Cairo: The opening ceremony of Cairo Water Week 2025 saw a keynote address from Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy. Roswall emphasized the critical importance of water management and resilience, particularly highlighting the shared challenges faced by Europe and Africa due to water scarcity and climate change impacts.
According to European Union, Roswall noted that extreme weather conditions, including heatwaves, droughts, and floods, have already cost Europe 43 billion euros this summer, with projections pointing to a rise to 129 billion euros by 2029. Approximately one-third of the European Union's population is currently affected by water scarcity, and desertification is becoming a growing concern in southern, central, and eastern Europe, impacting agriculture, forests, and habitats.
Roswall stressed the urgency of addressing these water-related issues, predicting that global water demand will surpass available resources by 40% by 2030. She cited the World Economic Forum's identification of water-related challenges as five of the top ten long-term global risks for businesses, underlining the necessity for immediate and comprehensive action.
The European Union has launched its European Water Resilience Strategy, which aims to restore and protect the water cycle, build a water-smart economy, and ensure clean and affordable water for all. This strategy emphasizes the importance of science, innovation, and cooperation as cornerstones for sustainable water management.
Roswall highlighted the EU's commitment to supporting global water infrastructure, promoting integrated water resources management, and advancing water diplomacy. The EU aims to contribute to closing the financing gap in the water sector and to build strategic partnerships, particularly with countries like Egypt, where a Water Partnership has been established to deliver tangible results.
Investments and technical assistance will be directed towards water quantity management, climate change adaptation, and safe reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture. Roswall commended Egypt's leadership in tackling regional and global water challenges and expressed the EU's commitment to collaborating on sustainable water management initiatives with partners in the Middle East and North Africa.
The address concluded with a call for collective action and cooperation at regional and global levels to address water resilience, emphasizing the European Union's readiness to lead these efforts and build partnerships for a sustainable future.