As we celebrate World Water Day 2024 (22 March), it's crucial to reflect on the significance of water in our lives and the urgent need to protect and preserve this precious resource. Water is not only essential for sustaining life but also for driving economies, supporting ecosystems, and ensuring the well-being of communities worldwide. All across the world, water plays a pivotal role in various aspects of society, so addressing water resilience is paramount to securing a sustainable future.

Amidst the challenges posed by climate change, in EurEau, we laid out our vision for the incoming policymakers in our Water Resilience Strategy for Europe; Our vision for our water’s future. We need a robust 360° strategy at European level to ensure that water services are protected across all areas. We call on the EU to prioritise the resilience of Europe's water systems, ensuring they can withstand and adapt to the changing environmental and socio-economic landscape.

But this World Water Day, we are seeing conflicting messages from the Commission. 

The recent EU Climate Risk Assessment identifies water scarcity as one of the dominant risk factors that will cause conflict between Member States on one side and various water uses such as farming, energy production, public water supply and transport on the other. Coupled with this is the increased occurrence and severity of floods across the continent, resulting in the loss of human life and billions of euros in damage to homes, infrastructure and farmland.

However, the Commission has pulled the plug on its Water Resilience Initiative, which was meant to be the EU’s overarching water strategy, dealing with issues like sustainable use of water and resilience against climate change. This move is even more bizarre when you consider that the annual Green Week 2024, an annual event dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability, has ‘Towards a water resilient Europe’ as its central theme.

As we face into the next mandate, we have to remember that to build the future we want – enough food, strong economies and robust employment – we all need reliable supplies of clean, affordable water. By placing water resilience at the forefront of the agenda, Europe can pave the way for a brighter future for all.

Every day is World Water Day at EurEau, and this World Water Day, we celebrate the vital role of water in our lives and commit to safeguarding this precious resource for future generations. It will take collective action and commitment to deliver the future we want.