The EIP Water facilitates the development of innovative solutions to address major European and global water challenges. At the same time, the EIP Water supports the creation of market opportunities for these innovations, both inside and outside of Europe.
Steering Group is the board of reputable persons guiding EIP Water at EU level, for better implementation of their goal: placing water innovations on the markets and fighting with existing barriers at European level.
The Steering Group plays an important role in the initiative by steering and evaluating its activities but also provides advice to the Chairman, Ms Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on broader issues related to innovation in the water sector.
At the 7th EIP Water Steering Group meeting, the updated Strategic Implementation Plan was agreed, including a review of the EIP Water’s governance structure. This governance review includes a call for new Steering Group members, complementing those of the previous Group that want to remain for another 3-years period.
A public call for interest was launched and widely disseminated by EIP Water and its partners, until the deadline 24 new applications have been received as candidates, and all the applications were assessed against the set criteria.
Now, the European Commission has taken the decision that the 2016-2018 EIP Water Steering Group has 27 members, out of which 9 are new members and 18 are renewed.
Mr Károly Kovács, president of the European Water Association (EWA) is among the new members. In the coming years EWA and EIP Water will work together to bring new ideas and projects facilitating adaptation of members activities to new trends in water business (climate change, rivers and ecosystems restorations, recovery of resources from water, water reuse, water-energy projects, aquifer recharge for agricultural projects, etc.).
Mr Kovács summarises his personal contribution and ambitions considering his SP membership as follows:
- involve professional member organizations represented by EWA (non-governmental organizations, SMEs) to international cooperation related to water issues
- promotion of cooperation, communication and exchange of knowledge and best practices between regional, trans-regional professional organizations and their member and alignment of these information channels with EIP communication
- set professional priorities based on previous experiences and identified needs of member organizations and professional partners
Mr Károly Kovács (HU), has been a member of the EWA Management Committee since 2011 and is representing as the president of the Hungarian Water Association in the EWA Council. Mr Kovács is the Managing Director of Pureco and BDL ltd and the President of the Hungarian Water Cluster (that is corporate member of the European Water Association), Secretary General of the Hungarian Public-asset Evaluation Cluster. He is the Vice President of the Academic and Development Committee of the ASEM Water Resources and Development Centre.
The Steering Group holds meetings once or twice a year. The next meeting is foreseen to take place in September 2016.
Composition of the Steering Group is available here: http://www.eip-water.eu/sites/default/files/Composition%20of%20the%20Steering%20Group_062016_0.pdf