ENVI

Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI)

Introduction 

Water scarcity is a major issue in Europe with droughts no longer being an unusual phenomenon in the EU. Specifically, Southern Europe is evidently suffering with increasingly severe heat waves and prolonged droughts due to climate change and water overconsumption.⁷ These challenges not only threaten water availability but also place significant pressure on local ecosystems, agriculture, and communities.⁸

Water stress⁹ is a major issue in Europe affecting 20% of its territory and 30% of the population every year.¹⁰ It is likely to become more common due to climate-related water challenges. Intense rainfall has also increased over the years around Europe and this is causing flooding and, at times, loss of life. Specifically, around 53 million people¹¹ in Europe live in areas potentially prone to river flooding, despite the flood defences in place.

As EUROPA has reported¹², water scarcity is affecting people both socially and economically, ultimately impacting their livelihoods, physical health, and mental health and well-being. On the other hand, in Southern Europe, prolonged droughts and decreasing water availability threaten agriculture, food production, and rural economies. Therefore, Europeans face restrictions, affecting their industries and daily life.

The United States-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated¹³ that countries facing drought tend to have an increased load of patients due to dehydration, heat-related illnesses, and exacerbations of chronic conditions, and potentially increase the spread of vector-based illnesses.

Nearly 75% of natural disasters around the world over the past 17 years have been water-related, according to a report published by UNICEF.¹⁴ These disasters can contaminate clean water and consequently, increase the risk of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, E. Coli infection, and salmonellosis. 

Simultaneously, droughts tend to cause water shortages and damage farm economies, reducing crop yields, and increasing food insecurity. The compounding effects of these issues highlight the urgency for sustainable water management and adaptation measures to mitigate the growing consequences of climate change. Water is essential for everyone around the world, and taking action now is crucial to securing our future.

Fundamental Challenges

Ageing and inadequate infrastructure

Member States’ water infrastructure is aged and increasingly unfit for purpose,^{15 16} leading to water shortages and significant water losses. According to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), approximately 42% of the country’s drinking water¹⁷ is lost due to leaky pipes that exacerbate water shortages, especially in drought-prone regions like Sicily. Nonetheless, it was reported that in 2021, the EU average for water losses was 25% of the total distributed, with some countries experiencing losses between 40-60%¹⁸ due to the ageing infrastructure.

As stated by the UN during their high-level panel on water, sizable capital investments¹⁹ are needed in order to update the current ageing water infrastructure. The combination of high setup costs for this infrastructure and its slow returns (it requires a long time, even a decade, before the investment generates money to cover the initial costs) make water infrastructure financially challenging and presents lower investment incentives. Undoubtedly, long-term financial planning and stable policies are needed to be in place to ensure sustainable investment.

The World Bank warns that without modernisation, surface water availability in parts of Europe and Central Asia could decline by half by 2050, while demand may rise by 51%.²⁰ Compounding these issues, the rapid expansion of technologies such as AI, semiconductor manufacturing, and data centres is increasing water consumption. Data centres require substantial water for cooling purposes, consuming more than 25 million litres of water in a year, enough to supply more than 200 UK homes.²¹ Increased urbanisation and mass tourism are other factors expected to lead to increased water needs in the future.²²

Lack of cooperation between Member States

Managing shared water resources is crucial for sustainability, yet cooperation remains limited. According to a 2024 report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), only 28% of transboundary water cooperation agreements are fully operational, posing a major challenge to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.²³ Without coordinated policies, over-extraction, pollution, and inefficient infrastructure exacerbate water stress. 

Without urgent investments and cooperation between Member States, both water security and public health remain at risk. To highlight the importance of cooperation, the EU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)²⁴ have created the water convention that aims to provide support for the shared management of transboundary waters.

Water management practices

The water management practices in Europe have not been updated to ensure water security and reduce pollution. The European Commission has urged Member States to improve water management by 2027²⁵ through stricter compliance with water laws, particularly by reducing nutrient pollution from agriculture and properly managing wastewater discharge to safeguard the environment and public health.

Europe’s waters continue to be impacted by chemicals, predominantly by atmospheric pollution from coal-powered energy generation and diffuse pollution from agriculture. The lack of improvement in water surfaces’ chemical status can be partly attributed to long-lived pollutants, such as mercury and brominated flame retardants. If these long-lived pollutants were not considered, 80% of surface waters would achieve good chemical status rather than 29%.²⁶

VIDEO explaining the World’s water crisis

Key Stakeholders

The environment, and in this case, water is considered to be within a shared competence according to Article 4²⁷ of the TFEU. The EU and its Member States are able to legislate and adopt legally binding acts. Member States exercise their own competence where the EU does not exercise or has decided not to exercise, its own competence. 

Member States are responsible for implementing and enforcing water policies within their territories, ensuring compliance with EU regulations such as the Water Framework Directive. Their competence lies in managing national water resources, developing infrastructure, and addressing local water challenges, including pollution control and water scarcity.

The European Commission²⁸ plays a pivotal role in overseeing and coordinating water policies at the EU level. It ensures that Member States comply with water-related directives, provides funding through initiatives like Horizon Europe, and supports research and innovation in sustainable water management. Its competence extends to policy development, legislative enforcement, and financial support for water-related projects. Through regulatory frameworks and strategic funding, the European Commission helps address water stress, pollution, and the long-term sustainability of freshwater ecosystems.

The European Environment Agency (EEA)²⁹ is an EU agency that focuses on providing independent information on the environment, supporting sustainable development and helping achieve significant improvements in Europe’s environment through sound policymaking. The EEA monitors and reports on water quality and availability across Europe. For instance, their assessments have highlighted that only about one-third of Europe’s surface water bodies³⁰ are in good ecological status, underscoring the need for improved water management practices. 

The United Nations (UN)³¹ is responsible for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)³², particularly SDG 6 which aims at Clean Water and Sanitation. SDG 6 aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Through entities like UN-Water, the organisation coordinates efforts to monitor water resources, promote access to clean water, and support international cooperation on transboundary water management.

The World Health Organisation (WHO)³³ is responsible for promoting health and keeping the world safe. They aim to ensure that people have universal health coverage, protect people from health emergencies, and provide people with better health and well-being. WHO sets global standards for drinking water quality and provides guidelines to protect public health. They assist countries in developing regulations and monitoring systems to ensure a safe water supply, thereby preventing waterborne diseases and promoting health through improved water, sanitation, and hygiene practices.

Measures in place

EU water policy³⁴ aims to protect water resources, and fresh and saltwater ecosystems,  while ensuring our drinking and bathing water are clean. The EU water policy comprises directives, regulations and strategies that aim to improve water quality, pollution, scarcity and ensure long-term water sustainability while balancing environmental, social, and economic needs. 

The European Commission adopted the WFD in 2000³⁵ to address water scarcity and drought, aiming to promote water sustainability by protecting and restoring water resources. One of the major requirements of the WFD is the River Basin Management Plans, which obligate European countries to cooperate on shared water bodies and implement long-term strategies for their preservation. Specifically, these are useful as water bodies do not adhere to national borders, making transboundary cooperation essential for effective water management.

Since its adoption, the WFD has become a cornerstone of EU water policy, requiring Member States to achieve ‘good chemical and ecological status’ for all water bodies. However, the 2019 Fitness Check of the legislation revealed that while the directive is effective and remains fit for purpose, implementation has been slow and uneven across Member States. According to WDF, each country is responsible for setting environmental objectives for water bodies, conducting regular monitoring and assessment, and implementing measures to reduce pollution and improve water quality. 

On another hand, the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT)³⁶³⁷ created the Community Water Scarcity initiative. 40 SMEs and start-ups from 15 countries were selected for this initiative with the aim to gather and provide devices that extract drinking water from the air and IoT sensors to enhance irrigation efficiency. Additionally, the EIT Community Water Scarcity Programme ³⁸is responsible for enhancing knowledge and overcoming current barriers to tackle water scarcity in Southern Europe. This programme focuses on research, innovation and education and eases the transition to a water-saving economy in Europe by reducing water consumption and wastage.

Specifically, the European Drought Observatory for Resilience and Adaptation (EDORA)⁴⁰ was published by the European Commission and aimed to provide technical and scientific support, through data collection and analysis regarding drought risk assessments, for water scarcity prevention/mitigation, groundwater recharge zone protection, and restoring natural floodplains.

Local Impact

Water Scarcity is a Public Health issue that is affecting each country to a different degree. While the Netherlands is a Member State recognised for its water management, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has nonetheless published⁴¹ that if measures are not taken into account shortly, the country may face drinking water shortages by 2030 due to increased demand, climate change, and pollution.

On the other hand, Cyprus is one of the Member States with the least available water per capita and remains vulnerable to climate change due to droughts and water scarcity. Specifically, they aim to use non-conventional water resources including desalination units and water reuse in order to address and improve the reliability of their water sources for domestic and irrigation uses. Currently, they have two domestic water supply projects, two projects for recycled water, and three master plans as a stable resource to achieve SDG 6⁴². Moreover, Cyprus is suffering from consecutive dry winters, which forces them to depend on desalination plants. With projected increases in temperature due to climate change, the impact of heatwaves on public health poses a worrying problem. In particular, a study⁴³ estimated that there are 32 heat-related deaths per year in Cyprus, with the number expected to rise in the future.

Visualisation

FOOTNOTES

1. EEA report 07/2024. ‘Europe’s state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience’. Link ↩︎
2. EEA report 07/2024. ‘Europe’s state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience’. Link ↩︎
3. UNICEF. ‘Water and the global climate crisis: 10 things you should know’. Link ↩︎
4.  A Vector-Borne Disease is a disease that results from an infection transmitted to humans and other animals by blood-feeding arthropods, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. Link ↩︎
5. EEA press release. ‘Pollution, over-use and climate change threaten water resilience in Europe’. Link ↩︎
6. “Good” chemical status of surface waters is defined as meeting all the chemical quality standards established for chemical substances by the Environmental Quality Standards Directive. Link ↩︎
7. DW. ‘EU countries restrict drinking water access’. Link ↩︎
8. DW. ‘EU countries restrict drinking water access’. Link ↩︎
9.  Water stress is the situation when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period or when poor quality restricts its use. Link ↩︎
10.  EEA report 07/2024. ‘Europe’s state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience’. Link ↩︎
11. EEA. ‘Climate health risks posed by floods, droughts and water quality call for urgent action’. Link ↩︎
12. European Climate and Observatory. ‘ Drought and water scarcity’. Link ↩︎
13.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘Health Impacts of Drought’. Link ↩︎
14. UNICEF. ‘Water and the global climate crisis: 10 things you should know’. Link ↩︎
15.  Water infrastructure is a broad term for systems of water supply, treatment, storage, water resource management, flood prevention and hydropower. Link ↩︎
16. ‘Climate change, lack of infrastructure make it harder to access drinking water’. Link ↩︎
17. Reuters. ‘Italy’s water crisis exacerbated by leaky pipes, data shows’. Link ↩︎
18. World Economic Forum. ‘Water security: How to ensure access to water in a changing world’. Link ↩︎
19.  Capital investment is the expenditure of money to fund a company’s long-term growth. Link ↩︎
20.  Euractiv. ‘Europe, Central Asia under pressure to modernise water security infrastructure, reports World Bank’. Link ↩︎
21.  White & Case. ‘Data centers and water: From scrutiny to opportunity’. Link ↩︎
22.  European Environmental Agency. ‘ Water use in Europe — Quantity and quality face big challenges’. Link ↩︎
23. UNECE. ‘Progress on Transboundary Water Cooperation’. Link ↩︎
24. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe is one of five regional commissions of the UN that aims to promote pan-European economic integration. Link ↩︎
25. European Commission. ‘Commission reports show faster progress is needed across Europe to protect waters and better manage flood risks’. Link ↩︎
26. EEA press release. ‘Pollution, over-use and climate change threaten water resilience in Europe’. Link ↩︎
27. Article 4 of the TFEU. Link ↩︎
28.  European Commission. Link ↩︎
29. European Environment Agency (EEA). Link ↩︎
30. European Commission. ‘ Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive’. Link ↩︎
31. United Nations (UN). Link ↩︎
32. Sustainable Development Goals. Link ↩︎
33. World Health Organisation (WHO). Link ↩︎
34. European Commission. ‘Water’. Link ↩︎
35. European Commission. ‘Water Framework Directive’. Link ↩︎
36. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology helps businesses, research and educational bodies work together to promote innovation in Europe. Link ↩︎
37. European Institute of Innovation & Technology. ‘40 European companies will tackle water scarcity with their technological innovations’. Link ↩︎
38. European Institute of Innovation & Technology. ‘Water Scarcity in South’. Link ↩︎
39.  European Institute of Innovation & Technology. ‘Water Scarcity in South’. Link ↩︎
40. JRC Publications Repository. ‘The European Drought Observatory for Resilience and Adaptation (EDORA)’. Link ↩︎
41. Royal Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment. ‘Quick action needed to prevent drinking water shortage in 2030’. Link ↩︎
42. United Nations. ‘Cyprus. Progress on achieving SGD 6’. Link ↩︎
43. National LIbrary of Medicine. ‘Heat-related mortality in Cyprus for current and future climate scenarios’. Link ↩︎
44.  European Climate and Observatory. ‘ Drought and water scarcity’. Link ↩︎
45.  European Commission. ‘Statement by President von der Leyen at the UN Water Conference, via video message’. Link ↩︎