A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that Europe’s water resources are under serious pressure and no significant progress has been made since 2009.
The report highlights the urgent need to enforce the Water Framework Directive (WFD) more strictly, to substantially change agricultural production, reduce pollution and urgently restore ecosystems.
The key findings of the report include:
● Less than 40% of surface waters, such as rivers and lakes, are currently in good health.
● Nearly 25% of groundwater bodies are not in good chemical condition, even though they provide almost two-thirds of our drinking water.
● The chemical status of rivers, lakes, and coastal waters has further deteriorated, with less than 30% meeting the pollution standards set by the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
● Harmful agricultural practices, particularly the intensive use of nutrients and pesticides, remain the most significant pressure on water resources. Diffuse pollution pressures from agriculture affect 32% of groundwater and 29% of surface waters.
● Chemical pollution from coal-powered factories, as well as watercourse modifications through dam construction and regulation, also place considerable pressure on surface waters.
Claire Baffert, Senior EU Policy Officer for Water & Climate Change Adaptation at WWF European Policy Office, stated: “The continued deplorable state of Europe’s waters shows that member states are failing to manage the water crisis year after year. The Water Framework Directive has been in place for over two decades, yet its goals remain largely unmet because national governments do not take its requirements seriously. Unfortunately, as reflected in the Draghi report, there are persistent calls to weaken the directive’s standards to facilitate harmful projects, when what we really need is to prioritize the protection of our water resources.”
Europeans are increasingly paying the price for their governments’ inaction on the water crisis. According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, 78% of Europeans want the EU to do more to address water pollution.
The NGO coalition “Living Rivers Europe” urges member states to accelerate the implementation of the Water Framework Directive to improve the state of Europe’s waters and to integrate water and ecosystem protection into all policies.
Irene Duque, Freshwater Policy Officer at Wetlands International Europe, stated: “Thank you, EEA! We received the message loud and clear: the resilience of our water is at risk. The path forward to meet EU objectives and improve the health of European waters is just as clear: wetland restoration, not inadequate adaptation. The construction of dams and reliance on grey infrastructure continue to prove counterproductive, often worsening the very issues they aim to solve. Wetland restoration remains a low priority on the EU agenda, but for those concerned about devastating floods, droughts, the decline of freshwater fish species, or access to water as a fundamental human right, this is truly a necessity.”