Polski
Issue 16/2025, From the European Commission
Sustainable water management will strengthen resilience to water scarcity
Nov
The European Commission is launching dialogues with member states to enhance sustainable water management and achieve environmental goals under European Union water legislation.
Commissioner for the Environment, Water Scarcity Resilience and a Competitive Closed Economy Jessika Roswall, announcing the launch of the dialogue, said:
- We know what water challenges we face across Europe, but it’s time to listen to each other and work together to solve them.
- This dialogue provides an opportunity for collaboration, where every voice can contribute to effective solutions.
- Together, we are committed to common goals (…), ensuring a future that is resilient to water management changes for all.
The results of the dialogues will be a significant step toward achieving water deficit resilience in the EU.
EC reports on the state of water in the European Union
The EC reports published on February 4, 2025, covering the implementation of
It was estimated that only 39.5 percent of surface waters in the EU achieve good ecological status, and 26.8 percent achieve good chemical status.
The reports showed that while some progress has been made in the pursuit of adequate water quality and quantity, as well as in preparing for floods and drought, more work is needed to better protect water and manage flood risks more effectively.
Resistance to water deficit
The proposal for a new European Water Resilience Strategy, presented in 2024, aims to ensure proper management of water resources, address water scarcity, and increase competitiveness and innovation in the sector based on the principles of a circular economy.
It sets directions to make Europe resilient to water shortages, and aims to guarantee food, energy and economic security for Europeans, while preparing them for the future challenges of climate change.
The European Resilience Strategy includes protecting and restoring water ecosystems, achieving an equitable balance between water supply and demand, and guaranteeing access to safe and affordable drinking water.
Improving governance and implementing a comprehensive set of EU water regulations that is relevant to today’s challenges are key objectives of the strategy. Therefore, it is assumed that the strategy will support member states to manage water more efficiently, both by implementing existing EU water legislation and by supporting the measures taken.
Dialogue on sustainable water management
On November 11, 2025. The European Commission, as part of its implementation of the Water Scarcity Resilience Strategy, announced that it is launching dialogues with individual member countries. The goal of these activities is to help each country move toward improved water management in the 2027 timeframe, and to accelerate the implementation of measures to achieve environmental goals. These goals are set out in EU water legislation and formulated in the context of the latest assessment of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, the Floods Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The dialogues with member countries will take place between 2025 and 2027, and are to include technical preparatory meetings between the EC and national administrations, and culminate in policy discussions led by the Commissioner for the Environment, Water Scarcity Resilience and a Competitive Closed Economy with the ministers responsible for water management in each member country.
Water Framework Directive, Floods Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive
The Water Framework Directive required member states to ensure that all surface waters (lakes, rivers, transitional and coastal waters) and groundwater reach good status (quality) by 2015. In justified cases and under certain conditions, it allowed this deadline to be postponed to 2027.
The Floods Directive requires member states to identify and map flood-prone areas and develop plans to reduce the risk and potential damage of floods. It aims to reduce the risk of disasters and minimize their negative effects on the population, environment, cultural heritage and economy within the EU.
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive indicates the need to protect Europe’s marine environment and ensure the sustainable use of its resources. Its main goal was to achieve or maintain good status of the European Union’s marine waters by 2020. It complements other EU water legislation, including the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which focuses on inland, surface and groundwater.
In the article, I used:
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/dialogues-begin-ensuring-sustainable-water-management-2025-11-11_en
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/water-resilience-strategy-actions-tracker_en
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_342
