Water Resilience Stakeholder Platform launched to solve water issues

The Water Resilience Stakeholder Platform is a new community of around fifty members with different backgrounds that will work together over the next five years to help implement the Water Resilience Strategy. The Platform was launched by Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, on 21 September at the headquarters of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions in Brussels.

During the presentation of the new platform, not only the stakeholders attended the meeting. A broader audience interested in the implementation of the Water Resilience Strategy, of around one hundred people gathered in Brussels. According to the EU Commissioner the membership for Water Resilience Stakeholder Platform were selected because each stakeholder has a unique perspective to share. At the time of publication, a list of all the stakeholders was not (yet) available. “We have selected members from civil society, the private sector, youth, financial institutions, research organisations, as well as regions and municipalities. Remove any one of those voices, and the picture would be incomplete. Diversity is the strength of this Platform. We have assembled not just the best minds in Europe, but the full spectrum of Europe’s water interests and ideas”, said Roswall during her speech.

Solutions on water issues

The intention is that the Platform members will start working on solutions for water issues. “You know where the barriers are. For example, how best to implement a Sponge Facility. How to support leak reduction and infrastructure modernisation across Europe. And how best to communicate the role of water pricing to promote water efficiency, cost recovery and the polluter pays principle”, said Roswall. “You know what works on the ground. And you know where actions can be adapted, strengthened or better implemented”, she added. All stakeholders received a draft of the work programme, with a selection of actions on which the European Commission needs guidance.

Young water professionals included

The European Commission also invited young water professionals to be part of the Water Resilience Platform. “The principle of a generational contract sits at the heart of this Platform.” UNESCO Groundwater Youth Network, The European Youth Parliament for Water, and the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) are also part of the new Platform. Roswall: “We are thrilled to have you on board. Please, make your voices heard and I assure you that we are listening.”

Close investment gap

At the moment, the European Commission has mobilised over three billion euros from the current EU cohesion policy for water, to be used by next year. The European Investment Bank has committed a further fifteen billion euros for water resilience between 2025 and 2027 and kickstarted its Sustainable Water Advisory Facility this year. Still the water sector is facing an investment gap. Roswall said: “Many of you will have heard me say that public funding alone is not enough. The urgency is too great and the needs to big. So, we have to generate private financing. Our Industrial Accelerator is well on its way to making private capital more interested in water resilience. Together we can overcome funding barriers at all levels and areas of implementation. And together, we can scale up funding for water projects across the EU.”