Following the adoption of the European Water Resilience Strategy, the first Water Resilience Forum will bring together policymakers, vocational education training (VET) providers, scientists, industry leaders, and civil society to chart the a path towards making the EU water-resilient by 2050. Europe is currently experiencing increasing water scarcity and degradation of water quality as well as climate-related threats to both human well-being and economic competitiveness. The forum was tackle these challenges head-on through dedicated sessions on financing innovative water solutions, strengthening industrial competitiveness through water resilience, and scaling water efficiency from local to global levels. The forum was organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR). At the opening President Kata Tüttő spoke at the opening together with the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and Commissioner for Environment Jessica Roswall.
The forum brought together sector experts, civil society representatives, and private sector stakeholders. Peter Hoekstra(PoVE Water coordinator) and EfVET Valentian Chanina, representing EfVET, presented the CIV Water / Water Camps were presented in Brussels at the Water Resilience Forum. The session focused on upskilling for water resilience and presenting PoVE Water during at the EXPO. We were especially pleased to welcome Commissioner Jessica Roswall, who learned about our project work and contribution to a water-resilience EU by 2050. Together with the EU Commission of DG- Environment Jessica Roswall, we are exploring how we can ensure continuity and furtner expand the network of partners with whom we participated in various sessions, on themes such as:
- Upskilling for Water Resilience
- Water efficiency – from local to global action
- Financing the way to water resilience
- Urban Water Resilience
- Digital Transformation for Water Managers
- Others
A large part of the forum was dedicated to the water resilience of cities.
Forum participants also emphasised the importance of optimising the operation of industrial wastewater treatment plants. Water was clearly identified as a key factor in the competitiveness of the entire Union and its major economic sectors.
During the inauguration of the forum, the Commissioner announced that, among other initiatives, the Commission plans to launch the Water Resilience Investment Accelerator, the European Water Academy, and a new stakeholder platform on water resilience aimed at facilitating knowledge exchange in 2026. The aim of these initiatives is to support the implementation of innovative retention solutions, the digitalisation of the water sector, and the strengthening of the skills and cooperation of entities responsible for water management in the Member States.
The platform will provide guidance on climate resilience investment, industrial water efficiency, digital innovation and urban water resilience.
A call for interest to join this expert group will be open in early 2026.
The first Water Resilience Forum successfully established a unified vision for water resilience in Europe by 2050, transitioning the European Resilience Strategy from policy to a concrete roadmap for immediate collaborative action across the public sector, companies, and education.
Whatch an extrat of the EU Water Resilence Forum: https://cor.europa.eu/en/plenaries-events/water-resilience-forum#:~:text=Europe%20is%20facing%20increasing%20water,Digital%20Transformation%20for%20Water%20Management