ll abstractions in the EU region for all uses are in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy; the highest demand for public supplies is in Belgium, Iceland and Norway. Data on distribution system leakage rates are sparse. In England and Wales leakage currently stands at 150 1/h/day (2004-5), representing some 20% of piped supply and the average per capita daily consumption of one person. Households and small business users of public water supplies are classed as "domestic". In Finland, these users consume all of the supply in this sector, whereas in Bulgaria only some 34% of the public supply goes to domestic uses. Annex Table 5.A1.2 shows that across Europe, domestic usage can be viewed through three groups, and compared with uses in the EFTA countries. There is no correlation between domestic use and the proportion of the population connected to public supplies. Water supply quality is heavily regulated across Europe, with the Drinking Water Directive covering the primary standards. Europe has a wide variety of institutional arrangements for water resource management and water supply, ranging from direct public management to delegated public management, delegated private management and direct private management (EuroMarket, 2005). In the Netherlands, 20 corporatised water utilities run the water supply system while wastewater remains a municipal function. In France there are some 16 300 water suppliers, mostly controlled by three large private concerns operating under franchise agreements with local authorities who own the assets. They supply some 75% of the population and 52% of all sewage services (Renzetti and Dupont, 2003); the rest are served by municipalities. Spain also operates a system of delegated management but to a lesser extent than France, with 37% in private hands and with the state having an interventionist role, particularly with regard to agricultural water supply. In some parts of Germany, public-private consortia act as service providers while in other parts supply is managed by municipalities. Fo