EU/Water: 'Without a paradigm shift, sustainable management won't be reached before 2049', warns the EESC

“At the current rate, it will be impossible to achieve sustainable water management before 2049. The EESC calls for a paradigm shift from a linear use of water to circular systems, as well as for water to be recognised as a public good with social, environmental and economic value”, states the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in a contribution to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, entitled ‘From the Blue Pact for Europe and the EU Water Resilience Strategy to Global Action for Water’, and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 23 September 2026.

“The EESC urges the international community to unequivocally condemn and classify as a war crime any attack perpetrated against essential water infrastructure, which is vital for the survival of civilians,…