Faced with recurrent water-related crises, this edition of the annual conference will debate what is needed to make the EU more water resilient, for both today and tomorrow.
Water is a vital shared resource to be passed down from generation to generation and one of the essentials for people, the environment and a just, sustainable, and resilient economy.
In recent years, citizens across different parts of the continent have faced a surge in natural disasters, such as droughts and floods, which have made the EU’s water challenges even more severe and triggered a new awareness about the need to ensure a water-resilient Europe.
Pressures on water resources are not only due to the impacts of climate change, but also primarily to decades of structural mismanagement of this precious resource, pollution and ecosystem degradation. But water resilience is not only a challenge for the EU. Worldwide, the water cycle is out of balance, closely intertwined with climate change and biodiversity loss, all further exacerbating each other.
Speaking on the issue, the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said:
We need it, we take it for granted – but right now, Europe’s water needs our attention.
The EU faces challenges with water quality and quantity, and things will only get worse with climate change.
It’s a limited resource and we keep on increasing our demand.
If we don't address these issues today, we’re creating bigger problems for the future.
So, Green Week will help start a broad, society-wide conversation about water, making people more aware of the challenges, and of the immense advantages there are in building up our water resilience with concrete solutions.
Join us on May 29-30 to make a splash at Green Week 2024.
The 2024 EU Green Week is part of a wider communication campaign dedicated to the topic of water resilience. The objective is to stimulate an EU-wide conversation around the EU’s water, present and future, with an emphasis on fostering awareness and promoting positive, collaborative solutions.
At the conference, guest speakers will discuss various aspects of integrated water management. This includes topics, such as fostering a water smart economy within the EU, addressing the challenges of restoring and safeguarding the disrupted water cycle, ensuring widespread access to clean and affordable water and sanitation, as well as international water cooperation.
Conference registration will open in April and will be available via the Green Week website.
Green Week partner events
The conference will be accompanied by partner events, organised in Europe and beyond, under the shared header of water resilience. This year, exceptionally, partner events can be organised beyond the Green Week period, starting from 29 May till 1 September 2024.
If you are interested in organising any events that can engage citizens in water-related aspects and help foster a lively public conversation, please consult our guidelines and start preparing your event. The application period will be open between 4-17 March.
Background
EU Green Week is an annual opportunity to raise awareness, promote and discuss European environmental policy. Organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment, this high-level event attracts policymakers, leading environmentalists, stakeholders, and interested parties from across Europe and the globe.
For the previous editions of the Green Week, please visit here.
Details
- Publication date
- 15 January 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
