Janeiro principles. The WSSD Plan of Implementation makes reference to the application of
the “polluter pays principle” in its section devoted to sustainable production and consumption
models by stating the need to take into account the environmental dimension in all
decisionmaking processes.
To the end of the present work, it is worth mentioning the Communication “Tariff policies for
a more sustainable management of water resources” (COM 2000/477), that derives from
Framework Directive 2000/60/EC on water resources, which indicates that any aids granted
within the framework of a tariff policy - should be progressively abolished as they would be
unlikely to promote an efficient use of the water resource. The member-States have to pursue
as a priority a sustainable management of water resources and favour investments in this
sense (e.g. with the use of counters for different uses)”.
In the 6th Environmental Action Plan, the application of the “polluter pays
principle” concerns the use of normalization activities to the end of promoting
the integration of the requirements of environmental protection. In addition, a
great emphasis is put on the need for the empowerment of producers,
importers and end users, as well as on the need to disseminate knowledge on
all the chemical substances, on their relevant risks, and on their recovery and
disposal. All these aspects have evident implications in terms of “multilevel”
governance. Finally, the principle set forth in the Directive 2000/60/EC: “The
member-States must provide for water price policies that encourage an
efficient use of water resources on the part of the users and that require
different economic sectors to give an adequate contribution to the recovery of
the costs of water services, including those costs linked to the environment and
to the use of water”.
As for this principles, one of the most controversial aspects of them has o do
with. Actually, on the basis of the “polluter pays principle”, also the Galli Law
identifies in the tariff of the SII (Integrated Water Service) the main tool to
the internalize the environmental costs of the entire water cycle. The objective
is to encourage businesses to adopt efficient and sustainable plans and define a
tariff close to cost-effective investments in water infrastructure and
distribution systems in consideration of the non cost-effectiveness of said
investments, a problem that account for the main cause of the lack of
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