20/11/2025.- Natural Mineral Waters Europe has co-signed a joint letter with leading companies whose activities depend on clean and resilient freshwater resources.
The letter is addressed to Teresa Ribera (Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition), Jessika Roswall (European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy) and Valdis Dombrovskis (European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, and Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification).
In the letter, the signatories express their strong support for maintaining the focus on the full implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), and caution against reopening or revising the Directive in the upcoming Environmental Omnibus Proposal.
They emphasise that safeguarding Europe’s waters is essential for environmental protection, economic resilience, public health and Europe’s long-term competitiveness. The WFD has been the cornerstone of Europe’s water protection for more than two decades, and its objectives remain as critical today as when it was adopted.
Recent evidence highlights the urgency of action:
- In 2022, 34% of the EU’s population and around 40% of its territory experienced seasonal water scarcity.
- Only 39% of surface water bodies currently achieve good ecological status, and 27% good chemical status.
- The European Central Bank has indicated that up to 15% of euro-area economic output is exposed to water-scarcity risk.
- Water demand from key industries is expected to triple by 2030.
These figures underscore that protecting and implementing the WFD is not only an environmental obligation but a strategic investment in Europe’s resilience and competitiveness.
The joint letter welcomes the Commission’s recent Water Resilience Strategy, which reinforces the need to address water scarcity and protect aquatic ecosystems. However, reopening the WFD now would create regulatory uncertainty, divert attention from implementation, and undermine progress.
Instead, the signatories call for a strong focus on:
- accelerating implementation of existing legislation;
- strengthening support for Member States and land managers;
- improving access to finance, knowledge, and capacity across the water management community.
NMWE stands ready to engage constructively with policymakers, civil society, and stakeholders to support the full and effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
Read the full letter here.