Executive Vice-President Ribera

Thank you for your patience and understanding of the importance of water.

I am pleased to introduce, along with Commissioner Roswall, the EUs water resilience strategy we adopted today. This integrated strategy addresses water-related challenges: available water quality, waste quality, governance, investments, climate change, biodiversity, and pollution.

Water is life. It connects everything in our world. It supports our health, grows our food, and powers our homes and industries. Without water, nothing works. Globally, 2.2 billion people still lack safe drinking water. Nearly half of household wastewater remains untreated.

In Europe, the fastest-warming continent, we see more floods, longer droughts, and increasing pollution. Our water systems are under immense pressure. We must manage extremes like droughts and floods. Floods in Wallonia, Slovenia, France, Italy, or Valencia deeply affect us. We live on one of the wealthiest continents, but everyone needs water.

This is our problem. The cost of inaction amounts to billions each year. Freshwater is not infinite, free, and always clean. Water is a shared responsibility.

We need to increase available water: preventing leaks, recycling wastewater, using desalination technologies, and being more efficient with water use. Europeans understand why this matters. Four in five believe the EU should do more to protect water. Its about our environment, health, economy, security, and future.

The European Water Resilience Strategy is more than a policy. It is a mindset change. Its about making water security a foundation for everything we do, from people, farming, and food to energy, technology, and industry. If we want a sustainable, competitive, and secure Europe, water resilience must be central. Being smart with resources is important. This is why we also recommend following the principle of water efficiency first today. This means smarter use, better storage and transportation, cleaner rivers, and innovation. It means protecting nature and being inspired by it to build resilience against floods and droughts. It means treating every drop of wastewater so it can safely return to nature.

With this strategy, we propose measures to tackle water resilience challenges. This includes improving European real-time early warning and monitoring systems, collecting necessary data, investing in resilient infrastructure, improving water management through digitalization, and leveraging private investments. But it goes beyond; we rely on nature to inspire our solutions. The EU has the tools, laws, and a world-leading water sector to lead the way. Lets turn this challenge into strength. Lets protect what sustains us all. Lets ensure we can share our knowledge with other partners. Lets make Europe water resilient.

Thank you.

Commissioner Roswall

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Our strategy does not come a day too soon. In the last ten years, the number of Europeans affected by water scarcity has nearly doubled. Every year, 30% of Europes land faces water scarcity. Flash floods and extreme rainfall are our new normal. Whether its too little, too much, or too polluted, water insecurity now ranks among the top risks to the eurozone economy. Its clear we need to put Europe on a water-resilient path.

First, there is no quick fix we can offer Member States to solve the water crisis. Our journey starts today and must be sustained long-term.

Second, water is a shared resource. There can be no solution without cooperation. Rivers dont stop at national borders.

Keeping this in mind, the strategy sets out three goals. First, we must fix the broken water cycle. Second, we have to build a water-smart economy. Third, we must ensure clean and affordable water for all. To achieve our goals, we propose over 30 flagship actions in key areas.

We are putting water efficiency first. Europe should aim to enhance water efficiency by at least 10% by 2030. Member States know their national situation best, so we are mindful of regional and local differences; theres no one size fits all. Different sectors have different needs.

But regardless of whether you live in a very wet or very dry region, water efficiency is key to building a robust water-smart economy. This 10% objective is about providing a clear direction to give future generations a future. 

Second, theres an urgent need to upgrade water infrastructure across Europe and boost investments. On average, 30% of water is lost in Europe due to leaky pipes before reaching users. Around two-thirds of Europes investment needs are covered by public funding, but theres still an investment gap.

Im delighted to announce that the European Investment Bank will mobilize €15 billion over the next three years to boost lending for water investments, and I want to thank Nadia and her team for the excellent cooperation. I also urge Member States to prioritize the available EU funding.

Third, making the most of digitalization and innovation. There are inspiring examples pioneered by Europe, by companies, municipalities, and regions illustrating the huge potential of innovative solutions. To improve leak detection, save water at home, predict scarce supplies.  But the use of digital tools is still uneven and slow across Europe.

Its key to scale up digital solutions and our innovative capacity. Europe is home to many innovative water technology companies and accounts for 40% of global patents. But we must unlock the potential for even more innovation and make it attractive to private investors. Our strategy will outline actions to achieve this.

Fourth, improving governance and implementation. We have a very solid body of EU rules on water, but implementation often lags. We will increase support to Member States through structured dialogues to establish enforcement priorities.

Well also focus on helping Member States better identify flood and drought risks, cooperate more effectively across borders, and better protect water infrastructure to enhance our security and preparedness.

Fifth, access to clean water is vital. Pollution and PFAS contamination is an issue people increasingly worry about due to its impact on our health and environment.

Cleanup must be based on the polluter pays principle, and investing in technology and innovation is key to detecting and remediating pollution.

Thats why we will establish a public-private partnership supporting technological breakthroughs to clean up pollution from PFAS and other chemicals.

Having said all this, I want to underline that water is managed at many levels. Municipalities and regions are often best placed to act. But cooperation is key, both within the EU and with our international partners. We need a global water agenda because water stress is a global challenge. We must promote water cooperation as a tool for peace, not conflict.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are on the road to a water-resilient Europe. Its the start of a challenging but necessary journey. We are well-equipped with solid rules, a very competitive water sector, a lot of experience, and relentless determination to make Europe water resilient. Water is not just a resource; it is our lifeline for the future.

Thank you.