WAREG Work Plan 2025‑2026: A Two‑Year Roadmap for Coordinated Water Regulation

WAREG’s Draft Work Plan 2025‑2026 turns the priorities adopted by the 34^th General Assembly into a practical two‑year roadmap. All analytical work is channelled into four thematic Working Groups about the emergent themes ongoing in Europe´s Water sector—Tariffs, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the Drinking Water Directive (DWD) and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD).

Tariffs and KPIs supply the economic and performance evidence that underpins every regulatory decision, while the DWD and UWWTD groups focus on two newly updated EU directives that demand consistent implementation across Member States. By assigning each topic to a dedicated, task‑oriented group supported by the Secretariat, WAREG can pool expertise, avoid duplicating national studies and generate outputs—surveys, dashboards and shared methodologies—that are immediately usable by authorities and EU institutions. In short, the Work Plan gives WAREG regulators a common framework for moving in step, exchanging evidence and speaking with one voice on the issues that shape Europe’s water and wastewater services.

Tariffs Working Group — painting the 2025 tariff landscape in full colour

Over the next 12-18 months the Tariffs Working Group (WG) will revisit and expand WAREG’s 2019 benchmark report on tariffs, issuing an updated Report on Water and Wastewater Tariffs that captures how inflation, energy prices and social‑protection schemes have reshaped pricing across Europe. Work starts with an updated questionnaire aligned with the original survey structure but enriched by a new section on the challenges and innovations regulators have faced since 2019. Responses will be consolidated, interrogated in a series of bimonthly online workshops/meetings and translated into:

• A comparative data set covering average bills, tariff structures, indexation rules and affordability safeguards.
• Trend analysis highlighting methodological shifts (e.g., cost‑reflective blocks, performance‑linked adjustments).

A progress briefing shall be delivered to the 35^th General Assembly in Athens on 18‑19 June 2025, preliminary results showcased at the European Forum on the Regulation of Water Services (4^th EFRWS) on December 4, 2025, and the final report published by April 2026.

KPIs Working Group — from 425 indicators to a common scorecard

WAREG’s 2023 survey identified 425 performance indicators in use across the network—valuable for national oversight but impossible to benchmark internationally because definitions diverge. The KPI WG therefore aims to filter that universe into a “WAREG Common Indicators” suite that any regulator can calculate with comparable methodology. The workflow is as follows:

1. Methodology pack (Q2 2025) – for each candidate KPI, spell out the formula, variables, units, data sources and a three‑level reliability scale.
2. Excel‑based data model (Q3 2025) – circulated for members to test‑fill, flag gaps and refine definitions.
3. Pilot dashboard (December 2025) – previewed at the 4^th EFRWS, showing coverage, water‑quality and non‑revenue‑water metrics side by side.
4. Full release (mid‑2026) – an open, web‑based scorecard with export functions, accompanied by guidance on integrating the KPIs into tariff reviews and investment plans.

Webinars and the assistance of WAREG´s Secretariat for the participants to the WG will smooth data submission, while a workshop in early 2026 will let members review results before publication.

Drinking Water Directive Working Group — tracking risk, access and transparency

The revised Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184 (DWD) introduces, among other things, risk‑based safety planning, stricter materials approval and new rights to information. To map where members stand, the DWD WG is rolling out a structured survey—covering transposition status, risk‑assessment methods, leakage targets, consumer‑information tools and social‑access measures. Replies will feed a state‑of‑implementation report that:

• Benchmarks how regulators allocate roles among health, environment and local authorities.
• Flags emerging challenges such as PFAS monitoring and lab capacity.
• Should be able to propose a common methodology for calculating water losses, harmonising the leakage indicator referred in Article 4.
• Compiles a glossary to standardise terminology across jurisdictions.

Interim findings and developments shall be presented in the Athens General Assembly in June 2025, as well as in the 4^th EFRWS on December 4, 2025. The full report is slated for publication by 2026.

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive Working Group — financing the quaternary upgrade

Revisions to the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 2024/3019 (UWWTD) introduce quaternary treatment for micro‑pollutants and require an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme that channels at least 80 % of incremental costs to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics producers. Building on an externally commissioned study, the UWWTD WG will:

• Map EPR models already used in municipal‑waste streams, assessing financial flows, governance arrangements and deposit‑return mechanisms.
• Stress‑test cost‑allocation scenarios for quaternary treatment—CAPEX, OPEX and tariff impacts—against different levels of producer contribution.
• Draft recommendations for integrating EPR into national tariff frameworks, ensuring transparency and polluter‑pays compliance.

A preliminary briefing will be shared with members at the June´s 2025 General Assembly in Athens; the consultant’s preliminary work will be unveiled at the 4^th EFRWS six months later. The WG will then translate the study’s findings into regulatory guidance notes on tariff design and performance incentives ahead of the 2026 reporting cycle.

Connecting the dots — how the four groups reinforce one another

The four Working Groups have distinct deliverables, yet each strand of work feeds directly into the others to create a single, joined‑up evidence loop:

• Tariffs ⇄ KPIs. Cost‑coverage ratios and social‑tariff data gathered by the Tariff WG drop straight into the KPI dashboard as economic‑efficiency indicators, while the KPI group’s reliability grading helps regulators judge which tariff inputs are robust enough for cross‑country comparison.
• DWD ⇄ KPIs. The leakage‑calculation methodology expected to be developed under the DWD WG shall be able to supply a harmonised numerator and denominator for one of the most contested KPI metrics—non‑revenue water.
• UWWTD ⇄ Tariffs & KPIs. Quaternary‑treatment cost scenarios and EPR burden‑sharing models produced by the UWWTD WG need tariff flexibility and KPI evidence (e.g., unit‑energy consumption, effluent‑quality compliance rates) to calibrate affordability safeguards and polluter‑pays allocations.
• DWD ⇄ UWWTD. Risk‑based drinking‑water safety planning and wastewater quaternary treatment share laboratory‑capacity, monitoring‑frequency and transparency requirements; aligning the two directives through WG dialogue could avoid double‑counting costs and streamlines data‑reporting pipelines.

By 2026, WAREG will have a clear set of tools that work well together—like tariffs linked to performance and leakage data used for both service and pricing reviews. This joined-up approach helps regulators make better, more informed decisions across the water sector.

What this means for regulators, utilities and citizens

• Sharper price‑quality signals — The updated tariff benchmark will help identify underfunding,, reward efficient utilities and protect vulnerable households.
• Smarter oversight — Common KPIs move the conversation from narrative to data allowing regulators to act early when performance issues appear..
• Easier EU compliance — Common methods for leakage, risk, and micropollutants make it easier for utilities to meet EU directives.
• Faster investment planning —  Transparent cost scenarios for advanced treatment and network renewal will help shape long-term funding.

Ultimately, the four Working Groups anchor WAREG’s ambition to ensure that every euro invested in Europe’s water and wastewater systems delivers maximum resilience, transparency and customer value.

Next steps

Key milestones from each Working Group will be presented at WAREG’s 35th General Assembly, hosted by RAAEY in Athens on 18–19 June 2025, with survey launches and early data collection running through the summer. Interim findings will shape WAREG’s contribution to the EFRWS in December 2025, and the full suite of reports will follow in 2026.