Water is a strategic asset
10 March 2025
Waterways are multi-functional. Waterway authorities call for a EU Water Resilience Strategy that supports co-benefit solutions for navigation, water supply, flood mitigation, biodiversity restoration and recreation in a changing climate.
Waterway authorities manage and operate navigable rivers, canals and lakes in Europe which cross EU cities and landscapes hosting communities, economic activities and nature. In addition to providing infrastructure services for commercial and recreational navigationon different types of waterways, waterway authorities provide other important societal and economic services, such as protecting the safety of critical infrastructure, ensuring water supply for economy and society, providing flood mitigation, supporting biodiversity and enhancing regional development.
Water is a strategic asset. Navigable waterways are not only important for the sustainable transport of large volumes of goods. Surface waters are essential to the strategic nexus of drinking water, agriculture and industry on which our economy and society depend.
Climate change strongly affects water resilience on top of a backlog in renovation, decrease in funding and increasing danger of hybrid warfare. This causes a systemic risk to multiple and interdependent vital functions of our society and economy. Investments in waterways’ capacity to attenuate the consequences of extreme phenomena are ongoing, but enormous work remains to be done.
To achieve a fit-for-purpose and a fit-for-future waterway network fully contributing to increased water resilience, sustainability and security, it is essential to:
- Raise political awareness and understanding about the multi-purpose role of the navigable waterway network;
- Ensure a systemic approach and policy coherence in governance processes and projects;
- Foster research, development and innovation;
- Integrate water resilience in EU funding and financing instruments;
- Enable flexible, adaptive planning and implementation.
Read the full INE statement.
