Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions European Water Resilience Strategy

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 4.6.2025 COM(2025) 280 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Water Resilience Strategy EN EN European Water Resilience Strategy 1. INTRODUCTION – SETTING THE SCENE Water is life. Human beings, most species and the nature we live in and depend upon, cannot survive without water. Our environment, our economy, our food and energy security and our quality of life rely on a stable supply of water of the right quality. However, today we can no longer take water for granted, and this affects citizens, businesses and the environment. Europe is the Earth’s fastest warming continent due to climate change. Climate impacts like extreme heat, catastrophic floods, prolonged droughts and forest fires are increasing in frequency and severity and will continue to do so. These events cause health impacts and premature deaths, disruption of energy and drinking water supply and growing economic losses1 for business, farmers and aquaculture. If left unaddressed, waterrelated inequalities have the potential to harm the overall economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU2 and globally. This is especially true for the EU’s outermost regions, where climate pressures and infrastructure gaps make access to clean and safe water particularly challenging. Access to clean and affordable water is a human...