Water Innovation Europe 2020

DIGITAL INNOVATIVE WATER WEEK

In 2050 Europe aims to be the world’s first climate-neutral continent implementing the European Green Deal: an ambitious package of measures to deeply transform our economy and society. In the meantime, the wake-up call of the COVID-19 crisis deeply reinforced this necessity for Europe to a new paradigm towards a Water-Smart Society, from crisis management to risk management and prevention in Europe and beyond.

Pollution and viruses do not stop at our boundaries and are not an issue of a single sector only. One trillion of the European budget will have to contribute to the ecological transition, particularly through emission reduction.

As water is a cross-sectoral and strategic resource, water security should be a prerequisite to make the green deal a success. We need investment in innovative solutions to achieve a Water Smart Society which fully considers the true value of water. Europe’s leadership has already demonstrated its positive impact in Europe and beyond to support green growth, find sustainable solutions and strengthen its position on the world market.

Research and innovation along the full value chain in the water sector can still go steps further:

• How can water enable European society to prevent crises, ensure resiliency and reboot our economy after and beyond the COVID19 crisis?
• How could we make sure that water efficiency gains at an individual level are translated into long-term water security in a context of climate change adaptation?
• How to fuel research, technological development, and wider sectoral policy coordination to tackle urgent global water and food systems challenges?
• How to halt the loss of aquatic biodiversity through 2030 through inclusive models gathering the public sector, the private sector and civil society?
• How to move away from conventional, linear approaches to tackle water quality deterioration, towards circularity and industrial symbiosis?

Join the WIE2020 digital edition to get answers to these questions, gain new insights, debate and discuss!