Brussels – From infrastructure to skills, the European Union is seeking to develop a new response to the challenges posed by water. The European Water Academy (EUWA), one of the initiatives under the European Commission’s European Water Resilience Strategy, was launched today (21 September) at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels. Led operationally by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Academy aims to “bridge the skills gap in the water sector, support innovation and foster technology transfer and collaboration between institutions, businesses, universities, and research organisations”.
The Academy was established at a time when pressure on Europe’s water resources has increased as a result of droughts, heatwaves, floods, pollution, and outdated infrastructure. The issue is so pressing that Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union address, even spoke about it in Strasbourg. The aim is to create a European offering of training and skills development programmes, through certified pathways and a network of public and private organisations. The project is structured around three strands: Blue Training, to bring together accredited training programmes; Blue Skills, dedicated to the development of professional skills; and Blue Bubble, a European network of trainers, professionals and organisations.
The launch event was attended by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resilience, Jessika Roswall, who stated that “water plays a critical role in everyday life, but it faces growing threats on a daily basis.” Roswall believes that, with an ageing workforce in the water sector and increasing competition for talent, Europe needs to “build knowledge, skills and expertise – factors we need to ensure a water-resilient continent.”
A need made all the more urgent by the summer just gone, which was marked by extreme heat and drought. “This summer has clearly reminded us that the time to act is now,” explained Roswall during the launch. “We need a more proactive approach to water. We need a better understanding of water resilience and water systems in all their complexity,” the Commissioner concluded.
ACEA, Italy’s leading water operator and the second largest in Europe – according to figures published by the company itself – is also among the first EUWA Champions. “This is a historic day for the water sector, and ACEA is proud to be among the Champions of the European Water Academy,” said Enrico Pezzoli, CEO of ACEA Acqua, in Brussels. “Water resilience is not just an infrastructural or technological challenge: it is, above all, a challenge relating to skills and people,” he added, emphasising the need to make the sector more “attractive to young people” and to invest in training.
According to Pezzoli, participation in the Academy will enable ACEA to bring its wealth of expertise to the European stage. “We firmly believe that the challenge of infrastructure in the water sector is one that begins, first and foremost, with people’s mindset,” he explained. The focus is therefore on innovation, the CEO explained. Innovation in “traditional infrastructure,” because for too long “the water sector has been somewhat sidelined due to climate change and all the challenges that lie ahead.” But innovation in people, too. “At ACEA, we have been investing for years in professional development and in collaboration with universities, business schools and research institutions, viewing training as a strategic driver of transformation,” and “we want to share our wealth of knowledge at a European level too, to contribute to the creation of a genuine European water community and build more resilient, sustainable, and innovative water systems,” he concluded.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
