In Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Portugal, they assume a wide array of responsibilities, with the common objective of harmonising water policies at basin level. This situation was a result of sporadic water shortages in specific areas and substantial regional disparities in water resources, especially between the coastal areas, where demand is high, and the hinterland. The Water Resources Prospective and Management Scheme (SOURSE), launched in 2009, is an ambitious EUR 400 000 project to build by 2030 a strategic vision and operational framework across levels of government (including the state and the Rhone-Mediterranee-Corse water agency) and to define the terms for effective water governance at the regional level. It develops a model of public governance of water for equitable sharing of water by 2030, taking into account the economic, demographic and environmental evolution of the territory.