Historical context underscores the importance of water, with Commissioner Jessika Roswall highlighting Rome’s ancient aqueducts as symbols of sustainable water management that laid groundwork for modern infrastructure. Despite this heritage, she paints a stark picture of Europe’s current water crises: pollution affecting over 60% of soils, low ecological status of surface waters, and drastic climate-induced pressures such as floods and droughts, particularly highlighted by Italy’s 350 extreme weather events in 2024.
Confronting Water Management Issues Roswall identifies critical shortcomings including misaligned water abstraction permits, underutilization of water pricing for efficiency, and the sensitive necessity to prioritize water usage wisely. Emphasizing respect for Member States’ sovereignty, she nevertheless advocates urgent, taboo-free discussions to align policies and improve water management practices.
Concrete Policy Directions and Strategy The Commissioner announces her responsibility for a forthcoming Water Resilience Strategy due before summer 2025, focused on better implementation of existing laws and integrating (‘mainstreaming’) water considerations across policy fields — from crisis preparedness with improved flood recovery funding (€18 billion flexibility provided for flood and wildfire recovery) to supporting industrial and digital sectors reliant on clean water. She suggests integrated source-to-sea management and prioritizing nature-based solutions like protecting healthy soils to mitigate droughts and floods.
Impacts on Stakeholders For EU regulatory bodies, the strategy proposes enhanced coordination and enforcement efforts. National authorities gain tools and funding flexibility to better address floods, droughts, and pollution. Industries such as thermal power, data centers, automotive, and chemicals face pressure to optimize water use but might benefit from innovation incentives. EU consumers and civil society could see improved water quality and ecosystem health, but may experience adjustments in water pricing or usage priorities.
Roswall’s speech emphasizes more efficient and economically sensible water management, balancing environmental sustainability with economic competitiveness. The call for multi-sector dialogue and a systemic shift implies moderate to significant changes in policy enforcement and cross-sector collaboration, although detailed legislative or budgetary targets beyond funding flexibility remain forthcoming.
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