Government Resolution No. HG199/2014 validating the Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy (2014 2028).

Public water supply and sanitation services have a decisive role for improving the quality of life of all citizens and for avoiding social exclusion and isolation. Considering their importance for the economy and for the production of other goods and services, their efficiency and quality constitute a factor of competitiveness and the greatest cohesion, especially due to the fact that they allow the attraction of investments in less favored regions. Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy (2014 2028) places the public water supply and sanitation services in the scope of activities of general economic interest. The current Strategy is not only limited to final conclusions and recommendations, but also determines the necessary measures to achieve the objectives and results in the field of water supply and sanitation.
In the Strategy, recent visions regarding the development of the field of water supply and sanitation are applied used new notions such as: (a) water supply and sanitation plan (PAAS), which is an investment planning document for the long-term development of the water supply and sanitation infrastructure, developed for a certain region, district or locality (municipality, town, village, commune), so that they fit perfectly with the existing systems and with the availability and constraints regarding local water sources and with the provisions of the legislation in force; (b) sanitation is a generic term used to describe a series of facilities, services and actions aimed at the safe and hygienic disposal of human excreta and waste water, with the aim of reducing the spread of pathogenic germs and maintaining a healthy and sustainable environment; specific actions related to sanitation include wastewater treatment, household waste and rainwater management; and (c) feasibility study is a document based on which the project documentation is drawn up, which includes and provides information on the multidimensional impact of the project, as well as the economic viability and financial sustainability of the capital investment project.
The main competent authority in the field of water supply and sanitation is the Ministry of the Environment, which has the mission of ensuring the realization of the constitutional prerogatives of the Government by elaborating, promoting and implementing the sectoral policy. The Ministry of Health exercises its powers to approve water use permits, the discharge of waste water, the establishment of sanitary protection zones for networks and water supply and sewage installations, the performance of sanitary expertise in the field of monitoring the quality of drinking water distributed to consumers.
The Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy (2014 2028) aims to present an updated and detailed route for the development of the water supply and sanitation field both in the medium term (up to 2018) and in the long term (up to 2028) and to ensure the human right to safe drinking water as a fundamental right.
The general objective of the Strategy is to gradually ensure access to safe water and adequate sanitation for all localities and the national population, thus contributing to the improvement of health, dignity and quality of life and to the economic development of the policy recommendations reflected in the document are the result of broad consultations with a multitude of parties involved at the central, regional and local level. In order to achieve the proposed objectives and the implementation of the Strategy, the coordinated involvement of several interested parties is necessary, other than the Ministry of the Environment, which is responsible for policy development and monitoring in the field of water supply and sanitation.
The specific objectives of the Strategy shall be as follows: (a) decentralization of public water supply and sanitation services; (b) expanding the centralized water supply and sanitation systems and increasing the population's access to these services; and (c) promoting the principles of the market economy and attracting private capital.