The various partner territories were able to materialise their willingness to cooperate for the sustainable management of water resources thanks to the Ecos-Ouverture Programme.

The Ecos-Ouverture Programme of the European Union, implemented from 1999 to 2002, endeavoured to support a decentralised cooperation between local participants from the European Union and local participants from Eastern and Central European countries.

The AquaFil Project, its full title being “Create Water Centres for an integrated management of habitats” was included within one of the components of cooperation defined by the Ecos-Ouverture Programme. This component is the following: “Improvement of the control of pollutions, the management, and/or the recycling of waste and wastewater”.

The AquaFil Project does not deal with this issue in a technical way, but through an approach of global development for involved territories.