has undertaken a number
of international cooperative projects in
its areas of technical expertise, namely
the fight against pollution and
the preservation of water resources.
The agency provides its expertise
through joint institutional and
technical projects and provides
financial support for projects put
forward by public or private owners
from the Rhone-Mediterranean
and Corsica basins.
* The Water and Aquatic Environment Law
of 30 December 2006 allows on the one hand
local communities to grant international
solidarity assistance in the water and sewage
field and, on the other, water agencies to
take a financial stake in such initiatives up
to a maximum of 1% of their revenue while
broadening their institutional and technical
sphere of influence.
Joint institutional
and technical projects
> Exchanges, consultancy
and expertise on:
integrated Water Resource Management
(GIRE) built on consultation between
all the water stakeholders;
the water information system:
production and publication of
underground, surface and coastal
water data;
planning of environmental objectives
for catchment areas;
environmental taxation charges
and premiums;
fi
nancial assistance policies relating
to the fight against pollution
or the protection of water resources;
communication, training and qualityassured organisation initiatives.
Financial assistance may also be granted
when extending these types of cooperative
projects.
Support for solidarity
projects in emerging
countries
> Allotment of financial
assistance in its areas
of operation:
fighting household pollution;
fi
ghting industrial pollution
and dangerous substances;
fighting agricultural pollution
and pesticides;
preserving and restoring aquatic
environments;
preserving and managing water
resources;
preserving the quality of water
destined for human consumption;
know-how, monitoring and evaluation;
communication and education
topreserve aquatic environments;
concerted management and solidarity
between water stakeholders.
Two examples of cooperative projects run with assistance from the Water Agency
In Southern Morocco,
7 villages around
Taroudannt were equipped
New drinking water conveyance
systems were installed in 6 villages
and a complete purification system
was installed in another.
582 households (3,684 inhabitants)
were helped.
Developer: Grand Lyon (69).
Beneficiary: Development and
Migration Association.
Consultation in Northern
Lebanon
Expertise provided by the Agency
on introducing a «River Contract» type
operation on the Kadisha, a river
in Northern Lebanon where the valley
and water quality are compromised
In association with the Rhone-Alpes
Region and Grand Lyon, assistance
was provided to the local water
stakeholders: Northern Lebanon
Water, federation of Bcharreh
municipalities
Total cost of the project: e 210,000.
Agency assistance: e 35,000.
The Kadisha
Water Agency Assistance
What territories are covered
by international cooperation?
Who is entitled
to aid?
The agency targets its initiatives in areas situated
within the Mediterranean rim, the French-speaking
Africa and the European Union as a priority
or in territories with similar ecological, economic
and cultural aspects to the Rhone-Mediterranean
and Corsica basins (please see attached map).
Private ou public owners in the Rhone
Mediterranean and Corsica basins subject to Water
Agency charges.
What financial help
can be provided?
Water Agency contributions to international
cooperative projects are limited to a maximum
of 1% of total revenue. The annual figure is
expected to grow progressively to 1.1 million euros
by the end of the Agency’s 9th action programme
in 2012.
In practice, Water Agency financial assistance
cannot exceed 80% of the preliminary study,
and 50% of the cost of the works. At least 10
to 20% of the total cost of the operations must be
paid by the ultimate beneficiary.
The Water Agency is also entitled to participate
in basin solidarity funds which finance projects
in the water domain through repayable loans.
South Marroco
French NGOs, under the condition that an owner
on one of our two basins is partner to the project,
or if the project is due to a humanitarian emergency
and meets the same eligibility criteria as the
solidarity projects.
The procedure for developers receiving assistance
is that they acquire the requisite finance, conduct
the operations in conjunction with the foreign
beneficiary and provide the communication and
evaluation.The projects are examined according
to their geographical location and must fall within
the remit of the Water Agency.
Water Agency experts then provide as much
technical or institutional know-how as is needed
to monitor the projects.
The Rhone-Mediterranean
and Corsica River Basins
The RhoneMediterranean basin
• 14 million inhabitants
• 25% of the French territory
In France, water management is organised along large river basins, which
are naturally defined by the catchment divides.
• 20%
of France’s agriculture
and industry
The Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency is responsible for two river
basins, the Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica basins.
• 50% of France’s tourism activity
The Rhone-Mediterranean basin covers the area where
any rainwater drop flows down towards
the rivers which feed into the Rhone River,
its tributaries and coastal rivers to end up
in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Island of Corsica in itself constitutes
a separate river basin.
• 11,000
water courses
exceeding 2 km
The basin covers mainly 5 regions
(23 departements). It also includes
a number of towns located
in another 7 departements.
THE WATER POLICY PRIORITIES
IN THE RHONE-MEDITERRANEAN
BASIN
• Fight
against toxic and pesticide
induced water pollution
ArtoisPicardie
Seine-Normandie
RhinMeuse
• Improve
the quantitative
management of water resources
ArtoisPicardie
Loire-Bretagne
Seine-Normandie
• Restore
degraded aquatic
environments
RhinMeuse
Loire-Bretagne
Adour-Garonne
RhôneMéditerranée
Adour-Garonne
The Corsica basin
Corse
RhôneMéditerranée
Corse
Martinique
Guadeloupe
Réunion
Guyane
Martinique
Guadeloupe
• 282,000
permanent inhabitants,
the lowest population density
in Metropolitan France
• more
than 2.5 million tourists
each year
• 80%
of jobs in services sector;
underdeveloped industry
and agriculture
• 3,000 km of water courses
Mayotte
Réunion
Mayotte
Guyane
• 1,000 km of coastline
THE WATER POLICY PRIORITIES
IN THE CORSICA BASIN
• Secure
the supply of drinking
water
• Improve the quantitative
management of water resources
• Improve
pollution abatement
initiatives
A partner at your side
Annual budget: 500 millions euros
Nowadays, it extends its expertise to foreign organisations
which have a similar mission over their respective
territory, and also grants financial subsidies to RhoneMediterranean or Corsica river basin owners, who are
involved in projects aiming to provide access to drinking
water or water sanitation in developping countries.
Who to contact?
Agence de l’eau
Rhône-Méditerranée et Corse
Direction Données, Redevances
et relations Internationales (DDRI),
2-4 allée de Lodz
69363 Lyon Cedex 07
Tél. : +33 (0)4 72 71 27 68
Please visit our website at:
www.eaurmc.fr
Médiacité - mai 2009 - Fotos : MEDAD, F. Guerber, Migrations et Développement, J. Faure-Brac, B. Rémont, P. Pautrat
The Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency
traditionally aims to play a part in the improvement of
water management and the fight against water pollution
within the limits of the French Mediterranean and Corsica
catchment basins.