FIEC welcomes that water challenges have become a priority for European Commission and Members of Parliament across political groups

Water scarcity, heavy rainfall, and flooding have become serious problems in many EU Member States. Those extreme weather events are already having a huge impact on citizens and on our economies – with the situation set to get worse in the coming years. FIEC believes that the current EU legislative framework is failing to adequately address water challenges and furthermore to protect our societies and companies from physical damage and economic losses.

After the European Elections, re-elect European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen nominated Jessika Roswall for the role of Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy. Her portfolio will include strengthening water security through a European Water Resilience Strategy. Members of the European Parliament are also raising awareness to the topic by continued efforts in the MEP Water Group or Intergroup on Water.

As FIEC called to make water a top priority of the 2024-2029 mandate earlier this year1 , we support the appointment of a designated Commissioner to Water Resilience. We also positively welcome the commitment by the Members of the European Parliament to ensure the sustainable management of Europe’s water resources. As climate mitigation and adaptation go along, it is key to take decisive and firm action to increase water resilience and security, reduce ‘water stress’ and water losses. In order to achieve this, adequate financial resources must be guaranteed by facilitating public and private investments in relevant infrastructure and its maintenance.

Thanks to FIEC’s wide-ranging representativeness of the European construction industry and the expertise of our affiliates, we are committed to contribute to the work of future Commissioner Roswall and play an active role within the MEP Water Group / Intergroup on Water and other relevant fora, whenever this is useful.

FIEC is Ambassador of the #WaterWiseEU campaign launched by DG Environment of the European Commission, under the slogan “See water differently”. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the increasing stress placed on Europe’s water systems and to spotlight the many available solutions to tackle issues related to water