The European Commission has unveiled its long-anticipated Water Resilience Strategy, a call for a more robust and coordinated European response to escalating water concerns. Developed under Commissioner Roswall, the strategy places investment, innovation, and the effective application of existing laws at the heart of Europe’s response to mounting water challenges.
With droughts and floods now affecting nearly every corner of the continent, the Commission is positioning water resilience as a matter of strategic security and economic preparedness. The approach reflects a shift in tone, seeing water policy as integral to competitiveness, public safety, and climate adaptation.
In a press conference, Commissioner Roswall stated: “30% of the European Union's land is facing scarcity every year, so water is under huge stress. This is why this important water resilience strategy the European Commission has put forward, because we need to act now.”
Rather than proposing new legal instruments, the strategy seeks to ensure full application of existing EU rules—especially the Water Framework Directive—while helping Member States close compliance gaps.
The strategy is built around three thematic pillars:
- Protecting and restoring the water cycle and water supply
- Enhancing water efficiency across all sectors
- Empowering consumers to actively contribute to water resilience
The Commissioner stressed that water efficiency is key and must come first. “We need to think about being more efficient when it comes to water. So that is why water efficiency is the first Principle. The objective is that the EU should aim to use water more efficiently by at least 10% by 2030.” In this respect, the Commission will work with Member States and stakeholders to develop a joint methodology for water efficiency targets, taking into account territorial and other differences between countries, regions and sectors.
The strategy also promotes nature-based solutions such as sponge cities and groundwater recharge zones, encourages efficiency across agriculture, industry, and public infrastructure, and supports water access as a human right. The strategy emphasises integrating a "water efficiency first", similar in spirit to the energy efficiency principle adopted in recent years.
Though the strategy does not include binding legal targets, it establishes a framework for regular progress tracking
Another major focus of the strategy is investment. The Commission estimates that €78 billion per year is needed across the EU to modernize water systems, with €23 billion of that currently unmet. In response, the EU is launching a Water Investment Accelerator to mobilize both public and private finance. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will play a key role, expanding its support to both large-scale infrastructure and smaller, decentralized projects.
Digital innovation is highlighted as a crucial driver of efficiency, with leak detection systems, Copernicus satellite data, and AI-based modeling expected to help optimize water management. Simultaneously, the strategy will encourage wider uptake of water reuse technologies, while desalination is recognised as a necessary measure in certain regions, particularly under climate stress. The Commission also addresses chemical contamination, especially from PFAS, with a two-pronged strategy: funding support for cleaning up legacy pollution and continued regulatory work to ban PFAS in consumer products.
In parallel, the Commission is developing an environmental simplification omnibus. This effort aims to reduce administrative complexity without weakening environmental objectives in all areas, including water. Although the process is still in development, it may review the extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, which are essential for circularity but may be challenging due to overlapping national and EU-level rules.
Though the strategy does not include binding legal targets, it establishes a framework for regular progress tracking. With this strategy, the Commission hopes to transform water from a source of crisis into a foundation for resilience, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability across the EU.
