Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, buongiorno,

Thank you for inviting me to the sixth Value of Water Forum here at the Acquario Romano in Rome.

It is an honor to speak about water, so essential for our life and the development of our societies.

Water forms a crucial ecosystem and has shaped our history, as seen in Rome.

Despite this rich history, we now face significant challenges due to climate change and pollution.

I want to discuss three things: the issues with our waters, possible solutions, and how we can achieve change together.

Recently, I presented reports on the state of European waters. Our waters are heavily polluted and under pressure.

We must reassess our water management and invest in nature-based solutions.

Healthy soils are critical as the largest freshwater reservoir, yet over sixty percent of Europes soils are degraded.

We need to integrate water management into all our policies and change how we use water.

The European Union must do more to ensure the security of its water supply.

President von der Leyen has prioritized a comprehensive Water Resilience Strategy.

We must integrate water protection into all our policies and change our mindset.

This is a call to action for policymakers and stakeholders to collaborate on sustainable water management.