Annual Report
2025-2026
The future is Water-Smart
and we are building it
Water has never been more central to Europe’s future. In the past year, we have seen a significant shift: water is no longer viewed solely as an environmental issue but as a strategic priority for Europe’s resilience, competitiveness, and security. The launch of the European Water Resilience Strategy is a milestone that many of us have worked towards for years.
At Water Europe, we have matched this momentum with action. In 2025, we expanded our reach beyond Brussels, bringing the water community together in Warsaw and Copenhagen through Water Knowledge Europe and Water Innovation Europe. More than 500 participants joined us, strengthening connections and creating new opportunities for collaboration. Within our network, we also deepened cooperation through our Expert Groups and Communities of Practice, accelerating innovation across sectors.
The momentum continues in 2026. From new partnerships and programme results to preparations for key international events, we are helping ensure that water resilience remains high on both European and global agendas. The coming months will be decisive as discussions on the EU budget and preparations for the UN Water Conference shape the future of water investment and innovation.
A Water-Smart Society and Economy is not a distant vision–it is already taking shape through our activities. Scroll down and explore them!
Water Europe President
Hans Goossens
Durk Krol
Water Europe Executive Director
Europe has entered a decisive phase in its water journey
The challenge is no longer to define what needs to be done. The challenge is to implement. As the Water Resilience Strategy moves from vision to action, and as the Water Framework Directive enters a critical period of delivery, the next Multiannual Financial Framework becomes the essential vehicle for turning ambition into impact. Together, these three elements form the pathway towards a Water-Smart Society and Economy. How do we make this transition a reality?
How do we make the transition to a Water-Smart Society and Economy?
A Water-Smart Economy is the economic dimension of a Water-Smart Society. It operationalises the societal vision by embedding the value of water into how we grow, produce, invest, and innovate.
It is a system that recognises water not only as a basic need and environmental asset but as a strategic resource for innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable development. In this economy, the value of water is fully embedded in design, production models, business and investment strategies, and public well-being, ensuring water is used efficiently and within planetary boundaries across entire value chains and product life cycles.
A Water-Smart Economy builds resilience to risks such as scarcity, pollution, and climate extremes through adaptive infrastructure, cross-sectoral collaboration, and inclusive governance.
Together, a Water-Smart Society and Economy represent a holistic model where social equity, environmental integrity, and economic vitality are interdependent drivers of water resilience. In this vision, water is valued as a unifying force—fostering inclusive growth, ecological health, and innovation to ensure long-term prosperity for people and the planet.
Shaping EU water policies
The Advocacy Programme strengthened Water Europe’s role in shaping EU water, industrial and competitiveness policies. The programme delivered 10 position papers supporting the implementation of the Water Resilience Strategy, the objectives of the Water Europe Manifesto, and the effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
Key activities focused on the EU Water Academy, Water Investment Accelerator, Digitalisation Action Plan, Water-Smart Industrial Alliance, and the future MFF. Water Europe also reinforced the policy impact of EU-funded projects through 13 policy briefs, public consultations, and stronger integration of R&I outcomes into EU policy debates, while expanding its participation in EU expert groups and high-level institutional dialogues.
First edition Water Innovation Europe outside Brussels
Bringing research to the EU policy context
Mobilising the water community
The Collaboration Programme continued strengthening Water Europe’s role as a platform for knowledge exchange, stakeholder engagement and research and innovation collaboration across the European water sector.
The Programme focused on mobilising the Water Europe community through the Expert Groups, Communities of Practice, Water Knowledge Europe and the development of the WE Water-Smart Technology Roadmap, helping identify emerging challenges, innovation needs and priorities for future European programmes.
Mobilising the water community
Events
+200 attendees for Water Knowledge Europe 2026
+ 12 Water Projects Europe events organised
+10 Webinars by Expert Groups & Community of Practices
The Implementation Programme has been accelerating the uptake and deployment of innovation across the European water sector.
The Programme focused on strengthening implementation ecosystems through Clustering activities, Water-Oriented Living Labs, project collaboration, implementation support and stakeholder engagement, helping bridge the gap between innovation development, deployment and market uptake.
Working in close coordination with the Advocacy Programme and the Projects, Communication and Community Pillars, and interconnected with the Collaboration programme, the Implementation Programme contributed to aligning implementation, communication and stakeholder engagement activities across Water Europe while reinforcing its role as a bridge between innovation, deployment and market impact.
Growing the WOLLs Network
🔸WOLLs Atlas 2026: Published the latest edition, showcasing our expanded portfolio of living labs.
🔸Community Engagement: Hosted 6 international events and webinars to foster knowledge exchange.
🔸Strategic Alignment: Achieved deeper integration between the WOLLs network and Water4All implementation activities.
Expanding our Marketplace
- Marketplace Growth: Continued development of the WE Marketplace and successful delivery of Water Market Europe 2026.
- Synergy Building: Leveraged thematic clustering initiatives to bridge the gap between EU projects, policy priorities, and our three core programmes.
30 active projects
The Projects Pillar has played a key role in connecting science, policy, communication and innovation towards the achievement of Water Europe’s vision of a Water-Smart Society and Economy.
Over the past year, EU-funded projects have provided the scientific and technical evidence base for Water Europe’s advocacy efforts and policy briefs, directly contributing to the Water Resilience Strategy, the Digital Water Action Plan, the EU Climate Resilience Framework, the Water Framework Directive, the Zero Pollution agenda and other relevant EU policy developments.
Through more than 30 active projects, this Pillar has consolidated its role as transversal driver of collaboration, knowledge exchange and policy impact, contributing to the achievent of a Water-Smart Society and Economy.
Watch our projects' videos & interviews
Reaching out to an online community of 60k stakeholders
At the heart of Water Europe’s communications pillar lies a strategic commitment to visibility, engagement, and influence. With a growing outreach capacity nearing 60,000 stakeholders across Europe and beyond, we lead impactful dissemination and awareness campaigns that support our advocacy, collaboration, and implementation and projects programmes.
+44.745
+20.000
Followers on our social media
Subscribers in our mailing list
WE are together
