Implementation of environmental public policy. Case study on water quality for human consumption

Abstract

The parliament and the government may pass many environmental laws, but if those laws are not effectively implemented by Public Administration, they will not bring about the desired changes, i. e. there is an implementation gap. This paper presents a case study on the implementation of the statute that regulates water quality for human consumption in Portugal. We find that when the implementation is successful, the main factors are the clarity and visibility of the procedures used vis-à-vis those affected, and when it fails, the main obstacle is the insufficient connection between the regulation of water quality for human
consumption and the environmental protection of the water source.