ABSTRACT
What relevance is there to discuss water security issues in cases where water availability and accessibility do not seem to be a problem? This is the main question that guides this article which searches for answers from official core water debates in upstream or ‘safe’ water access (or ‘water-rich’) countries. If a norm such as water security or the human right to water and sanitation is to be universally accepted, then it needs to be adopted by wealthy and powerful countries/regions that are water-rich, and it should guide policies in both their domestic and foreign policies. If these polities do not support this norm, then operationalization becomes a serious challenge and water security debates will keep reflecting power imbalances in global affairs. Empirically, this article examines current water management strategies in the European Union with specific focus on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
