European Water Academy is taking shape

The European Water Academy (EUWA) is one of the pillars of the European Water Resilience Strategy. It aims to create a Europe‑wide portfolio of labelled training and skills‑development programmes for water professionals. The official launch event of the European Water Academy took place on 21 September 2026 in Brussels, at the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

The event brought together representatives of the European Commission, Member States, the water sector, academia and civil society to mark the start of the European Water Academy under the European Water Resilience Strategy. During the event, three pillars were presented to illustrate how EUWA is planning to create a unified, high‑quality framework for building a water‑resilient Europe.

Three pillars

Under the Blue Training pillar, EUWA delivers a Europe‑wide catalogue of labelled training programmes to address the water-related priorities set out in the EU Water Resilience Strategy. Under Blue Skills, the European Water Academy equips professionals with the expertise needed to manage water resources, adapt to climate impacts and promote water resilience competitiveness. The Blue Bubble is the symbol that is used for a pan-European network of learners and providers, highlighting the collaborative nature of the initiative as the networks of networks.

Technical skills

In a survey about the focus of a European Water Academy in 2025 respondents said that EUWA should focus on technical skills for water operators. Water Europe also stated in a position paper that the European Water Academy should mainly focus on operational skills development. The idea is to complement, rather than duplicate, the work of universities and research institutions. Water Europe considers the European Water Academy as a key instrument to bridge the skills gap, accelerate innovation uptake, and strengthen Europe’s resilience to achieve a Water-Smart Society and Economy.