European Commission adopts Water Resilience Strategy; strategy addresses water quality, governance, climate change as 2.2 billion people globally lack safe drinking water

Executive Vice-President Ribera

Thanks for your patience and your understanding of the importance of water.

I am happy to join Commissioner Roswall in this introduction of the EU strategy on water resilience that we have adopted today. It is an integrated strategy that tackles the water related challenges together: We speak about available water quality, quality of waste, good governance, upfront investments, climate change, biodiversity and pollution.

Water is life. It connects every part of our world – from the smallest insect in the soil to the largest cities we call home. It sustains our health, grows our food, powers our homes and industries. Quite simply, without water, nothing works. Yet, as we gather here today, we face a grim reality. Globally, 2.2 billion people still live without safe drinking water. Nearly half of household wastewater is left untreated.

Right here in Europe, the fastest-warming continent, we see more floods, longer droughts and growing pollution. Our water systems are under enormous strain. We need to cope with extremes both droughts and floods. Floods that take lives, destroy infrastructure and families without clean water. Droughts that have dried fields and farmers have become desperate. Floods like these in Wallonia, Slovenia, France, Italy or Valencia – a tragedy that touched me personally – are just one of many stories across Europe where too much or too little water has brought devastation. And we live in a one of the wealthiest continents on earth, but all human beings need water.

This is not someone else's problem. It is ours. And the cost of doing nothing? Billions – every single year. Fresh water is not infinite, free, and forever clean. Water is not just a resource. It is a shared responsibility.

We have to increase the amount of available water: preventing leaks, recycling wastewater, using the desalinisation technologies and being much more efficient when using it. And Europeans understand why it matters. Four in five believe the EU must do more to protect water. They know that this is about the environment and ecosystems, but it is also about our health, our economy, our security and our future.

The European Water Resilience Strategy is not just a policy. It is a shift in mindset. It is about making water security a foundation for everything we do—from people, farming and food, to energy, tech, industry. Because ecosystems, families, crops, power plants, data centres, car makers and the hydrogen industry all depend on reliable water. So if we want a sustainable, competitive, and secure Europe, we need water resilience at the heart of our agenda. Being smart in the use of any resource is important. This is why we have recommended also today to follow the principle of water efficiency first. That means smarter use, better storage and transportation, cleaner rivers, and innovation. It means protecting nature – because healthy ecosystems are our natural water infrastructure, but also being inspired by nature when building resilience against floods and droughts. It means treating every drop of wastewater so it can safely return to where it began: nature.

With this Strategy, we are proposing a set of measures to respond to the water resilience challenges. This goes from enhancing European real-time early warning and monitoring systems, collecting the necessary data, investing in resilient infrastructure, improve water management through digitalisation or leveraging private investments. But it goes beyond, we are counting on nature to inspire our solutions. The EU has the tools, the laws, and the world-leading water sector to lead the way. Let us turn this challenge into strength. Let us protect what sustains us all. Let us be sure we can share our knowledge with other partners. Let us make Europe water resilient.

Thank you.

Commissioner Roswall

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Our strategy does not come a day too soon. In just the last ten years, the number of Europeans hit by water scarcity has nearly doubled. Every year 30% of Europe's land faces water scarcity. But also flash floods and extreme rainfall are our new normal. Whether it is too little, too much or too polluted, water insecurity now ranks among the top risks to the eurozone economy. So it is clear that we need to put Europe on a water resilient path.

First, there is no “quick fix” that we can offer Member States to solve the water crisis. Our journey starts today and will have to be sustained in the long term.

Second, water is a resource we share. There can be no solution without cooperation. Rivers don't stop at national borders.

Having this in mind, the strategy puts forward three goals. First, we must fix the broken water cycle. Second, we have to build a water-smart economy. Third, we have to ensure clean and affordable water for all. To achieve our goals, we are proposing over 30 flagship actions in a number of key areas.

We are putting water efficiency first. Europe should aim to enhance water efficiency by at least 10% by 2030. Member States know their national situation best, so we are very mindful of regional and local differences, there is no one size fits all. Different sectors have different needs.

But no matter whether you live in a currently very wet or very dry region, water efficiency is the key to build a robust water smart economy. This 10% objective is about giving a clear sense of travel so that we can give future generations a future.

Second, there is an urgent need to upgrade water infrastructure across Europe and boost investments. On average 30% of water is lost in Europe due to leaky pipes before reaching users. Around two-thirds of Europe's investment needs are covered by public funding, but there is still an investment gap.

I am very glad to announce that the European Investment Bank will mobilise €15 billion in the next three years to boost lending for water investments, and I want to thank Nadia and her team for the excellent cooperation. I also really urge Member States to make use of the current EU funding available as a matter of priority.

Third, making the most of digitalisation and innovation. There are inspiring examples piloted by Europe, by companies, municipalities and regions illustrating the huge potential of innovative solutions. To improve leak detections, to save water at home, to predict scarce supplies.  But the use of digital tools is still uneven and slow across Europe.

It is key to scale up digital solutions as well as our innovative capacity. Europe is home to many innovative water technology companies and accounts for 40% of global patents. But we have to unlock the potential for even more innovation and make it attractive to private investors. Our Strategy will set out actions to deliver on this.

Fourth, improving governance and implementation. We have a very solid body of EU rules on water in place, but implementation often lags behind. We will increase support to Member States on the basis of structured dialogues to establish enforcement priorities.

And we will also focus on helping Member States better identify flood and drought risks, cooperate more effectively across borders, and better protect water infrastructure to step up our security and preparedness.

Fifth, access to clean water is also vital. Pollution and PFAS contamination is an issue that people increasingly worry about due to the impact on our health and environment.

Clean up has to be based on the polluter pays principle and investing in technology and innovation is key to detect and remediate pollution.

That is why we will set up a public private partnership that supports technological breakthroughs to clean up pollution from PFAS and other chemicals.

Having said all this, I want to underline that water is managed at many levels. Municipalities and regions are often best placed to act. But cooperation is key. Both within the EU, but also with our international partners. We need a global water agenda because water stress is a global challenge. We have to promote water cooperation as a tool for peace, not conflict.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are on the road to a water resilient Europe. It is the start of a challenging but necessary journey. We are well equipped with solid rules, a very competitive water sector, a lot of experience and relentless determination to make Europe water resilient. Water is not just a resource, it is our lifeline for the future.