It was recently noted by the commission that the water situation in Europe would continue to deteriorate if temperatures keep rising and no clear strategy is adopted. With water shortages and droughts on the rise, EU pushes for sustainable, continent-wide approach to this key commodity.
Summer has arrived in earnest in some parts of Europe.

So far this year, Romania has suffered its worst drought in 60 years and Greece its worst heatwave in 110 years, with many outbreaks of forest fires. The Netherlands also suffered drought conditions in April with a meagre 1mm of rainfall, compared to its normal 44mm.
Water scarcity and droughts are becoming increasingly common across Europe. According to EU figures, there have been significant increases over the last three decades in the annual average EU territory and population affected by drought (from 6% to 13%), costing the European economy at least €100bn.
Recent trends suggest shortages will become more prevalent across Europe in coming years. One of the most widespread droughts was in 2003, affecting over 100m people and about a third of the EU’s land area, and costing €8.7bn.
The commission has been involved in water projects for many years, such as the WISE project started in 2002. These schemes also focus on water quality and how droughts affect not only drinking water but farming, forestry and water transport networks. To tackle these growing problems, the commission has proposed an initial set of policy options, and called for a wider debate on how to move the EU to a more water efficient and water-saving economy. 
Prominent among these is water pricing – the " user pays" principle. Pricing needs to become the rule and this suggests the introduction of compulsory metering. Efficient use of water also needs to be promoted, as here there is tremendous potential for saving water across the EU - it is estimated that some 20% of available water is unnecessarily wasted, with some estimates as high as 40%. As an easy first step, the promotion and installation of water-saving devices on taps, shower heads, and toilets has been proposed.
It was recently noted by the commission that the water situation in Europe would continue to deteriorate if temperatures keep rising and no clear strategy is adopted. Policymaking should therefore be based above all else on saving water.