Representatives from Water Europe and key stakeholders across the European water sector met with the cabinet of EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Roxana Mînzatu, on April 29, 2025. The meeting focused on the critical need to address the growing skills gap and bolster the workforce essential for Europe’s water resilience and its green and just transition.
The delegation, comprising Durk Krol (Water Europe), Lesha (B.M.) Witmer (Women for Water Partnership), Milo Fiasconaro (Aqua Publica Europea), and Neil Dhot (AquaFed), underscored the message that while Europe leads in global water policy and innovation, a shortage of qualified professionals with future-ready skills threatens to undermine this progress. This challenge is compounded by ageing infrastructure, accelerating climate impacts, and rising EU standards for water quality and sustainability.
“The water sector is essential to Europe’s just and green transition. It supports 1.7 million jobs, but without a skilled, inclusive, and future-ready workforce, we will fall short of meeting our environmental, climate, and innovation goals,” stated Durk Krol, Executive Director of Water Europe, on behalf of the delegation.
During the meeting, the water sector leaders presented a series of concrete suggestions to ensure the people behind Europe’s water systems are equipped for the challenges ahead:
– Integrate Water-Related Skills into the EU’s Pact for Skills: Aligning with the green, digital, and resilience transitions to ensure targeted workforce development.
– Establish a European Water Training Platform: To coordinate upskilling initiatives and training hubs across Member States, promoting knowledge sharing and standardized qualifications.
– Promote Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment: Through certified training programs and structured employment pathways to attract diverse talent to the sector.
– Support Career Switchers: Via EU-funded upskilling programs specifically tied to sustainability and climate objectives, facilitating transitions into vital water sector roles.
– Embed Water Infrastructure Protection within the EU Preparedness Strategy: Addressing climate, cyber, and operational risks to critical water infrastructure and its workforce.
– Champion the EU Water Resilience Strategy: Positioning it as a horizontal enabler for advancing social rights, skills development, and ensuring a just transition within the water sector.
The delegation emphasized that investing in the water workforce is not just a sectoral concern but a fundamental requirement for Europe’s overall resilience, environmental integrity, and socio-economic stability. They expressed a commitment to continued dialogue and collaboration with EU institutions to turn these proposals into actionable policies.
