Let’s build together
A Water-Smart And Resilient Europe!

The ambition

Europe is increasingly experiencing the impacts of the water crisis.
It affects our environment, economy and society.

Europe is increasingly experiencing the impacts of the global water crisis, grappling with droughts and floods, which compromise water quality and access to safe drinking water. Our continent faces a notable deficit in water efficiency across various sectors, including supply infrastructures, production processes, and consumption patterns. This hinders the achievement of SDG 6 and risks European competitiveness due to water disruption.

After the success of the Declaration for an EU Blue Deal, the European Commission launched in May 2024 an awareness-raising campaign, WaterWiseEU, inviting European citizens to “See Water Differently” and aiming to build a water-resilient Europe by 2050. This campaign is a welcome step but needs to translate into political ownership and concrete actions.

Over 78% of Europeans

believe additional measures are needed to address water-related challenges (EU Barometer May 2024)

Our ECI

It is a unique opportunity to shape European water policy, driven by EU citizens, for the people of Europe!

By collecting signatures from at least 1 million EU citizens by 23 October 2025, our ECI will require the European Commission to propose a legal act relating to European water policy.

More info

3 Aims:

Recognises all the values of water

Water extends beyond its environmental dimension and includes key socio-economic dimensions of Europe, such as agriculture, energy production, health, industry, overall societal well-being and urban development.

Secure access to water for all users and uses

Access to water is now becoming uncertain. For example, currently, 10 million people in Europe lack access to safe drinking water, whereas globally, the amount of available drinking water is insufficient to meet all needs.

Build a water-smart and resilient society for the people of Europe

Despite the advanced state of the EU’s water legislation, many goals remain unfulfilled due to insufficient funding, delayed implementation, and lack of comprehensive integration of water concerns into sectoral policies.

The change we will achieve

Advocate for a strategic and holistic action plan for water in Europe, and the development and implementation of dual, complementary policies in all EU policy areas, as called for in the Declaration for an EU Blue Deal.
Urge the European Commission to prioritise water as a strategic standalone priority within the EU framework and elevate water resilience to the same priority level as decarbonisation.
Significantly reduce the water footprint of all segments of society and stress a paradigm shift at the European level to safeguard clean water for individuals, businesses, farmers and ecosystems.
Accelerate a shift towards water-efficient, circular industry and agriculture, to secure competitiveness by promoting innovative solutions such as digital tools, resource recovery, hybrid green-grey infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and inclusive governance tools.
Ensure the availability of the right skills for a water-smart economy, preserve jobs and create new job opportunities for workers.
Promote stewardship and connectedness to aquatic environments and support restoration and protection efforts.
Ensure every individual’s human right to clean and safe water and sanitation, and the restoration and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity.