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First EU Water Resilience Forum marks a milestone for European water security

The European Commission, together with the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, convened the first-ever Water Resilience Forum on 8 December 2025 — a high-level gathering of policymakers, scientists, industry leaders and civil-society stakeholders to accelerate joint action on Europe’s growing water challenges.

Why it matters

  • The Forum responds to mounting pressures on Europe’s water resources, including unsustainable land use, pollution, climate change impacts, demographic growth and increasing water demand.
  • It aims to translate the recently adopted European Water Resilience Strategy into concrete action across three core objectives: restoring the water cycle, building a water-smart economy, and ensuring universal access to clean, affordable water and sanitation.

What happened at the Forum

  • The opening session featured prominent speakers, including senior representatives from the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.
  • Six solution-oriented panel sessions explored challenges and pathways related to water efficiency, urban water resilience, industrial water use, financing, digital transformation in water management and capacity-building for stakeholders.
  • The Forum also launched the Water Resilience Stakeholder Platform — an expert group designed to bring together public authorities, civil society, industry and regional actors to support delivery of the Strategy’s priority actions. A call for interest to join the Platform will open in early 2026.

What this means for the STARS4Water community

As a project working on water sustainability, governance and resilience, STARS4Water welcomes this major EU-level initiative. The Forum’s commitment to restoring the water cycle, promoting water-smart economies and ensuring equitable access to clean water aligns closely with our goals. The new stakeholder platform and the collaborative spirit promoted by the Forum are expected to enhance opportunities for engagement, innovation and knowledge exchange across Europe — benefiting the STARS4Water hubs, partners and outreach activities.

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