Debate: Water crisis and droughts in the EU as a consequence of the global climate crisis and the need for a sustainable, resilient water strategy for Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

It is a vital issue because five of the last six years in Europe have been exceptionally dry, and this has caused significant economic damage to agriculture, energy and inland navigation worth some EUR 9 billion every year, and the latest climate projections suggest that, in the extreme scenario of 3°C of warming, the resulting damage could cost up to EUR 40 billion per year. The water emergency in parts of Spain and other parts of the EU is a particular cause of concern, but water scarcity is no longer confined to the Mediterranean region. More and more regions of Europe, including even rainy regions like Flanders, now face similar problems, and this new normal includes prolonged droughts followed by devastating floods, sometimes in the same region. In the face of these changes, we need a different approach. We need to work towards a water-resilient Europe, a Europe better equipped to adapt to the water challenges of today and tomorrow, leaving no one behind. This entails a systemic transformation of the way water is managed, used and valued, while always bearing in mind the need to protect nature and ecosystems. This is also a precondition for the Union’s strategic autonomy and its green transition in relation to affordable energy, food security, industrial production and intergenerational fairness.  This is one reason why, as announced by President von der Leyen, the Commission is putting forward a water resilience initiative in March. The initiative will combine a series of immediate actions with the launch of a broad, transparent public debate that will involve EU institutions, Member States and all relevant stakeholders such as local and regional authorities, the private sector, NGOs, academia and citizens at large. We know where additional action is needed: the EU has already delivered robust water legislation. If it were respected in full, many elements of the current crisis would be far less pressing. Better implementation of the EU  Today, too often we tend to address water scarcity and drought through ad-hoc emergency measures. We need to move to more systemic advanced planning of drought risk reduction. Currently, only 14 Member States have drawn up proper drought management plans, while droughts occur in every EU Member State. In addition to better planning, we also need more accurate data. That is why the Commission founded the European Drought Observatory in 2009 to systematically collect data on water scarcity. Last November, the Observatory published a pan-European drought risk atlas and a pan-European drought impact database, and these new databases map future drought risk and make predictions region by region. However, we need to do more: we need to realise that water quantity and water quality are two sides of the same coin. Success will depend on tackling head on all the pressures faced by our vulnerable water resources, and that means tackling pollution at source, it means reducing the over-abstraction and over-allocation of water. It means safeguarding minimum ecological flows in our rivers, allowing them to provide the ecosystem services that we rely on. It also means combating illegal abstraction with full deployment of technological solutions.  We also need to ensure that heavy water users, like the digital and energy sectors, internalise water efficiency and water protection. It also requires more rigorous application of the ‘cost recovery’ principle with water pricing policies based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This will incentivise water savings and pollution prevention measures while ensuring it remains affordable to all. In all cases, we should start with efforts to reduce demand. Before looking for fresh supplies, we should start with water efficiency, mirroring the ‘efficiency first’ principle for energy, which now guides business decisions and investments. This is fully in line with the circular economy approach: our collective focus should begin with stimulating water efficiency and water reuse across the lifecycle of processes and products. Leakages and drinking water supply systems must also be addressed. Across the EU, an average of 23 % of treated water is now lost during distribution, and with the new obligations in the recast Drinking Water Directive, Member States have the tools they need to assess leakage rates and develop targeted actions to reduce the losses. The proposal for a recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive encourages the reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture, and that should receive an additional boost from the recent entry into application of the Water Reuse Regulation, helping limit freshwater abstraction from surface and groundwater bodies. But legislation alone will not solve these problems, and exit from the crisis will require firm action on many sides, and for that we also need to scale up and upgrade our investment in water. In the current financial period, the European Union has significantly increased its support to help co-fund water-related infrastructure through instruments like the ERDF and RRF.  Adapting to the likely scenario of future water scarcity is the smartest economic move, and if we fail to act today, the cost of inaction will be far higher in the future. Adaptation is essential, but we must remain equally committed to climate mitigation. You just had a debate, so today the Commission launched the dialogue to establish an interim 2040 climate target, setting the EU firmly on a path towards climate neutrality by 2050.  Honourable Members, let me conclude by highlighting once again the importance of sustainable, resilient water management and of protecting the quality and quantity of fresh water. By increasing the resilience of our water system and the sectors that rely on it, we move away from crisis management and we move towards the proactive management of risks, and that’s the best way to help our citizens today, that’s the best way to help our farmers, and that’s the best way to minimise the risk for the water-stressed citizens for tomorrow.