EU Commissioner Kadis Calls Water Security a Strategic Priority at University of Cyprus Conference

Nicosia, Cyprus. European Oceans Commissioner Costas Kadis said on Thursday that Europe “can no longer take water for granted”, speaking at a conference on the circular water economy held at the University of Cyprus. He described tackling water scarcity as a growing strategic priority for the EU.

Water as an environmental, economic and security issue

Kadis told the audience that safeguarding water resources is at once an environmental priority, an economic necessity and a question of strategic security. He said the fires, droughts and shortages seen over the summer showed how urgently Europe must build up its resilience. In his words, water is vital for people, agriculture, energy, industry and ecosystems alike.

New EU initiatives

Kadis spoke about the European Water Initiative, which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last month in her State of the European Union address. He said it would add to the European water resilience strategy and seek to speed up measures against water scarcity and climate-related risks.

He added that putting European policies into practice effectively depends on adequate skills, stronger institutions and closer links between research and practical work. In that context he mentioned the European Water Academy, which was launched last month. The Commission says the academy has assembled a Europe-wide portfolio of labelled training and skills programmes aimed at a water-resilient Europe.

Cyprus experience and the role of desalination

Turning to Cyprus, Kadis said the island has long experience of coping with water scarcity, reusing water and desalinating it. He said this know-how could be applied in other EU coastal areas facing comparable pressures.

He cautioned, however, that desalination should go hand in hand with water saving and reuse. This approach, he said, rests on giving priority to efficient use of water resources and on avoiding significant harm to the environment.

Leakage in European networks

Von der Leyen said last month that the risks water scarcity poses to farmers, energy and supply chains are well understood. She also noted that “European pipes lose almost one in every four litres”, mostly because of leakage.