r of agencies use figures of 3%, with a maximum of 5% in some cases. At the same time, in developing countries the ratio of revenues to costs in the water sector stands at approximately 0.3 (Hoornweg, 2004). Environmental protection and pollution control could also have profound impacts on future service. The best available exemplar of this is the WFD in Europe. Its full cost impact is still a matter of discussion; however, one estimate suggests it will cost some USD 300 billion to implement by 2017 (WSSTP, 2005; SAM, 2004). It seems that the adoption of increasingly stringent environmental protection measures is in some ways a reflection of societal expectations and norms and concerns about the nature of sustainability, and a product of a wealthier society. The importance of these perspectives in high-income countries and their potential impact on other economies should not be INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 5. THE IMPACTS OF CHANGE ON THE LONG-TERM FUTURE DEMAND FOR WATER SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE underestimated, as it is the developed countries that exert the greatest influence on global norms and often set the conditions of engagement that others are expected to aspire to and adopt. In transition economies, such as the EECCA, there are a set of similar drivers and concerns. However, these are modulated by the need to improve service coverage and at the same time address the residual problems of poor governance, infrastructure and organisational neglect and inefficiency that have resulted in the continuing deterioration of the asset base. Following a meeting in Almaty in October 2000, EECCA and other ministers and senior representatives from several OECD countries, and senior officials from international financial institutions, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector recognised the critical condition of the urban water supply and sanitation sector in EECCA and endorsed "Guiding Principles for the Reform of the Urban Water Supp