After a summer of unprecedented droughts and heatwaves, 34 organisations alongside Aqua Publica Europea, representing sustainable farmers, water providers, healthcare providers, local authorities, financial service providers and citizens, are calling on the European Commission to make nature-based solutions Europe's first line of defence against a changing climate that threatens us all.

Climate resilience cannot remain rhetoric. As the EU prepares its European Framework for Climate Resilience, we urge the Commission to turn commitments into action and put nature at the heart of adaptation policy.

Nature-based Solutions have been proven in numerous cases to be more effective than grey solutions, whether it's for flood and drought prevention, or even improving the ecological and chemical statuses of our water bodies. Many of those solutions have been implemented by our members, as highlighted in our report Working with Nature to Restore the Water Cycle, Good Practices from European Public Water Operators (2025).

Healthy rivers, wetlands, forests and soils help protect people and ecosystems from floods, droughts and extreme heat, while delivering benefits for nature, public health and the economy.

Read the open letter here.

Read our report on Working with Nature (2025).