Water

Overview

Clean water is the driving force of life. It is an essential resource for people and nature, and for regulating the climate. It is also crucial for the economy, agriculture and energy production.

Water faces many pressures, including pollution from industrial chemicals, pesticides, nutrients and pharmaceuticals, and climate change.

Floods, droughts, forest fires, pollution, and poor water management are costing lives, threatening food supplies, and disrupting economies and transport networks. Water resilience is therefore a matter of EU security and crisis preparedness.

The Water Framework Directive provides the main foundation for water policy in Europe, setting rules that protect water resources, fresh and saltwater ecosystems, and ensure our drinking and bathing water is clean.

The 2025 European Water Resilience Strategy aims to combat water scarcity, improve water management, expand clean water access, drive innovation, and restore the broken water cycle. This will protect communities and our precious biodiversity, but also strengthen the EU’s economy.

In the EU

Only 37%

of surface water bodies achieve good ecological status

85%

of bathing water sites are of excellent quality

Over 90%

of urban wastewater is dealt with in line with EU standards

Objectives

The EU’s main aim is to ensure that all Europeans have access to good quality and sufficient water, and to guarantee the good status of all water bodies across the continent. EU rules aim to ensure that water is managed sustainably in the long-term, water pollution is reduced, and aquatic ecosystems are protected.

European Water Resilience Strategy

The 2025 Water Resilience Strategy focuses on three objectives:

Restore and protect the water cycle as the basis for water supply, from source to sea. Effective implementation of the existing EU framework is key, including the Water Framework Directive, the Flood Management Directive, and the Nature Restoration Regulation. Further efforts are needed to protect resources, boost sustainability, improve water retention on land, and tackle pollutants in drinking water.

Build a water-smart economy to boost competitiveness, attract investment and promote the EU’s water industry: Improve water efficiency and sustainable water management. The Recommendation on Water Efficiency First provides guiding principles to reduce water consumption and sets an EU-wide goal to improve water efficiency by 2030.

Secure clean and affordable water and sanitation for all, and empower consumers for water resilience: Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a human right. Support is needed to bring clean water and sanitation to some regions and vulnerable groups, and improve water treatment to remove dangerous pollution, pathogens and diseases.

Learn more:

Water Resilience Strategy

European Water Resilience Strategy Factsheet

'Water savings in key economic sectors can help improve EU’s water resilience' | European Environment Agency

For more information on water issues in each Member State, find our country-specific factsheets here.

Specific policies

Bathing water

EU rules to ensure clean and high-quality bathing water across Europe

Drinking water

Improving access to drinking water for all

Floods

EU measures to manage flood risk and the risks floods pose to human health and the environment.

Groundwater

EU action to ensure good quantity and quality of groundwater.

Marine waters

EU action to protect Europe’s coasts, seas and oceans.

Nitrates

Protecting waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources

Surface water

EU rules protecting surface waters from chemical pollution.

Urban wastewater

EU rules to ensure that urban wastewater is properly dealt with.

Water Reuse

Managing water resources more efficiently and facilitating water reuse in the EU

Water scarcity and droughts

Preventing and mitigating water scarcity and droughts in the EU

EU efforts on the global water agenda

It is essential to sustain the political momentum of the UN 2023 Water Conference, to accelerate actions for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.