Dear Water Europe friends,
As Europe moves into a new phase of its water policy cycle, the emphasis is clearly shifting from setting direction to ensuring delivery. The coming period will test not only the strength of our ambitions, but also our capacity to implement them effectively in an increasingly complex environment.
The revision of the Water Framework Directive is a clear example of this shift. The Directive has been essential in building a common vision for setting and protecting water quality standards across Europe. Today, we need to go further, ensuring that water quality and water quantity go hand in hand, leveraging our ambitions for a healthy life in a biodiverse ecosystem as well as leveraging our ambitions for a prosperous Europe in economic autonomy. It is a balancing act to bring together high ambitions with pragmatic implementation, to ensure we aim for a win-win in the long run. At Water Europe we are ready to take the challenge. Water Europe wants to be fully engaged in the process of revising the Water Framework Directive, bringing forward the experience and insights of our community to help shape a more practical and future-ready approach.
At the same time, we are preparing for a very active period ahead. This autumn will be particularly important, with key global moments such as the IWA Summit and the World Water Congress and Exhibition 2026 in Glasgow, for which we are very happy to feature a special conversation with Peter Simpson and Alex Plant, co-Presidents of the Congress, who share their vision for the water sector.
In the short term, our focus is on Water Market Europe, taking place in just two weeks. Together with forward-looking projects like IDEATION, we aim to move beyond discussion and bring concrete solutions directly to those who need them, utilities, river basin authorities, cities, industries, technology providers, and investors. This is where innovation will meet implementation. You can still secure your place.
Our Expert Groups continue to play a key role in this effort. In April, we will host two additional webinars, continuing a series of four sessions since the beginning of the year, designed to share knowledge and maintain momentum across our community. Our Expert Groups are already delivering tangible results, with two reports published this month. Check them here.
Last but not least, this month began with our Spring Board meeting in Paris, where we aligned on priorities for the months ahead, and it will conclude with a Water Europe team meeting in the Netherlands. These are key moments to shape our work, helping us take stock of what we have achieved and how we move forward together towards a Water-Smart Europe! With this, I am sending you all my best wishes for the spring or Easter break!
