Water policy(ies) in Portugal. Inertia and challenges within the European framework

The definition of water policy was strongly influenced by the role of water resources in the economic and social development of Portugal in several sectors. Its evolution is similar to many other policies, as decision-making mechanisms were developed to take into account an increasingly wider range of public and private bodies, both central and regional, connected to the offer and demand for water. The institutional design was thus continuously shaped and defined by those same goals. Portugal’s entry into the European Union gave a new incentive to water policy, more focused on the sustainable and integrated use of water resources. New challenges for the integrated management of water resources were taken on by public administration bodies in Portugal.