Dear members of the Association of European Water Regulatory Authorities,

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

Water management is of utmost importance for the resilience of our population, our economies, and the entire ecosystem.

Water is the most important resource there is on the planet. Currently, 800 million people world-wide suffer from water scarcity.

This is why supporting

• the maintenance and renewal of national water supply networks, and
• the upgrading of waste-water treatment systems

has been at the heart of our Cohesion Policy and the Recovery and Resilience Facility funds.

In the current European Union financial period, 14 billion Euro are allocated to water management from the cohesion policy, and 16 billion Euro from the RRF.

In the planning and implementation phase, the water regulators play an indispensable role.

In the upcoming New Pact for the Mediterranean, there are going to be a number of areas of win-win cooperation - including on managing water challenges - through bilateral partnerships and regional investment initiatives.

We can expect the roll-out of a number of water management projects – with direct European Union support, the help of the European Investment Bank, but also through investments by the private sector.

Your expertise and experience as water regulators stemming from ongoing and concluded infrastructure projects will be very helpful for the collaboration with our partner countries in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf countries.

All this comes in the wider context of regional stability and sustainability.

The strengthened cooperation between the European Union and the countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean will cover energy, trade, transport and digital connectivity, climate action, migration, and security.

We cannot do without regulatory know-know in any of the sectors.

In times of water scarcity and climate change adaptation, it is vital that we minimise the water losses in the networks.

At the same time, we need to continue enhancing the status of all water bodies, including our Mediterranean Sea.

Therefore, upgrading the waste-water infrastructure is essential – and it will have to remain a long-term priority for the European Union and national budgets.

And for our partner countries as well.

With a view to the Mediterranean, close cooperation between the regulatory authorities of the Member States and partner countries will be key.

I am grateful to count on your exchange of best practise in the water sector, your role in capacity-building, and regarding cross-border collaboration between regulators.

This will be a crucial contribution to successful water management projects in cooperation with our Mediterranean partners.

It is in this sense that I wish you a successful and inspiring General Assembly.

Thank you.