All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodiesWISE Freshwater provides information and data on the state of Europe’s rivers, lakes, groundwaters, the pressures affecting them, and the measures and actions taken to protect and conserve the aquatic environment.
What are the main challenges for European freshwaters?
Balancing the need for enough water of high quality for human health, economic activities, and nature remains a key challenge.
Restoring Europe’s floodplains and wetlands is essential to improve biodiversity and boost ecosystem services.
Climate change will increase extreme weather events that risk to worsen flood related disasters, and amplify water scarcity and droughts.
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Lastest insights
Recently Released
(new datasets, dashboards, tools available in WISE Freshwater)

20/10/2025
(New) Expert dashboards on Water Framework Directive (WFD) exemptions
Latest publications
(European Commission and European Environment Agency reports)

04/06/2025
EEA briefing: Water savings for a water-resilient Europe
04/02/2025
EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation Reports

15/10/2024
EEA report: Europe's state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience