Abbanoa, the water operator of Sardinia (Italy), in partnership with Cagliari University, organised a conference on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms on the 11th of March in the capital city of Sardinia.

The event aimed at sharing experiences about the implementation of the new EU alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and particularly the EU Directive on ADR in national law. The conference was also an opportunity to share best practices that are being tested at the local, national and EU level.

Indeed, Abbanoa introduced alternative dispute resolution procedures a long time ago and is the only public services company in Sardinia that has a dispute resolution service. In addition, several members of APE were invited to present their experiences. Among these, a representative from the Walloon association of water operators, Aquawal (Belgium) gave a presentation on the approach adopted in Wallonia and illustrated the work on affordability of the APE Working Group 1.