Debate: The water crisis in Europe
Date: THURSDAY, 15 JUNE 2023
Speaker: Kadri Simson
Language: EN

I would like to dwell for a moment on the word ‘crisis’, which is at the heart of the debate today. Copernicus satellite imagery acts as a sad confirmation that many parts of the Union face intense difficulty. Some regions are suffering from water scarcity due to the droughts, while others are suffering from floods. Most are suffering from the consequences of water pollution.  But none of this is new. That’s why, since the 1970s, EU legislators have been putting in place strong and robust law to protect water and aquatic ecosystems.  So why do we speak of a crisis today? The answer is that the solutions we have successively employed to address the problems facing our waters, and the ways and degrees to which we have implemented them, can only take us so far. We have reached the point where we need to take a different approach.  In New York, at the first Water Conference in almost 50 years, we embraced the objective of achieving water resilience by 2050. Following on from that, the European Council acknowledged the need for action and for a strategic approach to water security. We have a good foundation for such action. EU water legislation is already robust and if it will be respected in full, many elements of the current crisis would be less pressing.  But, as we see from the large number of ongoing infringement cases related to water, this is simply not the case. Despite our efforts to improve water efficiency, water demand continues to grow. At the same time, availability is declining and becoming unpredictable, largely due to deforestation, the ongoing loss of natural wetlands, the overexploitation of aquifers and climate change. We have not yet managed to reduce pollution as much as needed – that has negative effects on aquatic species and enormously reduces the amount of water that is fit for use in various sectors.  In this context, the support of the European Parliament and of the Council for the Commission proposals amending the list of water pollutants and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive is fundamental. However, we must remember that water is interlinked with all life. It does not exist as an isolated resource. Our policies must take it into account as well.  Our planet, with all its natural ecosystems, is the engine of the water cycle. We must look after that engine. If we want adequate supplies of clean water, we need to nurture and restore the ecosystems that purify water and hold it in store. I am thinking of our soils, our forests, our rivers and our wetlands. In this context, the biodiversity strategy and the Commission proposal for a Nature Restoration Law of paramount importance. The Nature Restoration Law introduces restoration targets for wetlands and floodplain restoration that help to withstand droughts and floods, as well as contribute to climate change mitigation. The restoration of urban ecosystems is also part of the Nature Restoration Law, and it will contribute to clean urban areas, making them more resilient to all kinds of natural risks.  Ecosystems that are in good condition are better able to reduce the impacts of extreme events such as storms, floods, droughts and fires, while being generally more resilient. Healthy ecosystems and nature-based solutions are therefore our best insurance policy for adaptive adaptation and disaster risk prevention. The Nature Restoration Law encourages development of those solutions in our cities, farmlands, rivers, lakes and forests. And it is important to make sure that the ground we walk on his sustainable, as we are sustained by it.  In fact, soil and water are intimately connected. Soil plays a crucial role in water sustainability; now between 60 and 70 % of EU soils are degraded. Dry, compacted soils are unable to effectively absorb rain. Healthy soils absorb, store and filter water and are therefore key to ensure resilience in the face of climate change and natural disasters. Sustainable soil management and regeneration practices increase water retention and the capacity of ecosystems, plants and crops to withstand droughts and extreme weather events.  On 5 July, the Commission will put forward a legislative proposal on soil with a view to achieve the vision set out in the soil strategy of healthy soils in the EU by 2050. This law will ensure that authorities and stakeholders are provided with updated and timely data on soil health and take timely actions to increase the resilience of soils. Among many other things, this will help us prevent and act on floods, droughts and soil erosion. This law will therefore be an indispensable tool in our response to the water crisis.  As part of our crisis management, we need to take an integrated approach to landscape. That way, we protect and restore natural ecosystems, which are crucial for delivering services like good quality water, which we need all year round.  An exit from the crisis will require firm action by all parties involved, including water management authorities and sectors like agriculture, industry and energy. The focus should be on solving problems at river basin scale. As most river basins are transboundary, this also requires close cooperation between Member States. This principle applies globally.  Indeed, international rivers should be threads of friendship, not the cause of conflict as they sometimes are. Protecting these ecosystems is in the interest of all. Ecological disasters like the one in the Oder demonstrate the consequences of failures to communicate and to make adequate preparations.  Over the last years, we saw that severe droughts hit different parts of Europe. We must recognise that water scarcity is principally driven by our own actions. Shortages are mainly due to increasing demand, not the decrease in supply. The situation is exacerbated by drought episodes and climate change.  Consequently, the focus must first and foremost be on prevention and adaptation. When these solutions have been implemented, there may still be a need to mitigate losses for the environment, society and the economy. Disasters will strike from time to time.  The EU will always be there to support our citizens, our farmers and our industry. That is why we have instruments like the CAP agricultural reserve, the Union civil protection mechanism and the EU Solidarity Fund. And that is also why we have recently adopted the Union Disaster Resilience Goals that will guide us to better disaster preparedness and response.  However, we must work on ensuring that we protect the well that nourishes us all. And that means seeing the role of all the actors in tackling the water crisis. Flourishing forests, protected river basins, healthy soils, sustainable water usage and efficient water treatment.  Let me conclude by highlighting once more the importance of sustainable, resilient water management and protecting both the quality and quantity of fresh water. We need to focus most closely on pollution prevention, water consumption and flood prevention, and we need to adapt to future threats from climate change and biodiversity loss. Increasing the resilience of the water system and of sectors that rely on it will help us move away from crisis management and towards the proactive management of risks. And we need everyone on board. We need all policy departments, all administrations and all actors involved, the private sector included, to understand and uphold integrated sustainable management.  The recent UN Water Conference showed in stark terms that this water crisis is a shared global concern. It was reassuring to see a joint commitment address it. The EU has the knowledge and the ambition to lead this case. Let us not be the continent that learns the value of water after the well has run dry.