From a Beacon of Hope to a Question Mark: Right to Clean Water and Sanitation across Europe in the Wake of the ECtHR Judgment Hudorovic and Others v. Slovenia

The aim of this paper is to unpack the latest developments on the right to clean water and sanitation through the lens of environmental injustice against Roma ethnic populations. Namely, the Hudorovic and Others v. Slovenia judgment by the ECtHR puts the spotlight on the dynamics of discrimination against Roma communities relating to the access to fundamental environmental goods and services such as adequate sanitation and potable water. More specifically, the main research focus revolves around the question of whether the human-rights protection regime provides for an effective toolbox for the realization of the water- and sanitation-related rights of minorities groups in a country where the right to water is constitutionally recognized. This case fueled a timely debate regarding the right to safe water and proper sanitation across EU, given that the new Drinking Water Directive raises the bar with respect to the obligations on Member States to take measures to ensure that all citizens -and in particular vulnerable and marginalised groups- are connected to the distribution network.