The way is opened for adjustments to the water supply tariffs with the publication of the Joint Ministerial Decision in the Government Gazette which determines the new water pricing rules.
To determine the new tariffs, the providers will take into account the social, environmental, geographical and climate conditions in their areas of responsibility and must adapt to the new rules within five years.
Due to the climate crisis, it is most likely that in most areas and especially in those where water shortage conditions are recorded, tariffs will increase.
Mixed system
The pricing method is based on a mixed system. Tariffs will consist of a fixed fee and a variable fee per unit volume of water (volumetric charge per cubic meter of water consumption).
The fixed fee is determined in such a way as to recover the reasonable and efficient operating costs necessary for the uninterrupted supply of water for water supply use. The fixed fee reflects the minimum operating costs deemed necessary to maintain the water supply networks at that level of functionality that ensures uninterrupted supply and should not affect the function of the volumetric charge as a tool for the rational use of water.
For specific categories of users who supply water on a case-by-case basis and not on a continuous basis such as, indicatively, the supply of ships, pricing based on a fixed, without the use of scales, volumetric charge per cubic meter of water supplied is allowed, without affecting the function of the price as a tool for the rational use of water.
The new tariffs will also determine the charge with which consumption is billed in the event of an invisible water leak as well as the terms and conditions under which the relevant discount on the charge is granted.
The determination of the tariffs will be done in such a way that the total revenues cover the financial costs of the company for the provision of water services, while in the case of wastewater collection and treatment facilities where industrial liquid waste is discharged, the method of invoicing users takes into account the qualitative characteristics of industrial liquid waste (pollutant load), in addition to the quantitative ones.
Environmental fee
The Joint Ministerial Decision also refers to the environmental fee, an additional charge on all accounts which is decided every year by the Water Directorates of the Decentralized Administrations.
