Water resilience can’t be ignored, 21 member states warn EU executive

Most EU member states have asked the European Commission to boost water security and resilience across the bloc, saying the strategic and vital natural resource ought to be treated as a “top priority” in the upcoming EU agenda, in a joint letter sent today (July 17).

Led by Portugal, the joint warning raises the alarm on the high level of droughts, water scarcity and floods across the bloc, which the signatories state to “no longer be an anomaly in Europe”.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain all voiced their concerns during this week’s informal gathering of environment ministers, under the Hungarian Presidency, and called on the EU executive to come up with concrete measures to develop a “comprehensive approach” in line with the Strategic Agenda, the Council’s policy guidance document, approved on June 27.

Around 20% of the European territory and 30% of Europeans suffer from water stress every year, according to the European Environment Agency, which estimates the economic cost to be around €9bn each year, with this figure excluding damage to ecosystems, and potentially reaching €65bn per year by the end of the century.

In the letter addressed to Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, the 21 member states called on a holistic approach with a “higher level of articulation” at EU level covering fresh and saltwater resources, protection of ecosystems, human consumption, agriculture and food systems, energy and industries.

“A systems approach is needed to ensure synergy and coherence across all legislative and planning processes, to better integrate water