On 30 July 2026, IRIS (Project Coordinator for AYUMI) followed the institutional press conference hosted at the Italian Senate on the three-year mandate of the Extraordinary Commissioner for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, Fabio Fatuzzo. Promoted by Senator Gianni Rosa, the event brought together key representatives from the Italian Government, Parliament, regional administrations, utilities, and academia to review progress on national wastewater infrastructure and outline future strategies for water scarcity and climate resilience.
Moving From Effluent Disposal to Strategic Resource Management
A central message from the Senate discussion was the urgent need to shift how treated urban wastewater is viewed. Rather than treating purified effluent as a waste product to be discharged into watercourses, speakers emphasized treating it as a strategic, alternative water resource.
The scale of the challenge – and opportunity – in Italy was highlighted by Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister for the Environment and Energy Security: while Italy produces approximately 10 billion m³ of treated wastewater annually, the country currently reuses only 400–500 million m³ (around 5–6%).
Addressing this gap requires overcoming several recurring systemic barriers raised during the conference:
- Infrastructure & Investments: Accelerating major sewerage and treatment works—supported by the Commissioner’s ~€3 billion investment portfolio—to overcome long-standing EU infringement procedures.
- Governance & Permitting: Reducing administrative delays, fragmented management, and permitting bottlenecks among regional and local authorities.
- Dual Networks & Innovation: Expanding dual distribution networks for agriculture, industry, and urban non-potable uses.
- Public Acceptance & Trust: Fostering a cultural shift towards water circularity, reinforcing confidence in reclaimed water quality through transparent data and robust monitoring.
- Regulatory Foresight: Designing and upgrading plants to proactively anticipate the requirements of the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (2024/3019).
How AYUMI Bridges Policy Intent and Real-World Execution
As the Horizon Europe project dedicated to scaling up safe agricultural water reuse across the Mediterranean, AYUMI directly aligns with the priorities highlighted in Rome. Commenting on the strategic relevance of the Senate debate, IRIS, acting as AYUMI Coordinator, released the following statement:
“The Italian policy discussion highlighted the need to move from treating wastewater primarily as an effluent to be discharged towards its systematic reuse as a strategic water resource, particularly in the face of water scarcity, fragmented governance and the still limited uptake of reuse in Italy. AYUMI builds directly on these needs and opportunities by demonstrating safe agricultural water reuse under real operating conditions and by developing the monitoring, governance and replication approaches needed to support wider implementation across Italian territories.”
Across its operational demonstration sites – including major agricultural and utility contexts in Italy – AYUMI translates national policy goals into concrete practice by:
- Demonstrating Advanced Treatment & Real-Time Monitoring: Testing TRL 7–8 treatment modular chains (e.g., Advanced Oxidation, membrane filtration, plasma systems) paired with online TOC/TN/TP and micropollutant sensors to ensure full compliance with EU Regulation 2020/741.
- Developing Water Reuse Safety Plans (WRSPs): Establishing HACCP-based risk management and transparent data-sharing tools (the AYFlow platform and dashboards) to build trust among farmers, regulators, and consumers.
- Co-Designing Governance & Tariffs: Working directly with basin authorities, irrigation consortia, and utilities to embed reclaimed water volumes into official allocation plans, drought strategies, and fair economic incentive schemes.