A ride on the rollercoaster of European water policy

Europe Seeks a Foothold in Turbulent Waters

Europe is pressing hard on the water pedal. This became sharply evident in recent weeks in Brussels, where policy, financing, and innovation came together during the European Commission's Water Resilience Forum.

Read here what the Water Resilience Forum  puts on the table

Simultaneously, the Commission published the Environmental Omnibus Package and officially gave the green light for EIT Water, a new European Knowledge & Innovation Community that aims to accelerate water innovation over the next 15 years. Europe wants to move forward. But the question is not only how quickly but also how wisely.

Simplifying or Weakening? Environmental Omnibus Package Scrutinised

With the Environmental Omnibus Package, the European Commission aims to reduce administrative burdens and strengthen Europe's competitiveness. Less reporting reduces pressure, but it can also precisely remove the incentives that drive innovation and efficient water use.

What is remarkable is what is missing. The revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive was not reopened, keeping the debate on extended producer responsibility for micropollution closed. Recent analyses confirm that the costs for quaternary treatment remain high, but within previously made estimates.

At the same time, obligations directly affecting water use and quality are disappearing. Large livestock farms and aquaculture businesses fall outside certain reporting requirements. The mandatory chemical inventory and alternatives analysis within the Industrial Emissions Directive are also being eliminated. This happens at a time when it is becoming increasingly clear that end-of-pipe solutions are a systemic dead end.

Without knowledge of material flows and without incentives for substitute substances, we continue to invest in costly symptom control. The core question remains: does simplification accelerate the transition, or does it slow it down?

KIC Water: A New European Innovation Ecosystem Takes Shape

At the same time, Europe is fully committing to innovation. With the establishment of EIT Water, water is getting its own Knowledge & Innovation Community that aims to accelerate innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent development over the next fifteen years. The winning AllWaters consortium, with De Blauwe Cluster as a core partner, aims for a clear impact: bringing new solutions to market faster and reducing economic damage from water stress.

The intended impact by 2033 is impressive:

• 247 new innovations on the market
• 58 start-ups
• 1,380 supported companies
• up to €1.2 billion avoided economic damage from ecosystem restoration

KIC Water strongly focuses on cross-pollination between sectors. Innovations from marine technology, developed for extreme conditions, can just as well lead to breakthroughs for freshwater systems. This cross-system approach closely aligns with the way Flanders has been working for years: through collaboration, living labs, and practice-oriented innovation.

The challenge is to embed this acceleration in robust policy frameworks, so that innovation and environmental objectives reinforce each other instead of being under pressure.

Water Framework Directive: Legal Anchor Under Pressure

The Water Framework Directive remains the foundation of European water policy. Recently, the Council and European Parliament reached an agreement on its revision, including adjusted priority substances, clarifications on temporary deterioration, and a stronger focus on source control. The planning towards approval and transposition initially provides legal certainty.

But that certainty is under pressure. As part of the RESourceEU plan, the European Commission is exploring how the extraction of critical raw materials can be accelerated, possibly with relaxations of environmental and water regulations. The geopolitical logic is understandable, but the implications for water management are less so.

This creates a tension between strategic autonomy, economic acceleration, and water quality protection. Whether the Water Framework Directive will be reopened for debate in the future becomes a crucial question for 2026.

The Ride Isn't Over Yet

Europe is accelerating on water, but the direction isn’t yet set. Policy choices made today will determine how resilient Europe will handle water scarcity, climate risks, and innovation tomorrow. For Flanders, this is not a spectator role. The experience with regional coalitions, practice-oriented solutions, and cross-sector collaboration is more relevant than ever.

That’s exactly why it’s important to stay connected. To monitor developments, share insights, and make Flemish water knowledge visible in Europe.