In the statement, the group fully endorses the announcement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, confirming that the European Water Resilience Strategy will be a priority in the 2024-29 EU political cycle. With water resources under growing pressure, the joint statement highlights the urgent need for digital transformation to strengthen water management and infrastructure.
Document call on EU policymakers to foster an uptake of digitalization
In the document, the undersigned organizations state that “to achieve a water resilient Europe, EU policymakers should develop an ambitious and holistic strategy, supported by dedicated EU funding, which promotes adoption of digitalization and data-centric solutions across the entire water value chain.”
Still according to the statement, the companies commit to “contributing to the future European Commission proposals to digitalize water management, cycles and utilities, as well as the work to facilitate public and private investment in technology and cross-border water infrastructure.”
Proposed actions towards more water resilience
To enhance water resilience in Europe and achieve the proposed goals, the organizations suggest five actions to be made priority during the new political cycle (2024-2029):
- Urgently develop an EU-wide Action Plan on digitalization in the water sector;
- Set up dedicated EU funding and incentives to support the water sector in its digitalization efforts;
- Accelerate implementation of existing EU water legislation at national level with the support of digitalization;
- Expand digital skills and research and development programs targeting water, including through collaboration with universities, research centers, and small and medium enterprises;
- Communicate the value of water through dedicated campaigns, making full use of digital tools and social media platforms, as well as transparency towards consumers.
The signatories to the letter are Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Cisco, Danfoss, EcoLab, Grundfos, Olympios, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Suez, Veolia, Wipro and Xylem.
The joint statement is available here.
Source: Olympios Group of Companies
