Local and regional leaders across the EU have called for disaster resilience to be built into planning and investment decisions after recent floods in south-west Europe.
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) said on it wants the European Commission and EU member states to adopt a “resilience by design” approach, including routine assessments of disaster risks and vulnerabilities in spatial and urban planning.
The CoR adopted an opinion on the European Water Resilience Strategy at a plenary session on 4 March following a debate with the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall.
The European Commission first presented the European Water Resilience Strategy in June 2025, covering issues including droughts, floods and water pollution.
The opinion — led by CoR President Kata Tüttő and First Vice-President Juanma Moreno — said there is a “direct correlation” between the natural availability of water and the level of regional development, and called for cities and regions to be fully involved in water planning and management decisions, particularly in river basins that cross borders.
It also said water resilience measures should be “socially fair and affordable”, particularly for vulnerable households, sectors that depend heavily on water, and regions facing water stress.
Calls for a ‘Water Test’ and action on pollution
Local and regional leaders also backed integrating water management across EU policy areas by applying a “Water Test” to EU legislation — a check on how new rules could affect water resources — as previously suggested by the European Economic and Social Committee, the statement said.
They called for dedicated water resilience headings in the EU’s next long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, including support through cohesion policy and other EU funding tools for regions facing water-related challenges.
The CoR also asked the Commission for more region-by-region data, including water stress indicators and climate vulnerability maps, to tailor EU-level measures to local conditions.
With many European water bodies still in poor condition, the CoR called for the “polluter pays” principle to be applied and for advanced water treatment technologies and monitoring systems to be deployed across the water cycle.
It urged the Commission to propose restrictions on PFAS — a group of persistent industrial chemicals often called “forever chemicals” — and said simplifying EU water legislation should not weaken environmental standards or public health protections.
A new Alliance for Water Resilience and Preparedness to Climate Change was launched alongside the adoption of the opinion, with 19 founding EU regions, led by Emilia-Romagna in Italy.
