August 2010

Water Scarcity and Drought

in the European Union
EN WATER

Water is life, sustaining ecosystems and regulating our climate. But it’s a
finite resource, and less than 1% of the world’s fresh water is accessible
for direct human use. Europe needs to learn the value of one of its most
precious yet scarce resources.

Competition for water poses a growing risk to the economy, communities

and the ecosystems they rely on. If climate change keeps raising average
temperatures across Europe, water is expected to become even scarcer in
many areas, so it is vital to find solutions to protect this resource.

Drought refers to a temporary decrease in water availability, for example,

when it doesn’t rain over a long period of time. Water scarcity, on the other
hand, occurs when demand for water exceeds the available sustainable
resources. This is something we must learn to prevent.

An adequate supply of good-quality water is a pre-requisite for economic

and social progress, so we need to do two things: we must learn to save
water, and also to manage our available resources more efficiently.
© www.usgcrp.gov
© iStockphoto
Fact 1: Europe is using up its essential Europe’s geography and climate mean that water distribution is
uneven in the EU, a situation made worse by human activity. In
water resources southern Europe, for instance, tourist development has increased
Europe is not an arid continent, but water supplies are now a demand for water, resulting in desertification and salt-water
concern for almost half of the EU population. intrusion to aquifers located in some coastal freshwater zones.
Water scarcity is most acute in the south, but by no means limited
The graph below shows the situation in different European
to these areas: most Member States have suffered episodes of
countries. The water exploitation index (WEI) indicates the amount
drought since 1976, and many now report frequent water scarcity
of water abstracted each year as a proportion of total long-term
problems and over-exploited aquifers.
freshwater resources. It is an indicator of the pressure or stress
on freshwater resources. A WEI above 20% implies that a water
resource is under stress, and values above 40% indicate severe
Main drought events in Europe
water stress and clearly unsustainable use of the water resource.
Cyprus, Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Malta are currently using
up 20% or more of their long-term supplies every year. Cyprus,
which has been suffering severe drought, consumed much more
than 40% of its renewable supplies.

Total abstraction per year/

Long-term renewable resource

70%

60%

Source: ETCLUSI (Adapted from Tallaksen, 2007)

50%
Fact 2: The problem is growing
Water scarcity is an increasingly frequent and worrying
phenomenon that affects at least 11% of the European
40% population and 17% of EU territory.
Since 1980, the number of droughts in Europe has increased,
and they have become more severe, costing an estimated
€100 billion over the past 30 years. One of the worst droughts
30% occurred in 2003, when one-third of EU territory and over
100 million people were affected. Between 1976 and 2006, the
number of people and areas hit by drought rose by almost 20%,
and the yearly average cost has quadrupled.
Demand for water continues to rise across Europe, putting a
20%
strain on our resources.
It is estimated that some 20-40% of Europe’s available water
is being wasted (leakages in the supply system, no water
saving technologies installed, too much unnecessary irrigation,
10% dripping taps etc.).
In a ‘business as usual’ scenario, water consumption by the
public, industry and agriculture would increase by 16% by 2030.
Climate change will add to the problems of water scarcity and
0% droughts.
Latvia
Iceland
Norway
Slovakia
l
Sweden
Ireland
Finland
Slovenia
ourg
Luxemb rk
Austria
Hungary
and
Estonia
ia
ands
epublic
Netherl ece
France
Czech R mania
Poland
Turkey
Malta
y
s
Italy
nia
Spain
FYR, of Belgium
Cyprus
a

Portuga
d/Wale

German
Bulgari

Lithuan

Denma
Macedo

Gre

Switzerl
Ro
Englan

Source: European Environment Agency (2009)

Fact 3: The European Union is taking action Did you know…?
A variety of approaches are being used at EU level to preserve Europe’s It takes around 16 000 litres of water to
waters. Legislation, market instruments, monitoring, research and awareness- produce 1kg of beef, 140 litres of water for
raising can all make a contribution. 1 cup of coffee, and 900 litres of water for
1kg of maize.
In 2000, the EU introduced the Water Framework Directive, the most
ambitious and comprehensive piece of EU legislation ever approved Every year, some 247 000 million m3 are
in water policy. Taking a genuinely European approach, it establishes extracted from ground and surface water
a management system based on natural river basin districts rather than sources (streams, lakes and rivers) in the EU.
regional and national boundaries. The aim is to bring together all water
Not all of this water is consumed. For example,
managers – from governments to local communities – the public and all
the water abstracted for cooling purposes in
affected sectors to safeguard ground and surface waters, and achieve good
electricity generation is nearly all returned
ecological status by 2015.
to a river, a bit warmer than it was originally.
In 2007, the EU put forward a Communication addressing the challenge Contrastingly, most of that abstracted for
of water scarcity and droughts. The Communication identified seven agriculture is consumed. This means that it is
policy initiatives that had to be addressed if Europe was to move towards a not returned to the river because it is used for
water-efficient and water-saving economy. Each year a report is presented irrigation so it is either evaporating or is being
on the annual progress towards the implementation of the set orientations. bound up in the crops.
EU policy related to water scarcity and droughts is based on the principle of The largest proportion of the abstracted water
a ‘water hierarchy’. This means that additional water supply infrastructures (44%) goes to the energy production sector
such as water transfers or desalination plants should be considered only for cooling processes.
when all demand-side measures, like water-saving, water efficiency
Agriculture and food production also require
improvements and water-pricing, have been exhausted.
their share, using 24% of abstracted supplies,
A 2009 EU policy paper on adapting to climate change highlights the need but this can go up to 80% in some southern
for further measures to enhance water efficiency and to increase resilience to regions. Irrigation consumes a lot of water,
climate change. This approach reinforces the consistency of measures taken but many high-value farming activities are
at both EU and national level, and sets the scene for further European action. relying on a small proportion of irrigated land:
in Spain, for example, more than 60% of the
Member States need to focus on prevention in dealing with the threat of
total value of the country’s agricultural output
drought and water scarcity. The EU needs consolidated data and drought
comes from the 14% of agricultural land that is
indicators. A prototype European Drought Observatory for forecasting
irrigated.
and monitoring will publish real-time information online. The Commission
is also launching a number of related projects as well as research initiatives 17% of the abstracted water is used for
under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development. public water supply (including households,
the public sector and small businesses) and
The policy on water scarcity and droughts will be reviewed by 2012.
15% for industry. Half of the water taken for
This review, together with the assessment of the Member States’ plans
manufacturing is used in the chemicals sector
for managing Europe’s river basins, as required by the Water Framework
and petrol refineries, with basic metals, paper
Directive, and the review of the vulnerability of environmental resources
and food processing industries taking up most of
such as water, biodiversity and soil to climate impacts and man-made
the rest.
pressures will contribute to the Blueprint for Europe’s Waters planned for
2012. The Blueprint will foster a move towards prevention and preparedness
with a view to ensuring a sustainable balance between water demand and
the supply of clean water, taking into account the needs of both human
activities and of natural ecosystems.

Fact 4: Member States are acting

You may have noticed the water tariff system changing in your country.
This is one of many measures being introduced to fight water scarcity.
Measures to encourage more sustainable use include:
Market-based instruments to ensure that the ‘user pays’ principle
becomes the rule. As tariffs may increase people’s water bills, in most
countries they are being applied gradually. Alternative measures to
encourage the efficient use of water include block tariffs, penalties for
excessive consumption and discounts for water saving.
Targeted use of funding to encourage water saving, such as for improved
land-use planning to prevent new developments overexploiting water
resources, and promotion of sustainable agriculture (crops using less
water, more efficient irrigation etc).
© iStockphoto
© iStockphoto

KH-30-09-180-EN-D
Improving drought risk management through comprehensive plans with
mapping and warning systems.
After exhausting all water-saving measures, several Member States may have
had to develop alternative water supply infrastructures to tackle water scarcity
problems in river basins, such as extending desalination plants or importing
fresh water.
Water-efficient technologies: encouraging research and reducing water
consumption and wastage.
Fostering a water-saving culture: information, education and training to raise
awareness among both businesses and consumers.
Creating a balance between developing a competitive tourist industry
and respecting environmental issues. This requires better environmental
management by tourism companies, coupled with higher awareness among
Recent studies have visitors themselves. The EU offers funding to support green tourism networks,
found that much more and is examining core indicators for sustainable tourism development.
could be done to cut
water use in the EU. Fact 5: You can help too!
Europe could cut its overall When it comes to saving water, there are lots of things we can do around the home,
consumption by some 40%. or as consumers, to save on water consumption and conserve supplies. Here are a
A lot of water is wasted. few ideas:
New technologies, improved About one-third of water for domestic use goes down the toilet, literally. Use the
irrigation management, drought- short flush whenever possible, or reduce the toilet cistern capacity.
resistant crops and water recycling in
Collect rainwater for the garden and for washing the car. This can save up to 50%
factories could save up to 40% in the
of household water.
agricultural and industrial sectors.
Take showers rather than baths, and do not leave the water running when
Some cities could save 50% of their
brushing teeth or cleaning dishes.
water by repairing leaks in public
supply networks. Don’t fill your kettle – just boil the amount of water you need.
In the home, water-saving devices Check taps and pipes for drips and leaks, and fit spray taps that reduce the flow.
and more efficient household
Use the economy cycle and wait for a full load of clothes in the washing machine

Printed on recycled paper that has been awarded the EU Ecolabel for graphic paper (www.ecolabel.eu)
appliances could make a big
or dishes in the dish washer.
difference, coupled with a more
careful approach by consumers. Use a bucket when cleaning outdoors instead of a hosepipe.
Extending the Eco-design Directive In your garden, use watering cans or trigger nozzles on hoses to irrigate only
to domestic water-saving devices those areas that need it.
could reduce total EU public water
Use bottled water sparingly: in Europe, tap water is safe to drink.
consumption by 19.6%.
On holiday, reduce hotel laundry by using towels and sheets several times.

Further information:
European Commission’s water scarcity & droughts page:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/quantity/scarcity_en.htm
htm
European Drought Observatory:
http://edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu/php/index.php?action=view&id=2
European Environment Agency:
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water
Sources for the “Did you know…” section:
http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home
http://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/the-water-we-eat
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0228:FIN:EN:PDF
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/quantity/pdf/exec_summary.pdf

© European Union, 2010

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