Drought

Climate change predictions for Europe indicate that there will be considerable changes in the water balance throughout the continent. This includes an increased likelihood of summer droughts in the Mediterranean region, as well as in Central and South Eastern Europe (1).

Although water scarcity and drought are two different phenomena, they can aggravate one another. A drought is defined as a decrease in water availability due, for instance, to a lack of rainfall. Water scarcity, on the other hand, means water demand exceeds the amount that is available.

Although in general Europe has adequate water resources, rising temperatures mean that the water situation is deteriorating. Warmer air can hold more moisture, which in turn leads to heavier rain falls. With torrential downpours not all the water can be absorbed by the soil or vegetation, as a result much more runs off directly into streams.

Warmer temperatures will also reduce the areas covered by glaciers and snow. The result is less water being stored for the spring period, as it runs off directly during the winter.

Over-exploitation of water in one area can lead to extended droughts in another. Droughts and water scarcity have a direct impact on citizens as they affect tourism, agriculture, industry, energy, and transport, as well as having environmental effects on biodiversity, water quality, increased risk of forest fires and soil impoverishment.

Lack of water

Currently, estimates show that around 11% of the European population and about 17% of European territory suffer from water scarcity. Across the EU, droughts have increased in number and concentration over the passed 30 years. Indeed, they have gone up by around 20% since 1976 (2).

One of the worst droughts occurred in 2003 when approximately 100 million people and a third of EU territory were affected. The cost of this event was around €8.7 billion, while the cost of drought in the EU since the 1970s is estimated at around €100 billion (3).

EU action

The EU promotes water-saving and efficiency policies via a number of measures.

The Commission’s Communication on water scarcity and droughts PDF file (2007) outlines the approach. A follow-up step, planned for 2012, is a comprehensive policy review as part of the wider ‘Blueprint to safeguard European waters’.

It will assess if the current River Basin Management Plans in 110 regions across the EU are adequate to cope with impacts of climate change.

EU actions focus on seven areas to tackle water scarcity and drought:

  • Putting the right price tag on water;
  • Allocating water and water-related funding more efficiently;
  • Improving drought risk management;
  • Considering additional water supply infrastructures;
  • Developing water-efficient technologies and practices;
  • Encouraging a water-saving culture in Europe; and
  • Improving knowledge and data collection.

The EU’s annual environmental work programme provided funding in 2010 to test various ways of halting desertification in a number of vulnerable areas and sectors in countries including Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal and Romania. A specific focus is on low-cost approaches to water saving.

Successful adaptation to the impacts of climate change on water resources depends on effective action in sectors including agriculture, energy, cohesion and health.

(1) European Commission’s Joint Research Centre’s Floods portal
(2) European Commission’s Communication ‘Addressing the challenge of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union’, p2 PDF file
(3) European Commission’s Communication ‘Addressing the challenge of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union’, p2 PDF file