Europe caught between a rock and a hard place

Geopolitical and defence developments are placing Europe’s environment under increasing pressure. On the one hand, Europe must secure access to its own resources and create the conditions for a competitive industrial base. On the other hand, the European Union remains committed to safeguarding a clean environment and healthy water systems. Reconciling these objectives is proving exceptionally difficult in the current geopolitical climate.

Through the RESourceEU action plan, the European Commission is paving the way for the extraction of critical raw materials. Yet mining, by its very nature, poses significant challenges for environmental protection. At the same time, rules-simplification packages such as the Environmental and the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus are loosening environmental rules for farmers and industry in an effort to improve competitiveness with other regions of the world. These policy choices clearly illustrate the growing tension between economic resilience and environmental protection.

Against this backdrop, it is essential that the Water Resilience Strategy does not become little more than a drop in the ocean. Turning ambition into tangible impact will be one of the defining challenges for Europe’s future. The European Commission must be aware that sidelining water and environmental priorities risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater. What is needed now are innovative and balanced solutions that allow Europe to escape its current position between a rock and a hard place.

Esther Rasenberg

Chief Editor, Water News Europe