The Commission has adopted the latest report on the implementation of EU water rules, which aim at all European water bodies to be in good status by 2027. The report measures EU Member States’ progress towards that goal. It shows that the gap to full compliance with the objectives of the Water Framework Directive is still considerable.
EU Member States are implementing their programmes of measures, particularly to tackle pollution and regarding abstraction and water efficiency. However, due to a lack of sufficient financing, this is not happening at the required speed. Reducing flood risk across Europe requires consistent implementation of the Floods Directive and cooperation across borders.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Fisheries and Oceans Virginijus Sinkevičius, said:
“Drought and water stress now cause EUR 9 billion of damage every year, not counting damage to ecosystems and the services they provide. Only healthy rivers and lakes can help protect us against the rising challenges of droughts and floods. While our Member States are making progress in the right direction, we need to go faster, and invest more into water management. The European Green Deal is a unique opportunity to jointly enhance our water resilience by securing its water-smart implementation across all policies”.
