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Every drop counts
It’s been a big week for water in Brussels, with the Commission unveiling its water resilience strategy and its European Ocean Pact… all in the run-up to next week’s UN Ocean Conference.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water”. This stands at every level, but a range of national, European and global initiatives are underway to highlight its worth right now, and to try to prevent the well from running dry.
Spotlight on the oceans
You would hope that we didn’t actually have to make the case for water, but many people feel that its importance has long been ignored. One of these is Francisco Ferreira, president of Portuguese environmental association ZERO. He gives Radio Renascença a quick reminder.
Francisco Ferreira, President of ZERO (in Portuguese):
“It is essential to realise that if we are on a trajectory of a temperature increase of around 3.1 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era, this is only thanks to the ocean. Otherwise, the temperature rise would be much higher. It is the ocean that has been ‘suffering’, so to speak, absorbing much of the excess heat from the atmosphere and allowing us to continue taking actions that adversely affect the planet. Not enough importance has been given to safeguarding the ocean or to the part the ocean has played in minimising the impact of climate change.”
One global initiative on the immediate horizon is the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), which is being held in Nice from 9 to 13 June.
France’s Euradio asks Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, a lecturer in marine ecology at France’s prestigious Sorbonne University, why the UN is giving the oceans such a platform.
Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, Lecturer in Marine Ecology at Sorbonne University (in French):
“Ten years after COP21 and the Paris Agreement, the ambition of UNOC 3 is to better protect the oceans. Indeed, the 14th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal relates to the marine environment, and it is currently the least well-funded of them all.”
While no binding decisions are expected in Nice, the conference is certainly creating a wave of momentum in the field. But what are its specific goals?
Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, Lecturer in Marine Ecology at Sorbonne University (in French):
“The general aim is to ‘accelerate action and mobilise all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’, but in detail the UNOC has three priorities. The first is to bring multilateral discussions on the ocean to a conclusion, so as to protect [the ocean] more effectively. The second is to mobilise funding to conserve marine biodiversity and ensure a sustainable use of the oceans, while supporting the development of a blue economy that is also sustainable. And the third priority is to strengthen and better disseminate marine science knowledge for better policy-making.”
So that’s the official script. But Renascença asks Francisco Ferreira what his organisation hopes to see come out of Nice.
Francisco Ferreira, President of ZERO (in Portuguese):
“One key aspect, from a scientific point of view, is for us to have an international platform for ocean sustainability, which would basically be something similar to the intergovernmental panel for climate change or the panel we have for biodiversity. So it would involve the gathering together of consensual and credible scientific information relating to the ocean. Another very important aspect is […] the role that each country must play in ocean-related actions, making commitments to really make it possible to mobilise more resources for coastal and marine interventions.”
The United Nations High Seas Treaty is one such ‘ocean-related action’ in which individual countries can play their part. It is designed to protect the vast ocean areas that lie beyond national jurisdiction, notably by tackling environmental degradation, curbing climate change and halting biodiversity loss.
Although it was formally adopted in June 2023, the High Seas Treaty needs 60 ratifications before it can enter into force – and in this respect, it is something that stands to gain from that aforementioned wave of momentum.
The European Union ratified the treaty last week, along with unveiling a 40-million-euro package to help its partners in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to follow suit. Several EU member states, including Portugal for that matter, have also ratified it, bringing the total count to 31 at the time of writing. But with less than one per cent of our high seas formally protected as things stand, environmentalists are urgently calling for 29 more states to ratify the treaty before the end of the conference in Nice.
Ocean’s 25?
One other big item on the conference agenda is Ursula von der Leyen’s presentation of the Commission’s European Ocean Pact. This pact, which was adopted in Brussels on Environment Day – Thursday 5 June – aims to promote a more coordinated approach to ocean management.
It will serve as a kind of ‘umbrella’, focusing on implementing planned ocean-related commitments and using existing instruments in a harmonised way, whether they sit under climate policy or, say, fisheries policy. This policy of introducing better coordination instead of new rules appears to be a tactic Brussels is increasingly favouring.
The Ocean Pact has several strands, among which trade and environmental concerns feature prominently. Specifically, the Commission seeks to restore degraded marine habitats, as well as to find ways to ensure innovation and sustainability in the so-called ‘blue economy’ as it looks ahead to the bloc’s next long-term budget. Support for coastal communities, research and development, and maritime security also feature.
Water resilience
On a related-yet-distinct note, on Wednesday (4 June), the Commission adopted its European Water Resilience Strategy, which is meant to support member states in managing water more efficiently. Staggeringly, 30 per cent of Europe’s land faces water scarcity every year, while flooding has caused losses running into the hundreds of billions over the last 45 years, according to Commission figures.
The communication identifies five flagship actions, which include pressing member states to implement existing water regulations. Brussels also intends to allocate more funds to water resilience, including by increasing cohesion funds and establishing a roadmap for nature-based credits. No new law is foreseen.
Jessika Roswall, the EU’s commissioner for the environment and water resilience, set out the strategy’s main goals, as reported by our German partner station AMS.
Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for the Environment (in English):
“First, there is no quick fix that we can offer member states to solve the water crisis. Our journey starts today and will have to be sustained in the long term. Second, water is a resource that we share. There can be no solution without cooperation. Rivers, as you know, don't stop at national borders. So, having this in mind, the strategy puts forward three goals. First, we must fix the broken water cycle. Second, we have to build on a water smart economy. And third, we have to ensure clean and affordable water for everyone.”
https://www.euranetplus.de/2025/06/05/den-wasserkreislauf-der-erde-reparieren/
But one point raised by Roswall – that of cross-border action – set alarm bells ringing for Iris Strutzmann, who works in the climate, environment and transport department at the Vienna Chamber of Labour. Strutzmann shares her concerns with Agora.
Iris Strutzmann, Vienna Chamber of Labour (in German):
“Our concern is that privatisation or liberalisation is creeping in through the back door, so to speak. […] Why? Because as soon as cross-border issues come into play, so does the European Union's competition policy. And even if, for example, no privatisation or liberalisation is intended, the Commission, as the guardian of the treaties, must ensure that this competition exists – since liberalisation is also a principle of the internal market, so to speak. And that's where we say, ‘Watch out’, because when competition becomes a factor, we fear that the market will be opened up to private companies. And we know the history of privatisation very well, because private companies have to make a profit.”
https://www.agora.at/news/detail/vive-leurope-33-das-grundrecht-auf-wasser-sichern
Skai asks Konstantinos Voudouris, president of the Hellenic Committee of Hydrogeology, about the most pressing water-resilience problems in Greece. In response, Voudouris highlights the number of water-related projects have been launched but remain unfinished in his country. He also urges bold action to tackle water wastage owing to old infrastructure and poor maintenance.
Konstantinos Voudouris, President of the Hellenic Committee of Hydrogeology (in Greek):
“I believe bold action is needed because half-measures will not solve the existing water issues. We must start by saving water, especially by reducing losses, which can lead to a significant recovery of lost resources. Studies have shown that this is possible. However, it requires investment in infrastructure – sealed pipelines to prevent losses, improved irrigation systems to avoid watering crops under 40°C heat in summer, especially in Thessaly, where it all evaporates. We also need to promote water reuse measures within the context of the circular economy.”
But, he says, he is feeling optimistic.
Konstantinos Voudouris, President of the Hellenic Committee of Hydrogeology (in Greek):
“Hydro-technology is advancing by leaps and bounds – from desalination membranes to sealing materials and water storage systems like tanks and reservoirs. With the right funding, we can adapt quickly. That is my hopeful message for Environment Day: that we can adapt, but we need public awareness, citizen education, information campaigns, and most importantly, infrastructure projects at various levels.”
https://www.skai.gr/news/environment/politico-i-ee-zita-apo-tis-xores-na-xrisimopoioun-ligotero-nero
In addition to the water resilience strategy, the Commission also adopted a recommendation on water efficiency, setting out guidelines on reducing water demand. The Brussels executive will now begin implementing the actions set out in its new strategy and monitoring the progress of its water efficiency recommendations.