Commission launches strategy to enhance water security for people, economy and environment

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission adopted the European Water Resilience Strategy aiming at restoring and protecting the water cycle, securing clean and affordable water for all and creating a sustainable, resilient, smart and competitive water-economy in Europe.

This comprehensive strategy will support Member States in managing water more efficiently, both through implementation of current EU water legislation and through over 30 actions. Member States, regions and municipalities, but also citizens and businesses, are the key actors of water resilience.

Water is key to our existence, but today we can no longer take water for granted. Europe has been hit by extreme weather events, including catastrophic floods, prolonged droughts and forest fires. With rising climate change impacts, this will only get worse. No country or region is spared. This affects citizens, farmers, environment and businesses alike, with impacts on health, disruption of energy, food and drinking water supply, and growing economic losses across the EU. Five out of the top ten global risks for businesses are water related.

Today, water resilience and sustainable water management must be at the heart of our agenda to enhance EU security in line with climate scenarios and make our businesses more competitive and innovative, and Europe more attractive for investments It is an opportunity for European researchers and companies that are well-positioned to lead the way as they account for 40% of the patents for water technologies worldwide.

President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Water is life. Water resilience is key for our citizens, farmers, environment, and businesses. The Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy charts a path toward a sustainable, resilient, smart, and competitive water-economy. We must act now to protect this scarce resource.”

Setting out a common European vision for water resilience

The Strategy focuses on three key objectives for common action.

First, it will restore and protect the water cycle, from source to sea. For this purpose, effective implementation of the already existing EU framework for freshwater, including the Water Framework Directive and the Flood Management Directive is key and must focus both on water quantity and quality. In addition, efforts must be stepped up to improve water retention on land, effectively prevent water pollution and tackle pollutants in drinking water, including PFAS.

Second, the Strategy aims to build a water-smart economy to boost competitiveness, attract investment and promote the EU’s water industry. To achieve this objective, it is essential to improve water efficiency and sustainable water management. This is why the Commission also published today a Recommendation on Water Efficiency, providing guiding principles to reduce water consumption. It sets an objective to improve water efficiency in the EU by at least 10% until 2030 and recommends Member States to set their own targets for water efficiency, based on their territorial and national circumstances. In this context, as national leakage levels vary from 8% to 57%, it is also important to reduce leaks in pipes and modernise water infrastructure through public and private funding and take up of digital solutions.

Finally, the Strategy will help secure clean and affordable water and sanitation for all. To achieve this, the Strategy underlines the essential role of consumers and businesses in saving water at home or at work. Therefore, the Strategy promotes the exchange of best practices to raise public and sector specific awareness.

At global level, the Strategy reinforces the EU’s role in promoting water resilience worldwide through international partnerships and cooperation. Leading by example, the EU will promote a global water agenda with international partners and third countries, notably through the Global Gateway. 

All actors in society must engage to achieve the objectives of the Strategy

To achieve the Strategy’s objectives and support Member States, citizens, local authorities, businesses and civil society, the Commission is proposing flagship actions in five enabling areas.

1.  Governance and implementation

To accelerate implementation of the EU water acquis, Structured Dialogues will be organised with all Member States as well as regular exchanges with regions, cities and water authorities to promote best practices, identify implementation challenges and enforcement priorities, encourage cross-border water cooperation, and simplify and streamline EU rules where possible.

2.  Investments

To ensure adequate financing and mobilise both public and private investment, the Commission will increase available cohesion policy funds for water and adopt a roadmap for nature credits. The European Investment Bank will also launch a new Water Programme and Sustainable Water Advisory Facility, in cooperation with the Commission, and make over €15 billion in planned financing available during 2025-2027. Private investment plays a key role to strengthen water resilience, and needs to be significantly stepped up.

3.  Accelerating digitalisation and AI

An EU-wide Action Plan on digitalisation in the water will unleash all the benefits of digitalisation, including Artificial Intelligence, in water management and sustainable water use. Smart digital metering offers significant potential to improve leak detections and satellite data can help with forecasting for example.

4.  Boosting research and innovation

Investment in research and innovation, industry and skills will also strengthen the competitiveness of the water sector. Putting people at the heart of change, the Commission will launch a Water Resilience R&I strategy and a European Water Academy among other actions.

5.  Security and preparedness

Finally, collective water resilience requires security and preparedness. The Commission will enhance EU real-time early warning and monitoring systems for floods and droughts with strengthened links between the European, national and local levels.

Today, complementing the Water Resilience Strategy, the European Environment Agency is publishing a report on water saving potentials and possible measures.

Next Steps

The Commission will start implementing flagship actions as set out in the Strategy and will monitor the progress of the Recommendation on water efficiency.

As from December 2025, the Commission will convene, every two years, a Water Resilience Forum, providing an inclusive dialogue with EU stakeholders to advance the implementation of the Strategy.

In addition, in 2027, the Commission will carry out a mid-term review of the progress achieved in implementing the actions included in this Strategy.

Background

Europe’s water systems face mounting pressure due to unsustainable management, pollution, and the increasing demands from industry, agriculture and urban areas – all exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.

According to the 2024 Eurobarometer survey, over three quarters (78%) of Europeans believe that the EU should propose additional measures to address water-related issues.

The European Water Resilience Strategy was announced in the Commission’s 2024-2029 Political Guidelines. In developing the strategy, the Commission consulted a broad range of stakeholders, drawing from nearly 600 submissions to a Call for Evidence, a stakeholder consultation event, high-level Roundtables and a recent package of reports assessing the state of water in the EU. These assessments revealed that only 37% of surface water bodies have a good ecological status and just 29% have a good chemical status.

The Commission also considered insights from the European Parliament’s Own Initiative Report on Water Resilience, adopted in May 2025, and the Opinions of the EESC and Committee of the Region of 2024.