WWF urges fundamental change in EU water management

A new study from environmental advocacy group WWF finds that Europe is increasingly suffering "from a lack of water due to decades of water mismanagement and degradation of freshwater ecosystems."

The  report, published on Thursday, says climate change is a contributing factor in this, but emphasizes that "the primary responsibility lies with the way we consume, regulate, and use water."

What did the WWF's study find?

Based on case studies from four European countries — Spain, France, the Netherlands and Bulgaria — the WWF report highlights different forms of water mismanagement.

It provides only a snapshot of the continent's water issues, but shows how both the quantity and the quality of Europe's water are waning.

Droughts already cause economic damage worth €9 billion (roughly $9.6 billion) each year, and almost one in three people living in Europe have experienced difficulties accessing water, the organization said.

At the same time, more than a quarter of Europe's groundwater bodies are "not in good chemical status."

Poor management of water ecosystems is a problem across the continent: In Germany, for example, "only slightly less than 10% of rivers, lakes and coastal waters are in good ecological status," according to the WWF. This is far below the EU average.

"We do everything we can to drain the water out of the landscape as quickly as possible — and then we are surprised when there are crop failures in the summer due to drought," Theresa Schiller, WWF water resources officer, told German news agency DPA.

What can be done to improve this?

The WWF's report confirms a tendency other studies have shown before. Earlier this year, researchers found that Europe has been "suffering from a severe drought since 2018." Countries like Spain, France, Hungary but also Germany have been hit bydroughts in recent years.

In Thursday's report, climate advocates called for a paradigm shift in the EU's water governance. "The EU must push forward a sustainable water and climate adaptation agenda," Schiller said.

The EU's own environmental agency has acknowledged this as well, saying that "Europe needs to strengthen the resilience of its ecosystems and use water more efficiently."

Specific measures to reduce water consumption could include using more treated industrial and domestic wastewater for agricultural irrigation, which makes up around 40% of Europe's water consumption.

The WWF's recommendations to EU states included trying to use less water from natural reserves like lakes and rivers and giving more such freshwater sites protected status, as well as phasing out "subsidies and funds which are harmful to water resilience." 

fg/msh (AFP, dpa)