Hans Goossens, President’s Editorial
Dear Water Europe friends,
With our UN Water Conference already a couple of months behind us, one thing is certain. Policy makers and legislators are now aware of the measures that need to be taken to address the water challenges and the urgency to act now. Regulations that push and support the implementation of actions need to be put forward, and it’s hopeful that we can already count on such examples. The Government of Flanders has launched the Blue Deal to tackle water scarcity and drought by developing structural solutions, while the French President Macron also revealed an action plan of 50 measures to share, reuse and save water.
If anything else, these actions underline how urgent it is to act and get properly prepared for it. Last month, Paul Rübig, former MEP and external advisor to the Water Europe board, published his book ‘Emergency Preparedness: Time for a Blue Deal’. This book addresses the topic of emergency preparedness based on research and innovation, and explores the water-related Sustainable Development Goals.
While all the SDGs are about life and living, the SDG6 is particular about that. Linked to this, the MEP Water Group & UNESCO event held one week ago, was dedicated to this year’s World Water Development Report on ‘’Partnerships and Cooperation for Water’’ and highlighted, once again the importance of partnerships. Nobody has a solution on its own, but it is through partnerships and diversity that we can make sure to reach our goals in a speedy way.
In less than 20 days, the EU water sector will get together for our annual Water Innovation Europe 2023 conference. This year’s theme is ‘EU Water Policy: What’s Next?’ and during the conference, we will look ahead at the European Elections in 2024 and discuss the level of ambition to position water in terms of a key policy, research, and innovation topic. With our new Water Europe vision officially launched, the programme’s sessions shaped around it, and with special speakers such as the EU Commissioner Sinkevičius present at the event, this edition promises to be a special one.
Our sector can research, study, and reflect, but it also brings a lot of awareness or enthusiasm to act, and this is precisely what we need at this moment of time. I look forward to seeing all of you at Water Innovation Europe to unite our efforts and give shape to the Water-Smart Society and the future of our sector.
