The first Water Resilience Forum, convened by the European Commission to initiate an open dialogue with stakeholders on the recently adopted Water Resilience Strategy, was held in Brussels recently. The strategy was presented by the Commissioner for Environment and Circular Economy, Jessica Roswall.
Commissioner Roswall opened the forum by underscoring the importance of the European Union’s commitment to sustainability and to the protection and restoration of the hydrological cycle—key prerequisites for community well-being and for the EU’s overall competitiveness.
The event brought together sector experts, civil society representatives, and private-sector stakeholders. Among the participants were Marco Rago, Vice-President of the Organizing Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, and Emilio Ciarlo, Director General of One Water.
The meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen the European pillar of the Rome Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, given the strong interest expressed in Brussels. This interest will translate into a dedicated European “track” within the broader four-day forum program.
The goal is to make the Rome event a key platform for discussing national strategies to implement the EU Water Resilience Strategy, assessing the allocation of financial resources within the EU’s multiannual budget currently under negotiation, supporting investments in the water sector, contributing innovative solutions to shared challenges, and highlighting market opportunities for industry players.
The mission to Brussels also offered the occasion to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Water Europe, the leading platform representing major stakeholders in the European water sector. Water Europe will be a partner in developing the European track of the forum, as well as in institutional meetings held with the Directorate-General for Environment (DG Environment) and later with the Joint Research Centre.
With the Joint Research Centre—the Commission’s scientific research body—prospects for collaboration emerged particularly around strengthening the link between inland water issues and marine environments, which are closely interconnected in the Mediterranean context. In this regard, the 2026 Euro-Mediterranean Forum aims to innovate the traditional approach of water forums, which often fail to give adequate attention to blue economy topics, coastal economies, and the integrated “source-to-sea” perspective. The objective is to move beyond siloed approaches that no longer reflect the realities of the Euro-Mediterranean re
