EurEau Welcomes Stronger EU Focus on Water Resilience

President von der Leyen’s recognition that water is fundamental to Europe’s industry and food security reflects the reality facing water services across Europe. Climate change, pollution, ageing infrastructure and increasing demand are putting growing pressure on Europe’s water resources and the assets that deliver essential water services.

“Water services are essential to Europe’s security, prosperity and competitiveness, and resilient infrastructure is fundamental to ensuring that water remains available when and where it is needed,” says Oliver Loebel, EurEau Secretary General.

President von der Leyen highlighted that almost one litre in every four is lost from Europe’s water networks, largely through leakage. Reducing leakage is an important part of improving water efficiency and resilience, but it requires sustained investment in Europe's ageing water infrastructure.

“Leakage is not simply water being wasted. It is a sign of the enormous infrastructure challenge facing Europe, a challenge that we have been highlighting for many years. Europe’s water services providers invest approximately €52.5 billion in infrastructure annually, but much of this investment is needed to address pollution mitigation, climate resilience and security. This leaves less funding available for the modernisation and renewal of networks.”

Maintaining and renewing water networks requires long-term investment, planning and predictable financing. If Europe wants to strengthen its water resilience, financing modernisation needs to be part of the equation.

We look forward to seeing the details of the new European Water initiative. Europe already has a substantial body of water legislation, and the Water Resilience Strategy provides an important framework for addressing water quality, quantity and resilience. The legislation is there, but implementation and compliance need to improve. Any new initiative should build on this foundation, support effective implementation and help close the investment gap rather than create unnecessary additional layers of regulation.

Water resilience starts with protecting water resources. Preventing pollution at source is more sustainable than relying on increasingly complex and costly treatment to make polluted water usable again. The Control at Source Principle should therefore remain central to European water policy. Where pollution cannot be prevented at source, the Polluter Pays Principle must ensure that the costs of dealing with it are borne by those responsible.

Europe needs a water policy that connects healthy water resources with resilient infrastructure and sustainable investment. We welcome the Commission’s ambition and look forward to working with the EU institutions to turn this political priority into practical action for citizens, businesses and the environment.