On the 4th of March 2025, Water Europe had a fruitful exchange with the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, at De Watergroep.
This half-day discussion brought together experts from the entire water sector: utilities, cities, regional authorities, industry, universities, and research centres to discuss pressing water-related challenges and opportunities. With an intense water agenda ahead, this meeting reaffirmed Water Europe’s commitment to working closely with the European Commission to achieve a Water-Smart Society and enhance Europe’s water resilience.
In alignment with Commissioner Roswall’s priorities, the discussion revolved around the below critical areas:
☑ Water Resilience Strategy: Exploring the scope of the Water Resilience Strategy and emphasizing the importance of prioritizing water via synergies with other priorities such as the Clean Industrial Deal, the Circular Economy Act, and the Vision for Agriculture and Food.
☑ Zero Pollution Action Plan: Evaluating the progress of implementing the Zero Pollution Action Plan and identifying the remaining challenges to ensure the full execution of the water acquis.
☑ Investing in Water Resilience: Highlighting the need for robust financial mechanisms to support essential investments for compliance with the European water acquis. Water Europe released a study on the socio-economic benefits for investing in water (Water Europe, 2024).
☑ Strengthening Research and Innovation: Water Europe as a leading platform for Research and Innovation for the water sector supports investments to bolster European competitiveness, recognizing its vital role in advancing sustainable water management practices and solutions.
☑ UN 2026 Water Conference Preparations: The 2026 UN Water Conference is approaching and Europe should lead the discussion while achieving its objectives set within the EU Water Vision 2050.
The discussion also covered key challenges facing water use in industry, cities, and agriculture, such as water pollution, scarcity, droughts, and floods. The current debate on the opportunities in advancing water efficiency, reuse, circular economy practices, and resource recovery was also at the heart of the discussion. Water Europe strongly encourages circular water in its vision in order to secure water for all users and uses. Similarly, digital water is a key segment of the Water-Smart Society in which the European Union should invest to support the sector’s resilience and sustainability was also emphasized.
Among, the key challenges we have:
– Critical industries—hydrogen, batteries, semiconductors, and data centres—are projected to triple their water consumption by 2030, growing from €192 billion today to nearly €1 trillion . With 29% of the EU’s territory already experiencing water scarcity, this poses a serious threat on our competitiveness and strategy autonomy (EEA, 2019).
– Europe’s water infrastructure is also under pressure. Meeting existing EU water legislation alone requires at least €255 billion in investment— to ensure water and sanitation for our society.
– At the same time, underutilised solutions such as water reuse and retention could significantly relieve pressure on supplies, yet Europe reuses only 2% of its water resources, falling behind global best practices (EU Commission, 2023).
– In the EU, Agriculture accounts for 28% of water abstraction—making it a key sector for water. Food processing, especially dairy (using 5,000L/kg of cheese), is a major water consumer. Technologies like reverse osmosis in food processing can significantly cut water consumption, yet widespread adoption remains slow.
This occasion was significant for the collective commitment to enhancing Europe’s water resilience and achieving sustainable water management practices across the continent. Water Europe warmly thanks all participants for their valuable insights. It’s the time to be ambitious for a competitive and resilient Europe.
