Davos – Once again this year, the Acea Group is taking part in the World Economic Forum currently under way in Davos. Italy’s leading water utility and Europe’s second-largest operator, serving ten million users in Italy and another ten million abroad, is attending the forum for the third consecutive year with its CEO, Fabrizio Palermo.

At the heart of Acea’s agenda is the protection and enhancement of water, a resource essential to both life and economic development. On 21 January, Palermo presented the World Economic Forum report produced in collaboration with Acea and the University of Cambridge, entitled “Bridging the €6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap.”

“Water continues to be a central issue on the global economic agenda,” Palermo said. “This year Acea’s contribution lies in the Water Manifesto developed together with the WEF and the University of Cambridge. We must return to investing: improving water infrastructure can boost GDP growth and generate employment, with up to 14 million jobs per year worldwide.”

The study highlights the need for coordinated action by governments, industry and finance to close a global infrastructure gap of €6.5 trillion by 2040. Such investments could generate an additional €8.4 trillion in GDP and support more than 206 million full-time jobs, equivalent to 14 million jobs annually.

To ensure fair, resilient, sustainable and technologically advanced water supply and sanitation systems for all, global spending will need to double by 2040. In Europe alone, investment needs are estimated at more than €1.7 trillion, with a funding gap of around €665 billion compared to current spending levels, largely due to ageing infrastructure and the need to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities.

According to the report, investments should focus on four key priorities: equitable access to drinking water, infrastructure resilience, circularity through water reuse, and innovation.

(9colonne)