Dear members of the Association of European Water Regulatory Authorities,

Thank you for inviting me to address your General Assembly today.

Water management is crucial for the resilience of our populations, economies, and ecosystems. Currently, 800 million people worldwide face water scarcity.

This is why we prioritize:

• maintaining and renewing national water supply networks, and
• upgrading waste-water treatment systems.

In the current EU financial period, 14 billion euros are allocated to water management from cohesion policy, along with 16 billion euros from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Water regulators play an essential role in the planning and implementation phases.

The upcoming New Pact for the Mediterranean will feature win-win cooperation areas, including managing water challenges through bilateral partnerships and regional investment initiatives.

We anticipate the launch of several water management projects with direct EU support, the European Investment Banks assistance, and private sector investments.

Your expertise as water regulators from ongoing and completed infrastructure projects will be invaluable for collaboration with partner countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf.

This effort aligns with broader regional stability and sustainability goals.

Cooperation between the EU and southern Mediterranean countries will encompass energy, trade, transport, digital connectivity, climate action, migration, and security.

Regulatory knowledge is essential across all sectors.

In times of water scarcity and climate adaptation, minimizing water losses in networks is vital.

We must also enhance the status of all water bodies, including the Mediterranean Sea.

Thus, upgrading waste-water infrastructure remains a long-term priority for both the EU and national budgets, as well as for our partner countries.

Close cooperation between regulatory authorities of Member States and partner countries will be key for the Mediterranean.

I appreciate your exchange of best practices in the water sector, your role in capacity-building, and cross-border collaboration between regulators.

This will significantly contribute to successful water management projects with our Mediterranean partners.

In this spirit, I wish you a successful and inspiring General Assembly.

Thank you.