Table 1.
Country-specific water-related interventions in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Intervention specific to water | References | |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | No direct support for the water sector. | (Federal Ministry Republic of Austria, 2020) |
| Belgium | The government of Belgium undertook a series of social and economic reforms, including a €160 million fund to support technically unemployed persons to pay their utility bills. | (Conseil Superieur des Finances, 2020; KPMG, 2020a) |
| Bulgaria | Water bill, among other utilities, were suspended under a COVID-19 Emergency Act (COVID-19 Act 2020). The Bulgarian water utility ViK Plovdiv also suspended a €41.9 million water supply and sewage infrastructure upgrade tender due to COVID-19. | (Vlaevsky, 2020; Tanev, 2020) |
| Croatia | Governmental support and interventions were based on the approval of loans to finance wages, utility cost and working capital with reduced interest rates starting from 0% on loans from Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR). | (CroatiaWeek, 2020; KPMG, 2020b) |
| Czech Republic | No direct intervention in the water sector; however, the payment of bills was delayed due to restrictions, which did not allow reading of domestic utility meters. | (Johnston, 2020) |
| Cyprus | No direct intervention for the water sector, but a reduction of electricity prices by 10% for two months for start-ups existed. | (KPMG, 2020c) |
| Denmark | No water-related interventions despite numerous fiscal and economic measures introduced by the government. | (IMF, 2020; European Comission, 2020) |
| Estonia | The entire utility sector was also not considered in a €2 billion relief package announced by the Estonian government. | (Deloitte, 2020b) |
| Finland | No water-related interventions despite numerous fiscal and economic measures introduced by the government. | (IMF, 2020; European Comission, 2020) |
| France | A €3 billion financial package towards the social and fiscal cost to utility including deferred payment of water bills. | (Bashir et al., 2020; Deloitte, 2020b; Banque de France, 2020) |
| Germany | There was no known policy intervention in the water sector. However, the German government during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic injected funds into climate-friendly mobility or car manufacturing companies, as well as in renewable energy development and energy-efficient buildings. | (Ergebnis Koalitionsausschuss, 2020) |
| Greece | No direct support for the water sector during the period of the pandemic. | (Ministry of Finance, 2020a) |
| Hungary | The government cancelled interest on some unpaid taxes and introduced an extension of loan repayment moratorium for households, but there was no direct intervention on water or other utilities. | (Hungarian Banking Association, 2020) |
| Ireland | No direct support for the water sector during the period of the pandemic. | (Chamber Ireland, 2020) |
| Italy | A €0.6 billion fiscal package to help reduce utility bills on small production and commercial activities were introduced by the government as well as suspension of water and other utility bills during the peak of the pandemic. | (Water Europe, 2020; Chamber Ireland, 2020; BBC News, 2020) |
| Latvia | Extension on the payment of utilities including water bills. | (Griffiths, 2020) |
| Lithuania | Municipalities were encouraged by the government to allow for either instalment basis or reschedule payments for utility bills. | (Government of Lithuania, 2020) |
| Luxembourg | No direct support for the water sector during the period of the pandemic. | (European Union, 2020b) |
| Malta | Electricity prices were reduced by 10% but no direct intervention for the water sector. | (KPMG, 2020d) |
| Netherlands | Over €0.650 billion financial support to the agricultural sector that targeted agricultural-based firms and € 1.5 million loan per company to assist those affected during the pandemic. A temporary extension of payment of bills by regional authorities were also implemented. | (Hungarian Banking Association, 2020; KPMG, 2020d; Netherlands Enterprise Agency, 2020) |
| Poland | Three-month break for the payment of utilities and credit payment, but emphasis had been on electricity and not water. The special liquidity guarantee fund also made no mention of government intent to suspend or absorb water bills. | (Szepietowski, 2020) |
| Portugal | A temporary suspension of electricity, water and gas bills. | (Demony and Waldersee, 2020) |
| Romania | No direct support for the water sector during the period of the pandemic. | (Fair Wear, 2020; Captariu and Graure, 2020) |
| Spain | A ban on restricting water, electricity and gas supplies to households during the peak of the COVID-19 crises. Under the stability programme of Spain, a €58 million fund to support deferral of expenses for business and self-employed workers and vulnerable households was also announced. | (Reino De España, 2020; F. and F. Ministry of Agriculture, 2020) |
| Slovakia | No water-related interventions, despite numerous fiscal and economic measures introduced. | (KPMG, 2020e) |
| Slovenia | No direct support for the water sector during the period of the pandemic. | (IMF, 2020) |
| Sweden | Financial security and transition opportunities implemented due to COVID-19 but no intervention in the water sector during the pandemic. | (Ministry of Finance, 2020b; Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, 2020) |
Authors construct, 2020.