Cairo Water Week Opening Ceremony 2025 - Speech by Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

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Cairo Water Week Opening Ceremony 2025 - Speech by Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

12.10.2025 Press and information team of the Delegation to EGYPT

© EU Delegation to Egypt

Dear Foreign Minister, dear Minister Sewilam, esteemed Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to join you in Cairo, on the banks of one of the most iconic waterways in the world.

The Nile has shaped human civilisation for thousands of years -- and I know it occupies a vital place in the life and culture of this city.

Water is our most precious resource and the lifeblood of our world.

In fact, our complete reliance on water reminds us that we are all the same - no matter where we're from. Our dependence on water is a great human equaliser.

So, it is a pleasure to be here today to reaffirm the European Union's close alliance with Egypt under our Water Partnership.

Cairo Water Week has become a key platform for us and for many partners from the region.

It is an opportunity to make sure that water is at the forefront of the global agenda.

A chance to remember how water keeps our societies afloat and our ecosystems alive.

But also a moment to highlight how we have overexploited, polluted, and neglected it.

The water cycle is spinning out of control - and our food systems, our energy security, our health and economic prosperity are at risk.

I know you feel this intensely here on the African Continent, and we feel it too in Europe.

Extreme heatwaves, severe droughts, and destructive floods have cost Europe a staggering 43 billion euros this summer - expected to soar to 129 billion euros by 2029.

Roughly 1 in every 3 people in the EU suffers from water scarcity.

Desertification is spreading in southern, central and eastern Europe.

Our farming is affected. So too are our forests. Our flora and fauna. Our habitats and our homes.

So let me be clear: we are in this together.

**

Dear friends,

By 2030, global water demand will exceed available resources by 40%.

And five of the top ten long term global risks for businesses identified by the World Economic Forum are water related.

The call for action is loud and clear.

The urgency is clear.

But the good news is also clear. Solutions are available.

Science, innovation and cooperation are the way forward.

And the EU is determined to play its part.

Our European Water Resilience Strategy, adopted in June, is a roadmap to a sustainable water future.

It rests on three pillars:

Restoring and protecting the water cycle, from source to sea.

Building a water-smart economy that will boost competitiveness.

And ensuring clean and affordable water for all.

Investing in water resilience is an investment in our future.

And the Strategy is backed by powerful commitments from the European Investment Bank, which will invest 15 billion euros between now and 2027 to tackle Europe's water crisis.

We are also prioritising regional and global collaboration.

The EU will:

support water infrastructure worldwide,

champion integrated water resources management,

advance water diplomacy and transboundary water management,

contribute to close the financing gap in the sector, and

build strategic partnerships.

**

Dear friends,

Our Water Partnership with Egypt is one that we are proud of - and one that will deliver concrete results.

We will step up technical cooperation and Research & Innovation.

We will create a pipeline for investments in Integrated Water Resources Management.

And we will prioritise circular economy approaches.

What does this mean in practice?

Well, investments and technical assistance will focus on areas such as:

water quantity management,

drought and flood risk management,

climate change adaptation and climate proofing of water infrastructure.

safe reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture,

and irrigation practices.

We are also cooperating on global water issues. And I want to commend Egypt and Minister Sewilam for your leadership in addressing regional and global water and climate challenges.

The 2023 UN Water Conference and the UNEA-6 resolution on strengthening water policies for sustainable development have created the momentum for global action.

Now, we need to harness this energy to deliver real results.

The next milestone is the UN Water Conference next year, where we need to show ambition and unity.

So, as you can see, we are building a comprehensive Water Partnership with Egypt ranging from the local to the global scale.

**

Dear Excellencies,

Water is hugely important in the EU's cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa as a whole.

We are focusing on sustainable water management with the Union for the Mediterranean.

Water management is a key area of collaboration in the Green Partnership between the EU and Morocco.

And we are working with Jordan to improve water and wastewater infrastructure.

**

Ladies and gentlemen,

Water resilience is a regional and global challenge. It requires regional and global cooperation to deliver real solutions.

The European Union is ready to lead these efforts.

We will continue to collaborate, to build partnerships, and to invest in a resilient and sustainable future - with Egypt and with other partners. For people and societies everywhere. For the generations to come. And for the health of our planet.

The stakes have never been higher - but neither have our potential, our ambition, and our determination.

Thank you.