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

The ambition

Europe is increasingly experiencing the impacts of the water crisis, impact 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, hindering the achievement of SDG 6 and risking European competitiveness due to water disruption risks.

After the success of the 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’s a unique opportunity to shape European water policy, driven by and for EU citizens!

A European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a transnational petition designed to influence the EU’s water debate.
Once we gather 1 million signatures, the European Commission will propose a concrete action.

The countdown begins on October 23rd.

More info

3 aims:

Recognises all the values of water

Water goes beyond its environmental dimension. For instance, European hydrogen targets will require around 90 million cubic meters of water annually while 38% of Europeans is affected by water scarcity.

Secure water for all users and uses

Yet, 10 million people in Europe lack access to safe drinking water, while globally, the amount of available drinking water is insufficient to meet all needs.

Build a water-smart and resilient society for the EU citizens

Despite the advanced state of 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.

People and values

We initiated the initiative

Representatives

Constantin DEDU
Piotr SADOWSKI
Sabrina CAJOLY
Anne Lambert KRAUS
Lucy DALY
Janneke VAN DEN BORN
Max PRIEBE
Arto SUOMINEN
Paolo COLOMBO
Filippos SARAKIS
Ecaterina MIHALCEAN
André HUDEPOHL

Sign the initiative