European Parliament calls for a stronger water strategy: droughts and pollution are no longer enough to prevent, they must be adapted to
2025-05-07
Europe is facing more frequent droughts, floods and water pollution, and MEPs are calling for a more ambitious strategy to ensure the long-term protection and availability of water across the EU, criticising the current approach as insufficient and fragmented.
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a single framework for water resilience. The aim is to improve the availability of water, protecting it from over-pumping, pollution and the impacts of climate change.
MEPs warn that water is becoming a strategic raw material whose scarcity can threaten not only agriculture, but also energy, industry and public health. The current rules are not enough, they say, lacking coordination between countries, clear targets and sufficient funding.
MEPs are therefore proposing the creation of a European strategy for water resilience, which would include prevention, restoring water ecosystems, promoting water retention in the landscape, recycling and smart consumption management.
The report also calls on the Commission to focus more on the monitoring of pollutants, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and microplastics, and to ensure their progressive reduction. Parliament also calls for access to clean water to be a priority in EU foreign policy.