Commissioner Roswall hosts high-level roundtables to discuss upcoming Water Resilience Strategy

Commissioner Roswall will meet in Brussels this week with stakeholders from the water sector to discuss the upcoming European Water Resilience Strategy.

This will take the form of three high-level roundtables on the following topics: ‘Water, Agriculture and the Food Supply Chain’ (25 March), ‘Water & Industry’ (27 March) and ‘Water & Finance’ (28 March).  

As the Commissioner’s Mission Letter highlights, the Strategy will address water efficiency, scarcity, pollution, and water-related risks. It will also aim to enhance the competitive innovative edge of our water industry, develop clean tech, take a circular economy approach, and include proposals to digitalise water management, cycles, and utilities.   

During the first roundtable on water, agriculture and the food supply chain, the discussions will focus on how the agricultural and food sectors can contribute to strengthening water resilience, in particular key water challenges and concrete action needed at the EU level. Participants will also be invited to share their experiences with water management, business and innovation.

The second roundtable on water and competitiveness of European industry will focus on how the industry can contribute to strengthening water resilience. This will include key water challenges facing the industry, how companies can improve water efficiency, and how we maintain and strengthen our competitive edge in water management and innovative technologies.

During the final roundtable on investing in water resilience, participants will exchange views on how investment needs related to strengthening our water resilience can be addressed. Participants will notably do so on private investment in water infrastructure and the financing of new technologies that need to be deployed on a much greater scale.   

Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, said:  

“Water challenges cross borders, industries and sectors. So must the solutions. By bringing stakeholders to the table, we can spark innovation and turn challenges into opportunities. The Water Resilience Strategy will be the beginning of a journey: we will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to turn water resilience into reality. Every drop counts and so does every perspective.” 

Background

The Commission is consulting a wide range of stakeholders while developing the upcoming Water Resilience Strategy. It will build on input from stakeholders from the recent Call for Evidence which received almost 600 submissions, a stakeholder consultation event on 6 March, and a recent package of reports assessing the state of water in the EU.

The assessment found that only 37% of Surface Water Bodies have a good ecological status, and even fewer - only 29% - have a good chemical status.  The Commission will also consider the European Parliament’s Own Initiative Report on Water Resilience, scheduled for adoption in May and the Opinions of the EESC and Committee of the Region of 2024.

The main goal of the Strategy is to ensure that water sources are properly managed, scarcity is addressed, and we enhance our water industry’s competitiveness and innovation while taking a circular economy approach.

The strategy will have an international dimension by leading efforts to help mitigate and prevent acute global water stress and boost access to water and sanitation. The Strategy will also call for the accelerated implementation of the solid body of water legislation that has been developed since the 1970s. Better implementation of existing legislation is key for water resilience.