EU Water Resilience Strategy and European Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework

The EESC Youth test is being applied to this opinion. ESDN Youth was chosen by a group of interested youth organisations to represent all of them during the opinion-making process.

Key points

The EESC:

• considers that ensuring universal access to safe, affordable water and sanitation must remain a core EU commitment;
• stresses that water resilience and climate adaptation are mutually reinforcing and must be addressed through a unique and coherent policy framework;
• calls for a strengthened European Water Resilience Strategy that fully complements the Climate Adaptation Strategy and is aligned with international commitments;
• notes that prevention and preparedness should become the organising principles of EU water and climate policies;
• calls for the systematic application of a ‘water test’ in EU legislative processes, ensuring that proposals across key sectors are assessed for their water impacts and aligned with the objectives of the European Water Resilience Strategy;
• asks for stronger cross-border cooperation based on shared data, common protocols and solidarity mechanisms, including with neighbouring non-EU countries;
• highlights that agricultural policy should prioritise sustainable water management practices, while industrial policies should promote the adoption of efficient water systems;
• demands the Commission to propose a comprehensive regulation that establishes a clear hierarchy of water use, prioritising essential human needs, ecosystem protection and sustainable economic activities;
• underlines that nature-based solutions should be deployed at scale as a central pillar of water resilience and climate adaptation and mitigation;
• considers that urban and regional planning must integrate water-sensitive design;
• stresses that the next multiannual financial framework must clearly prioritise water resilience, particularly in regions facing severe water scarcity;
• underlines that water resilience and climate adaptation depend on a skilled workforce. Sustained investment in education and training is required to address skills gaps in water management, climate adaptation, digital monitoring and nature-based solutions.