Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon and Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), has called for Europe’s water resilience ambitions to be translated into concrete investment, innovation and action in cities and regions, as he helped launch the new EU Water Resilience Stakeholder Platform in Brussels.
The Platform was jointly launched on 21 September by the European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. Bringing together more than 50 high-level experts from across the EU water sector, it will support implementation of the EU Water Resilience Strategy and help identify barriers and practical solutions in areas including water efficiency, digitalisation and water reuse. The three institutions will co-chair the Platform throughout its mandate.
“Europe has set the direction on water resilience. Now the European Union must turn that strategy into investment, innovation and action on the ground, empowering cities and regions to protect citizens and build more resilient territories,” said Carlos Moedas (PT/EPP), Mayor of Lisbon and Vice-President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions.
Speaking in Brussels, Moedas highlighted Lisbon as an example of how cities are already translating climate adaptation objectives into major infrastructure projects. He presented the city’s drainage tunnels, which he described as Europe’s largest climate adaptation project, and underlined Lisbon’s ambition to be climate neutral by 2030.
His intervention underlined the importance of ensuring that European ambitions are matched by the capacity of local and regional authorities to implement them on the ground, combining investment, preparedness and innovation.
The new Stakeholder Platform forms part of the implementation of the EU Water Resilience Strategy, which aims to make Europe water-resilient by 2050. Its objectives include restoring and protecting the water cycle, building a water-smart economy and ensuring safe and affordable water and sanitation. The launch was followed by the inaugural meeting of the European Water Academy, another flagship initiative under the Strategy designed to strengthen preparedness, expertise and professional skills in Europe’s water sector.