Spain's Ebro river transfers: Test case for water policy in the European Union

The USA's 20th-century experience with major subsidized water development left a plethora of problems. Another generation now struggles with how to correct them. Today there is consensus among experts that water policy should be the result of broad public participation and should consider the social, economic and environmental effects of water use and development. Yet, formal institutions in the USA have been slow to incorporate innovations reflecting this consensus. The European Community's (EC's) Water Framework Directive and Spanish water law, however, appear to embody a progressive approach to water policy. Criticisms of Spain's proposed Ebro River transfers cast doubt on whether they would conform to Spanish or EC policy. The paper concludes that before the Ebro proposal proceeds it should be judged rigorously, according to policies expressed in Spanish law and the Directive.