On 6 December, Bernard Van Nuffel, President of Aqua Publica Europea, joined the third panel session of the European Forum on the Regulation of Water Services (EFRW) organised in Brussels by WAREG, the association of European Regulators in the drinking water and wastewater sector.

The session, which brought together experts from international and European institutions and the water sector, focused on water resilience in the EU and neighbouring countries in a context of unprecedented drought and flood events. Participants explored the role of economic regulators, the adoption of innovative solutions, and the importance of international collaboration and capacity-building to ensure water resilience.

In his remarks, Van Nuffel highlighted Aqua Publica Europe’s new publication “Resilience in Action: Public Water Operators' Strategies to Tackle Water Scarcity and Drought”, which collects a series of best practices to increase resilience towards drought and water scarcity against the backdrop of accelerating climate change.

He stressed that as water is a finite resource, a common good and a human right, managing water in a responsible and sustainable way is a shared responsibility. Water operators have a key role to play in this regard and should invest in an accurate monitoring of water resources to develop plans to prevent or mitigate water scarcity risks.

However, water operators cannot do everything alone, he said. Sustainable water resources management requires coordination with other stakeholders and public authorities. This demands a clear governance system and a regulatory system at national and European level for water resources protection with control-at-source measures at the forefront.