Fritsch, OliverAdelle, CamillaBenson, David2017-08-172017-08-172017Fritscg, O, Adelle, C & Benson, D 2017, 'The EU Water Initiative at 15: origins, processes and assessment', Water International, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 425-442.0250-8060 (print)1941-1707 (online)10.1080/02508060.2017.1330816http://hdl.handle.net/2263/61697This article examines the activities and achievements of the European Union Water Initiative, a transnational, multi-actor partnership established in 2002 by the European Commission to support water governance reforms around the world. Two regional components of the initiative – (a) Africa and (b) Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia – are studied with a focus on their organizational structures, activities, policies and achievements. The analysis provides evidence for improved regional dialogue and cooperation in the water sector, but also points to persistent weaknesses, in particular a lack of resources, ownership and mutual understanding as to the overall aims of the Initiative.en© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License.Integrated water resourcesManagementWater governanceWater frameworkWater framework directiveNetwork governanceEuropean Union Water InitiativeArticle