Calling for a European blue deal to secure Europe’s water-resilient future

By Pietro Francesco De Lotto,President of the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change of the European Economic and Social Committee Download article Europe is increasingly feeling the impacts of water scarcity and the global water crisis. Countries and regions are dealing with droughts, poor water quality, or lack of access to safe drinking water. There is a lack of water efficiency in many areas of our society, including water supply infrastructures, production processes and consumption. Overall, we are not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals related to water. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an advisory body of the EU representing organised civil society, strongly believes that there is a need for a change of scale in European water policies: the current approach is fragmented and not adequately addressing the challenges in our society. An EU regulatory framework exists, but many of its objectives have not been reached,