Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Water is high on the Commission’s agenda. We need water to sustain life, produce food, and do business. But in a hundred years, our world will look different because of increased droughts, floods, desertification and their devastating effects. This is what Jessica Roswall, the European Commissioner in charge of the files, said
In Spain today, 74% of the country is at risk of desertification. Today, 78% of European citizens say they feel the impact of environmental change in their daily lives. And now, 800 million people around the world lack access to safe water. So it is a real global challenge. Water is important for all of us, as humans. But it is also important for our farmers and our companies. They need clean water for their production and operations.
According to the European Central Bank, 75% of loans to companies in the euro area are linked to ecosystem services. And a lot of them are related to water. For a long time, we have considered water an endless resource. We need to change this mindset. We need to think in terms of water circularity and water efficiency.
Water, on the one hand, is under enormous pressure from mismanagement, pollution and climate change. On the other hand, water plays an increasingly important role in our security, preparedness and competitiveness. To bring all the pieces of this puzzle together, we are preparing a Water Resilience Strategy later this spring. Today’s work is part of preparing this strategy. As a politician and a policymaker, I always want our policy to be evidence-based. We need to base our action on facts and figures.

So today’s reports are important. I won’t go into detail here about these rather detailed and technical reports. But the findings will feed into our strategy. More importantly, they will be the basis for dialogue with Member States.

So what are we presenting today? The package consists of three implementation reports: the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Based on assessments from Member States, we provide an overview of freshwater, marine management and flood preparedness.

Let me present some key findings. First, the overall findings are clear. Our water is polluted, our water supplies are under threat, and we are not doing enough to reduce the risk of severe flooding. Less than 40% of surface water bodies in the EU achieve good ecological status, where healthy ecosystems are home to many species and the water is able to regenerate itself. Only a quarter achieve good chemical status, meaning that relevant thresholds for hazardous substances are not exceeded. Many Member States recognise that this is a major problem. Some progress has been made over recent years, but much work remains to be done.

Secondly, pollution of fresh and marine waters remains a major challenge. It is crucial to invest in measures that reduce nutrient pollution from agriculture and urban wastewater, as well as chemical pollution. On the other hand, plastic waste on beaches has been reduced by around 30% in Europe – so our policy is working.

Thirdly, more efforts are needed to better manage flood risks. Floods are becoming more frequent, more intense and more deadly. No part of Europe is spared. Investing in flood prevention and early warning systems is key to achieving this.
Fourth, there is a lot of water legislation in the EU, but its implementation is slow. To close this gap, I will launch structured dialogues with every EU country to create political momentum for meaningful change. Water is not just a pressing issue in Europe, it is also a global challenge, so we also need to take this work forward with international partners.
Fifth, Member States need to increase investment. 86% of river basin management plans highlight lack of funding as a major obstacle. The funding issue is an important angle that I want to focus on in the Water Resilience Strategy.
Let me also say a word about methodology – as I mentioned, Member States report their data to us, but the approach varies between Member States. Also, not all Member States have sent their reports in time to cover all parts of this reporting exercise.
This means that we can of course draw some general conclusions at the EU level, but the results from individual Member States are not always fully comparable. Each Member State needs to be looked at in its own context.
So what is the way forward? First, as part of the package, the Commission has made several recommendations to support Member States in their work. Promoting water efficiency, reuse and recycling is key to restoring the water cycle.

Second, based on the reports, I want to start a dialogue with Member States. The idea here is not to point fingers at anyone. I see this as a starting point for collective management to change the difficult situation we are in today.

Third, I am very keen to engage with all stakeholders. This is also why we are launching a call for evidence on water today. I would like to benefit from the valuable insights from Europeans in all countries and all sectors as we develop the EU Water Resilience Strategy. Europeans need water, so everyone has a stake in this.
Fourth, today’s insights will shape the next Water Resilience Strategy. The overall goal of the strategy is clear: from land to sea, our water cycle is broken. This must be fixed. An integrated approach to water management – ​​from source to sea – is urgently needed.
Finally, water intersects with many policy areas. I will work closely with my Commission colleagues on this issue. Water is linked to competitiveness, agriculture and food, oceans and fisheries, crisis prevention and climate adaptation – and many other areas. In conclusion, the call to action is clear. According to the Eurobarometer survey of May 2024, more than 75% of EU citizens want the EU to take action on water. We need to do more to ensure the security of our water supplies. Because citizens need clean water. Farmers and businesses need stable water supplies. We need to protect our fresh and marine waters and reduce the risk of flooding. And because the cost of inaction is too high, knowing that the situation will only get worse. It is time to change our mindset. We can no longer take water for granted. We need to work together to build a water-resilient Europe by 2050.