The Commission calls for accelerating water protection and flood risk management in Europe

The European Commission yesterday publishes its latest reports on the state of water in the European Union, covering the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Directive, and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The reports highlight progress made in improving the status of EU water bodies over the past six years and identify key areas where further efforts are needed.

The reports provide valuable information on the status of EU freshwater and marine waters, the measures taken to improve the situation, and actions to reduce flood risks. They also offer country-specific information and tailored recommendations to support ongoing progress and sustainable water management across Europe.

The information provided in the reports will play a crucial role in developing the upcoming European Water Resilience Strategy, which aims to address Europe’s most pressing water-related challenges.

More efforts needed to ensure water resilience

Water Framework Directive Implementation Report

The Water Framework Directive implementation report identified several positive trends. In general, member states have improved the monitoring and assessment of surface and groundwater bodies, increased spending, and improved the enforcement of EU water legislation, although there are significant regional differences. Most groundwater bodies also continue to show good quantitative and chemical status.

However, substantial effort will be needed to meet the EU’s goals regarding the quality and quantity of freshwater. The overall health of EU surface waters is critical, with only 39.5% in good ecological status and only 26.8% reaching good chemical status. This is mainly due to widespread mercury contamination and other toxic pollutants. Water scarcity and drought are also growing concerns in much of the EU.

The EU has made key recommendations to member states for improving water management by 2027, including:

• Increasing compliance with EU water legislation, respecting pollution limits—especially nutrient pollution from agriculture—and ensuring proper treatment of wastewater discharges to protect the environment and human health;
• Securing sufficient funding to address funding gaps and ensure the effective implementation of water management measures;
• Implementing additional measures to tackle persistent environmental challenges, such as chemical pollution;
• Promoting water reuse, increasing efficiency and circularity to prevent over-exploitation of aquifers, combating illegal abstractions, and mitigating droughts.

Floods Directive Report

The evaluation of the Floods Directive implementation shows notable improvements in flood risk management, better harmonization of objectives and measures, and consideration of challenges posed by climate change.

However, most plans do not include quantitative targets, making it difficult to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of flood risk management. With more frequent and severe floods in Europe, member states must expand their planning and management capacity and invest adequately in flood prevention. To achieve this, ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions are key, as well as preparedness measures (early warning systems and awareness-raising).

Marine Strategy Framework Directive Measures Report

According to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive report, limited progress has been made in introducing and applying measures to achieve the Directive’s objectives, particularly concerning marine litter.

Member states are encouraged to increase efforts to achieve good environmental status of all EU marine waters and sustainably protect the resource base on which economic and social activities related to the marine environment depend.

Some key EU recommendations to achieve this include:

• Improving the design and implementation of measures to protect and restore marine biodiversity and reduce chemical, nutrient, and underwater noise pollution;
• Introducing new and improved financing and governance measures to ensure the effective implementation of ambitious and coherent measures across all EU marine environments.

Call for Data on the Future European Water Resilience Strategy

To accompany the reports, the European Commission has launched a call for data to give stakeholders the opportunity to share input and help design the upcoming European Water Resilience Strategy. The call responds to a clear demand for measures to address water-related challenges and reverse widespread degradation and poor management of water resources and ecosystems across the EU.

The call is open to representatives from across the EU, including citizens and stakeholders working in water-related fields. The consultation process will also include an event with stakeholders on March 6, 2025.

Context

Today’s reports complement the 2024 report from the European Environment Agency on the state of water in Europe.

EU water resources face significant pressure due to unsustainable land use, hydromorphological changes, pollution, climate change, increased water demand, urbanization, and population growth.

When asked about the main water-related threats in their country, most Europeans mention pollution, followed by excessive water consumption and waste.

The EU Water Framework Directive required member states to ensure that all surface waters (lakes, rivers, transitional waters, and coastal waters) and groundwater bodies were in good quality status by 2015. This deadline may be extended to 2027 under certain conditions.

The Floods Directive requires member states to identify and map flood-prone areas and develop programs to minimize risk and potential damage through flood risk management plans. The Commission today publishes its evaluation of these plans for the 2021-2027 period.

River basin management and flood risk management plans are developed for six-year periods. The Commission publishes its evaluation of these for the 2021-2027 period.

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires member states to assess, monitor, and take action to protect and improve the status of their seas to achieve good environmental status. The measures programs evaluated are those presented for the 2021-2027 period. The Commission’s evaluation focuses on the measures member states have developed for their respective marine strategies. These programs are an update of the first measures programs reported in 2016.

More Information European Commission.