On May 7th, Water Europe and key stakeholders from the water sector met with the cabinet of Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity.
Representing the sector, Durk Krol, Jacob Bossaer, AquaFed, and Magdalena Rzeczkowska, Federation of Polish Entrepreneurs – FPP stressed out that water resilience remains critically underinvested and underprioritized in the EU’s economic, fiscal, and competitiveness strategies.
To safeguard long-term prosperity, the EU must treat water resilience as a strategic economic enabler.
During the meeting, we called for action on six key fronts:
– Integrate water resilience into EU fiscal and economic governance, including the European Semester and Stability and Growth Pact, as a driver of strategic growth.
– Leverage the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to support water-smart investments and ensure better access to EU funding for local actors, women, youth, and SMEs.
– Embed water in EU competitiveness and industrial policy, including the Net-Zero Industry Act, and support the development of a Water Resilience Competitiveness Tool.
– Advance the Water Resilience Strategy as a cross-cutting instrument to simplify implementation of the EU Water Acquis and mainstream water across all relevant policies.
– Strengthen governance and accountability through a structured dialogue with the European Parliament Intergroup on Water and include water in the EU’s annual implementation and enforcement report.
– Establish a dedicated Water Transition Fund under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to de-risk and accelerate investments in water-smart solutions.
Water is not just an environmental issue, it’s a foundation for a competitive, resilient, and sustainable European economy. It’s time for Europe to act accordingly.
