How WAREG works

WAREG’s Headquarters and Secretariat are based in Milan (Italy), hosted by the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy Networks and Environment (ARERA).

WAREG’s institutional office is hosted by the Brussels Energy Regulatory Commission (BRUGEL) in Belgium.

Assembly

The Assembly is made up of one senior manager from each Member. It decides and guides WAREG’s strategic and operational activities, such as priorities, communication and organisation. It meets at least four times a year or more if needed.

The Assembly’s main tasks are to:

  • decide and plan WAREG’s strategy and actions;
  • approve new or resigning Members and Observers;
  • approve agreements with external parties and organisations;
  • create or close any WAREG bodies;
  • elect the President and Vice-President of WAREG;
  • endorse the work of Working Groups and Secretariat, and their publications;
  • approve WAREG’s official stance on relevant issues;
  • set and change the rules for association, budget, operation and organisation;
  • approve joint communications;

The President

The President represents WAREG in external events and follows the Assembly’s decisions and directions, and reports regularly to the Assembly on the Presidency’s activities.

The President and Vice-Presidents are high level representatives of WAREG Members. They serve for two years and can be re-elected. Their mandates belong to the regulatory entity they represent.

Vera Eiró

Chairman, ERSAR, Portugal
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The Vice-Presidents

The Vice-presidents support the President in his/her responsibilities, and substitute him/her in cases of the President’s absence. They coordinate with the Working Group Chairs, the Secretariat and all Members in order to propose common actions for consideration by the Assembly.

The President and the Vice-Presidents are nominated from amongst high level representatives of WAREG Members for a term of two years, which may be renewed. Their mandates are assigned to the institution (regulatory entity) which they represent.

Andrea Guerrini

Board Member, ARERA, Italy
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Ivaylo Kastchiev

Director, EWRC, Bulgaria
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Pál Ságvári

Vice President, MEKH, Hungary
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Konstantinos Tsimaras

Board Member, RAAEY, Greece
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Secretariat

The responsibility of the Secretariat is to support all WAREG bodies. All WAREG Members may participate at Secretariat meetings. The Secretariat has the power to decide on its internal organisational structure and allocation of roles and responsibilities in order to carry out its activities.

The Secretariat:

  • ensures the coordination of WAREG activities;
  • coordinates the organisation of meetings of all WAREG bodies, including drafting the agenda and minutes, and prepares and circulates documents;
  • moderates Assembly meetings;
  • coordinates the interaction between the several bodies of WAREG;
  • drafts the WAREG annual work programme in coordination with the Working Groups’ Co-Chairs;
  • manages internal communication among WAREG Members;
  • prepares WAREG documents to be presented to the Assembly;
  • prepares common positions to external organisations as may be approved by the Assembly;
  • executes any other function that may be assigned to it by the Assembly

Members of the Secretariat are:

Christian Minelli

Head of the Secretariat
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Fjola Beqiri

Regulatory Specialist
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Vittorio Graziano

External Relations Manager
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Pedro Gonçalves

Senior EU Affairs Manager
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Mariam Ioseliani

Project Manager
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Working Groups

WAREG activated four thematic Working Groups about the emergent themes ongoing in Europe´s Water sector:

  • Tariffs
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Drinking Water Directive (DWD)
  • Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD)

Working Group on KPIs 

WAREG’s 2023 report on KPIs 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 4th 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.

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Working Group on Tariffs 

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

Working Group on the Drinking Water Directive (DWD)

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 4th EFRWS on December 4, 2025. The full report is slated for publication by 2026.

Working Group on the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD)

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.
  • 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 4th 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.