This page tracks the progress made in the implementation of the main actions foreseen in the European Water Resilience Strategy.
The Strategy sets out a pathway to make Europe water resilient. This entails protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems, striking a fair balance between water supply and water demand, and guaranteeing access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation. This is firmly rooted in the 2050 vision put forward by the EU at the 2023 UN Water Conference for a water resilient EU, that ensures water security for all.
To guide Europe to water resilience, the Strategy sets out three main objectives, taking into account the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of water.The Strategy outlines five priority areas, within which more than 50 concrete actions are planned to achieve its objectives.
The Strategy also strengthens EU global cooperation to promote peace.
• Restoring and protecting the water cycle as basis for sustainable water supply.
• Building a water-smart economy together with citizens and economic actors in a way that supports EU competitiveness, is attractive to investors and supports a thriving EU water industry.
• Securing clean and affordable water and sanitation for all at all times, and empowering citizens for water resilience.
• Governance and implementation to boost change.
• Finance, investments and infrastructure to achieve a stable supply.
• Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence to accelerate and simplify sound water management.
• Research and innovation, water industry and skills to strengthen competitiveness.
• Security and preparedness to boost collective resilience.
Establish, including through Structured Dialogues with Member States, implementation priorities of the Water Framework and the Floods Directives, focusing on water quality and quantity.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2025-2026
Summary: Building on the findings of its latest assessment of the national plans and on its EU-wide and country-specific recommendations, the Commission will step up enforcement.
It will launch Structured Dialogues with Member States to work jointly towards a reinforced implementation of the broader EU water acquis.
Update: The Structured Dialogues consist of two technical meetings, followed by a political meeting at Commissioner-Minister level. A series of two technical meetings have been held with BE, CZ, DE, LU and NL. First technical meetings have been held with DK, HU, EE, SE, and PL while the second meetings are planned. First technical meetings are scheduled for AT and IT.
Revise the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2027
Summary: The 2008 Marine Strategy Framework Directive’s goal of achieving good environmental status for marine waters by 2020 was not met. Marine biodiversity is declining, and pollution from rivers continues to harm marine life. Following a recent evaluation, the Commission will revise the Marine Strategy Framework Directive to improve coherence with the EU freshwater acquis, focusing on delivering results by reducing reporting requirements, and improving data management and governance across the Regional Seas Conventions.
The revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will also lead to significant simplification.
Update: A Call for Evidence and Public consultation was published and was open for feedback from 15 December 2025 until 9 March 2026.
Develop water scarcity indicators and a Technical Guidance on Drought Management Plans.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2027
Summary: To further support the work of Member States in addressing water scarcity and droughts, the Commission will develop indicators for water scarcity and publish a Technical Guidance on Drought Management Plans.
Public-private initiative to achieve a technological breakthrough in feasible and affordable methods for the detection and remediation of PFAS and other persistent chemicals, if the right partners are found.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2027
Summary: Urgent action is needed to tackle pollutants which pose a risk to our vital sources of drinking water. If partners are found which are willing to invest alongside the EU, the Commission will put forward a proposal to establish a public-private initiative to achieve a technological breakthrough in feasible and affordable methods for the detection and remediation of PFAS and other persistent chemicals.
Update: The first exploratory workshop with stakeholders was held on 21 November 2025.
Launch an Assistance Toolbox for Member States to support actions to reduce nutrients pollution, including through enhanced modelling, interactive maps and exchanges of best practices.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2027
Summary: The Commission will assist Member States in assessing the tailored nutrient loads reductions that are needed to reach the environmental objectives, including through enhanced modelling, interactive maps and exchanges of best practices.
Sponge Facility providing a coherent framework for new and existing initiatives to increase water retention on land.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2027
Summary: The Sponge Facility aims to better coordinate and scale up new and existing initiatives aimed at increasing natural water retention on land, as an integral part of the Water Resilience Strategy’s overarching objective to restore and protect the water cycle from source to sea.
The expected impact of the facility will be to contribute to the increased confidence in, and uptake of, sponge measures in Europe, through documentation of best practices and their multiple benefits to society.
Recommendation on the Water Efficiency First principle, guidelines and EEA report on the untapped water efficiency potential.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2025-2026
Summary: Water efficiency is key and must come first. This Strategy is accompanied by a Recommendation on the application of the water efficiency first principle, inspired by experience with the energy efficiency first principle. It sets out guiding principles for decision-making and investments based on a clear and predictable, yet flexible, prioritisation in the way water demand and supply are managed. Across the EU, the priority should be to curb demand and over-abstractions. This should be followed by efficiency by design and reuse, while increased supply should be the last resort option.
Update: The Recommendation was published together with the Communication on 4 June 2025 (EUR-Lex - 32025H1179 - EN - EUR-Lex). The EEA briefing on Water savings for a water-resilient Europe was published on the same day as the Communication and the Recommendation on 4 June 2025 (Water savings for a water-resilient Europe).
The Commission will develop a joint methodology for water efficiency targets and subsequently common benchmarks.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2027
Summary: To guide action on water efficiency across the EU, in view of the potential for water savings, the EU should aim to enhance water efficiency by at least 10% by 2030. The Commission will work with Member States and stakeholders to develop a joint methodology for water efficiency targets, taking into account territorial and other differences between countries, regions and sectors. On that basis, in the review of this strategy in 2027, the Commission intends to develop common benchmarks. Some Member States have already set specific targets to enhance water efficiency at national, regional or river basin level.38 Member States are encouraged to set their own targets for water efficiency, based on their national circumstances.
Support the uptake of water reuse practices also beyond agriculture and review the Water Reuse Regulation.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2028
Summary: Safe water reuse in agriculture, energy production, industrial processes must be at the heart of integrated water management. Currently, only 2.4% of wastewater is reused in the EU, with major differences between Member States, ranging from zero to 80% . The Commission will support Member States through guidance on the safe reuse of water, as well as via capacity building in the context of implementing existing legislation. By June 2028, the Commission will evaluate the Water Reuse Regulation, and will subsequently consider extending its scope pending evaluation results.
Public-private initiative to achieve a technological breakthrough in feasible and affordable methods for dry cooling, if the right partners are found.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2025-2026
Summary: Water efficient energy production can make a major contribution to water resilience. 17% of the EU’s total water consumption is used as a feedstock or cooling agent. If the right partners willing to invest alongside the EU are found, the Commission will put forward a proposal to establish a public-private initiative to achieve a technological breakthrough in feasible and affordable methods for dry cooling.
On November 21, 2025, the European Commission hosted stakeholder workshops to explore public-private initiatives for advancing technological breakthroughs in PFAS remediation and waterless cooling systems. The report is available here.
Update: The first exploratory workshop with stakeholders was held on 21 November 2025.
Address the water footprint of products when setting or updating requirements under the ESPR and the EU Ecolabel.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2025-2027
Summary: Consumers play an essential role in enhancing water resilience. Next to the well-established EU Ecolabel, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) will help consumers reduce water consumption by choosing less polluting, more water-efficient products. This should shift demand towards water-smart products, boosting the EU's clean and circular competitiveness. New private initiatives, like the Unified Water Label, are emerging to rate the water efficiency of products.
Boost efforts towards water resilience across the built environment through the upcoming work programme 2026-2027 of the New European Bauhaus Facility and in the upcoming Affordable Housing Plan.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: When it comes to water use in housing and city planning, saving energy and saving water should always go hand in hand. The new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which supports energy efficiency including hot water efficiency as one of its objectives, and the New European Bauhaus provide significant opportunities to boost efforts towards water resilience across the built environment, while enhancing users and citizens’ involvement and the sharing of best practices on water resilient design planning and concepts. This will be reflected in the upcoming work programme 2026-2027 of the New European Bauhaus Facility, and in the upcoming Affordable Housing Plan, which will also consider sustainability of housing, including water resilience.
Update: Work programme 2026-2027 of the New European Bauhaus Facility:
There are several linkages to water and water resilience. The scope of water and/or related measures are featured in 4 calls, and water plays a prominent role in destination 2 (Circular and regenerative approaches for the built environment). In Destination 3 (Innovative funding and new business models for the transformation of neighbourhoods), water is mentioned in one of the three Commission political guidelines (“Sustaining our quality of life: Food security, water and nature”). The New European Bauhaus Prizes are recognising that with a dedicated thematic Prize on Water Resilience with applications by 22 March 2026
Launch a viewer integrating environmental data with data related to the water and energy grids to assist Member States in their spatial planning efforts to identify the best areas for win-win localisation of water-intensive business operations.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2027
Summary: Water-smart spatial planning must guide a sustainable deployment of the green and digital transition. The Commission will enhance existing visualisation tools putting together environmental data with data related to the water and energy grids. The aim is to inform Member States’ spatial planning decisions by helping them identify the best areas for setting up water-intensive business operations and at the same attract investors to carry out nature restoration and modernisation of water supply networks to support these businesses.
Completed - Create a Water Resilience Forum.
Status: completed
Timeline: As from 2025
Summary: On December 8th 2025, the Commission co-organised the first Water Resilience Forum, together with the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. The Forum, which will happen every two years, brought together a broad range of stakeholders for an inclusive dialogue to take stock of progress made in enhancing water resilience across all levels of government, business and civil society, and to monitor implementation of this Strategy. Recordings of the forum can be found here .
Completed - Launch of EIB Water Programme and Sustainable Water Advisory Facility in cooperation with the Commission to step up the assistance to potential loan-takers, increasing the pipeline of projects.
Status: Completed
Timeline: 2026
Summary: Furthermore, the Commission and the European Investment Bank will join forces to address bottlenecks for deploying water investments. The newly established Sustainable Water Advisory Facility (SWAF) will support public and private entities in developing and implementing circular economy investments in the water sector. It will provide targeted advisory support in the form of grants to foster circularity and resilience in urban and regional water systems across EU Member States.
Update: The European Investment Bank has launched the SWAF. The SWAF provides a single access point to the whole range of Bank advisory facilities for the water sector. In addition to the existing services, the Bank is proposing to strengthen its advisory offering
• Grant based support – the pilot for this is referred to as SWAF-G: grant based technical assistance for circular economy projects in the water sector – funded by DG Research under the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative
• Financial advisory including modelling and advice on blended finance in particular
• Economic security
• Cybersecurity
SWAF will also facilitate the integration of these various streams into a single bespoke package for clients/promoters.
Support Member States and regions in reorienting Cohesion policy funds for water resilience within the mid-term review.
Status: completed
Timeline: 2025
Summary: In the recent mid-term review of Cohesion policy, the Commission has proposed an exceptional package of measures to encourage Members States and regions to invest in water resilience. This package includes up to 100% of EU financing and 30% of prefinancing in water resilience investments programmed under the dedicated priority for this new specific objective, as well as various flexibilities.
Some Member States have difficulties spending the EU funds available due to a lack of administrative capacity and legal or organisational barriers. The capacity to carry out water resilience investments must be improved, specifically in less developed regions. Together with water governance reforms at the right level, technical assistance can help to ensure that available EU money is used as effectively as possible.
Update: This action in finalised. 3.1 billion euro was reallocated to water resilience.
Establish a Water Resilience Investment Accelerator.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2027
Summary: The Commission will establish a Water Resilience Investment Accelerator to implement 20 pilot innovative cases for natural water retention and water efficiency, bringing together local water investors, solution providers and problem holders to inspire similar actions across the EU. This could also build on the networks of Living Labs established e.g. in 15 European Partnerships and Missions.
Update: DG REGIO launched a call for technical assistance projects under the Cohesion for Transitions initiative which will be part of the accelerator. A workshop has been held where problem holders, investors and solution providers participated to discuss challenges, oportunities and projects criteria.
Guidance for Member States for “plug and play” (pilot) projects to streamline procedures.
Status: in progress
Timeline: to be determined
Summary: Under development.
Launch a Green and Blue Corridors initiative to support the restoration of ecological settings and infrastructure including rivers, wetlands, and coastal restoration to restore the water cycle with a source-to-sea approach.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2027
Summary: By 2030, restoration measures will be put in place on at least 30% of the EU’s coastal and freshwater habitats that are not in good condition (Nature Restoration Regulation). The Commission will encourage Member States to cooperate in a Green and Blue Corridors initiative to support the restoration of ecological settings and infrastructure including rivers, wetlands, and coasts.
Completed - Adopt a Roadmap for Nature Credits to tap the potential of these instruments and incentivise the scale-up of these markets.
Status: completed
Timeline: 2025
Summary: Private investment will need to be significantly stepped up. Cooperation with financial institutions can leverage more private financing into water resilience through blended finance approaches, innovative models such as Water as a Service and structured ecosystems for Green and Blue Bonds. Rewarding ecosystem services schemes have the potential to also support the creation of the necessary markets.
The Commission adopted a Roadmap for Nature Credits to tap the potential of these instruments and incentivise the scale-up of these markets.
Develop and implement Destination Earth and EU Digital Twin of the Ocean applications for water resilience, and by 2030, make the capabilities available to national and local administrations in the EU and beyond.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2025-2030
Summary: Digital models being developed by Commission such as the Digital Twin of the Ocean and Destination Earth will support the assessment long-term water conditions and availability under various climate change or human activities scenarios. Such capabilities can become available to national and local administrations before 2030.
Update: A session exploring how DestinE digital twins and AI-driven approaches support environmental monitoring, water resources management, and hydrological forecasting will be held on 10 June in the framework of the 5th Destination Earth User eXchange.
Develop an EU-wide Action Plan on digitalisation in the water sector including an EU-wide initiative on Smart metering for all.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: To unleash the largely untapped potential of digitalisation, and building on the upcoming Communications on Data Union and on Apply AI, the Commission will adopt an Action Plan targeted to face the specific challenges of the water sector such as analogue and aging systems, very large data sets scattered in many different repositories. It will include two main pillars: i) deployment of digital solutions through funding and knowledge-sharing to build up digital skills and encourage technology transfer in the water sector; and ii) support to water data sharing by fostering the development of national data portals to overcome fragmentation and make data easily findable, accessible free of charge, interoperable, and reusable, in line with the requirements of the Open Data Directive.
Launch a Copernicus Water Thematic Hub.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: While Earth Observation has been used for decades to forecast droughts and floods, its daily use for water management is much less widespread. Copernicus and its six specialized services provide an extensive portfolio of water-related products available on a full, free and open basis. Yet, this information is scattered.
The Commission will establish a “one-stop shop” for Earth Observation products relevant to water management – a Water Thematic Hub – in order to bring together Copernicus water-related data, products, and tools, and facilitate access and use of these data. It will foster collaboration between the Earth Observation and water management communities, in partnership with the Joint Research Centre’s Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation, ensuring that Copernicus products respond to the needs of users and policy makers.
Update: A user meeting for the Copernicus Water Thematic Hub was organised on 1 December 2025 in Brussels. On this meeting, users of Earth Observations (EO) products on water expressed their needs and discussed with EO data providers.
Water Resilience R&I strategy.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: Despite a strong knowledge base, gaps remain in understanding European fresh and marine waters, water resource availability, climate changes, and the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus. Effective use of EU research funds can help bring innovative technologies to market and support SMEs. Building on the cutting-edge research under EU Missions Restore our Oceans and Waters and Adaptation to Climate Change, the Commission will adopt, by the end of 2026, a Water Resilience R&I Strategy addressing the fragmentation of EU R&I initiatives.
Water Smart Industrial Alliance to stimulate competitiveness.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: The Commission will launch a Water Smart Industrial Alliance to support its consolidation by stimulating innovation, competitiveness and securing the necessary water skills. Furthermore, in line with the Clean Industrial Deal the Commission will explore how public procurement can promote water resilience considerations in relevant public tenders and a simplified market access for SMEs to help them untap their innovation potential.
European Water Academy.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026-2027
Summary: The Commission will launch a European Water Academy to address capacity needs in Europe’s water sector, fostering public-private partnerships, innovation, and technology transfer to fill skill gaps.
Update: Blue training tracker launched. Two townhall events on March and April 2026
Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems under the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: To boost Europe’s competitiveness in the water field by spurring innovation and closing the skills and knowledge gaps, we need to create more synergies and connect industry, education and research with a source-to-sea approach. This is why the Commission will launch, in 2026, a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems under the European Institute of Technology (EIT).
Update: The EIT has organised a series of info sessions and events, as well an extensive outreach campaign to inform business, research and academia across Europe about the Call for Proposals to create a new KIC in the water, marine and maritime sectors.
After the 17 June 2025 application deadline, the evaluation of applications took place from June to September, with the involvement of external experts. On 11 November 2025, the EIT Governing Board published the winning consortium: Allwaters, consisting of 50 partners from 24 countries. On 20 April 2026, the Bridge4Water platform was launched to connect and accelerate water reserach through Open Innovation in Science (OIS). On 28 April, 100 members of EIT Water gathered in Denmark to discuss priority areas and barriers, drivers and resources essential for transformative impact, as input to the EIT Water Innovation Action Programmes.
https://www.eit.europa.eu/our-activities/call-for-eit-communities/eit-w…;
https://www.eit.europa.eu/news-events/news/eit-water-launched-new-innov…
https://www.eit.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2025-11/Water%20Factsheet…;
https://watervalleydenmark.com/project/allwaters/
Water Tech challenge, in cooperation with the EIC.
Status: in progress
Timeline: to be determined
Summary: Under development.
Adopt a European Climate Adaptation Plan.
Status: in progress
Timeline: 2026
Summary: In the Political Guidelines 2024-2029 for the European Commission, President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Climate Adaptation Plan (ECAP) to support the Member States on preparedness and resilience planning. Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has taken the lead in the work on ECAP, and the policy package will be presented during the 2nd half of 2026.
Promote water resilience through the Global Gateway by support for priority water-related initiatives and reinforced country and regional engagement.
Status: in progress
Timeline: As from 2025
Summary: Through its actions under the Global Gateway Strategy, the EU will contribute to protecting and restoring the global water cycle, building a water smart economy and ensuring water security for all, in line with the EU level objectives of the Water Resilience Strategy and the Pact for the Future.
Update: Upcoming priority water-related initiaives:
o “Nature for Resilient Investments and Infrastructure” aims at scaling up the use of Nature-based Solutions in Global Gateway infrastructure investments worldwide.
o “Mobilising investments for Water Security” aims at mobilising additional investments and foster cooperation in the water sector to ensure water security for all by: i) Developing a “Get Invest”-like programme, in a Team Europe approach (see: https://www.get-invest.eu/). It will help project developers secure financial support from existing funds by playing a brokering role that will accelerate investments. ii) Enhancing the global framework for water management and investment by strengthening water governance, particularly through the globalisation of the Water Convention. This will promote sustainable management of water resources and enable prosperity through the creation of conditions that attract and sustain economic development and investments.
o “Green Deal Knowledge Hub – Water and Circular Economy, Forest, and Biodiversity” will provide high-level expertise and knowledge to accelerate the transition to inclusive greener, low-carbon, resilient and environmentally sustainable development in partner countries. The initiative will support a new phase of the Green Deal Knowledge Hub and the provision of services through the implementation of three Technical Assistance Facilities (TAF) in the areas of water and circular economy, forest, and biodiversity.
o Existing Water Partnerships with China, India and Egypt are being implemented and opportunities for strengthened engagement identified.
o Discussions are advancing on setting up a Water Partnership with South Africa.
o Preparatory work ongoing for a possible Water Partnership with Brazil.
Step up engagement in the Union for Mediterranean and the Blue Mediterranean Partnership.
Status: in progress
Timeline: As from 2025
Summary: The EU will strengthen country and regional partnerships on water. This includes the Union for the Mediterranean Water Agenda 2030 and the upcoming New Pact for the Mediterranean, to address increasing water scarcity and climate impacts in the region.
Update: The New Pact for the Mediterranean adopted, with action "Launching new Partnerships for Water Resilience to strengthen cooperation on integrated water resource management, in particular water reuse". The preparation of an action plan is ongoing.
Preparations for the upcoming Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial meeting on Water (24-25 March 2026, Rome) are ongoing, including a ministerial declaration.