Securing Europe’s future: prioritising water resilience

About the blog

Geoff Townsend

Industry Fellow, R&D, Ecolab

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Water has emerged as a defining resource for Europe’s economic prosperity and climate resilience. After years of compounding droughts, floods, and shifting weather patterns, Europe stands at a pivotal moment.

While water scarcity and uncertainty present real challenges to growth, financial stability, and social well-being, this inflexion point also offers  a powerful opportunity to rethink how we value and manage water  —unlocking new pathways toward resilience and innovation.

Natural ecosystems, especially freshwater resources, have suffered from decades of over-extraction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. The mounting impacts are slowing economic activity and exposing systemic vulnerabilities. The stakes are considerable: Europe’s freshwater ecosystems underpin more than €11 trillion in value, 2.5 times Germany’s GDP. Surface water scarcity alone endangers nearly 15% of the euro area’s economic output, a stark reminder that water security is not a distant environmental concern but a core economic issue.

Recognising this urgency,  the European Commission unveiled its Water Resilience Strategy in June 2025 . The strategy places water at the heart of the EU’s agenda for climate and economic adaptation.

The Water Resilience Strategy provides a credible roadmap, but its success hinges on determined leadership from European industry

see opinion piece attached