Dynamic of the management contract
The SPGE has a management contract with the Walloon Government. On the basis of this contractual mechanism, the company is subject to an obligation of results compared to defined aims.
As far as sanitation investments are concerned, they are fixed by a five-year investment programme.
First two investment programmes (situation in June 2013)
99,6% of the first programme (2000-2004), having a budget of €816 million, has been carried out (tenders allowed). The last files are on their way to tendering.
78% of the second programme (2005-2009), having a budget of €862 million, has been carried out (tenders allowed). Considering the files approved at the study stage, the state of progress of this programme goes up to 87%.
Programme 2010-2014:
In order to keep the acceleration of the sanitation investments going, a third investment programme covering the period 2010-2014 has been approved by the Walloon Government.
This programme is clearly oriented to meet the obligations of the European directives (urban wastewater treatment directive 91/271/EEC, water framework directive 2000/60/EC and bathing water directive 2006/7/EC).
More precisely, the directive 91/271/EEC imposes deadlines for the sanitation of agglomerations (collection and treatment of urban wastewater), according to their size.
The investment programme 2010-2014 consequently revolves around four investment categories:
Category 1: sanitation of an agglomeration of more than 10,000 PE, bond to the deadline of 31/12/1998 of the directive 91/271/EC.
Category 2: sanitation of an agglomeration of less than 10,000 PE, bond to the deadline of 31/12/2005 of the directive 91/271/EC.
Category 3: sanitation related to the protection of a bathing or an upstream area – Directive 2006/7/CE.
Category 4: themes unique to the water framework directive.
In addition, two transversal themes are the subject of a budget forecast:
- cadastre of the sanitation network;
sludge management.
In addition to the first two programmes, this third one is a key element as to the implementation of the sanitation network for agglomerations of 10,000 PE and more, so as to completely fulfill the order of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 8 July 2004, which punished Belgium for failure to apply its obligations.
Eventually, this third programme also aims to:
- ensure compliance of agglomerations between 2 and 10,000 PE;
initiate a global strategy as to achieve environment objectives related to the bodies of surface water, the bodies of groundwater or the agglomerations impacting the protected areas concerned by the directive 2000/60/EC (bathing, Natura 2000, vulnerable areas, susceptible areas, catchment areas).