Abstract published in Spanish and English English title: Spanish and Italian policies according to the Water Framework Directive | Se ha elaborado un análisis de la evolución de la política internacional y europea, en relación a la gestión de los recursos hídricos, para identificar y comparar principios, objetivos y métodos de actuación en dos países mediterráneos miembros de la Unión Europea: Italia y España. La comparativa obtenida se hace tomando como referencia esencial la Directiva Marco del Agua, Dir. 2000/60/CE. = The international and european politics evolution regarding water resources management have been analysed with the aim of focuse on principles, objectives and application methods in two mediterranean countries of the European Community: Spain and Italy. The comparison is achieved taking account the essential reference of the EU Water Framework Directive, Dir.2000/60/CE. | Luis Miguel Valenzuela Montes and Anna Rigosi | http://econpapers.repec.org/article/rerarticu/v_3a03_3ay_3a2009_3ap_3a131-154.htm

English title: Water policy in the European Union: Comparison of the protection of water resources in Italy and Spain | We present the analysis of the evolution of the international and European policy in relation to the management of water resources, to identify and compare principles, objectives and methods of operation used in two Mediterranean countries members EU: Italy and Spain. The comparison is obtained by reference essential Water Framework Directive, Dir 2000/60/EC. Thus the main objective of assessing the management of water resources different scales, analyzes the level of agreement between the political-normative principles international, in this case, European Community directives, and state policies and regional member countries of the European Union, in particular the cases of Italy and Spain, to distinguish elements of coherence or contradiction in policies water from both countries, considering their different contexts of availability and resource distribution. Though the comparison has demonstrated the principles which are common in domestic law of the two countries (Table), as are those of harmonizing and integrating the actions in the basin unit, sustainability in resource use caution and prevention. In general, there are important differences between the principles legislatures of both countries, so that both standards remain a common line homogeneous community that reflects the principles. Among the common objectives of Spanish and Italian standards, these will ensure distribution for human consumption and other economic demands and ensure protection of the aquatic environment through improved water status. Comparing the criteria to solve local problems have been indentified solutions different. In the Spanish case are significant transfers of water projected at National and creating new artificial reservoirs to ensure availability necessary basins south and east. It has been observed, finally, that in both Countries at the legislative lack effective control of the volume of water extracted by the different user sectors as well as regulation of related applications temporal variation of resources. From multiscale analysis drawn from the international and to the local community, has been seen as going down to the local territories not sustainability principles disappear, but if you notice difficulty putting in common practice decisions. This does not seem to depend much on the peculiarities environmental or geographic but leave the difficulty of management models precedents that are not sustainable at present and pass in particular the use of best knowledge and the best technical tools in the application of existing policies. This analysis may prove to be an ideal instrument to identify deficiencies and possible improvements when implementing European principles as holistic, consistent and easily comparable. | Anna Rigosi