CARDIMED at the Water Resilience Forum 2025

CARDIMED coordinator Simos Malamis & Tadej Stepišnik Perdih from NTUA, attended the inaugural Water Resilience Forum on December 8, 2025, in Brussels, participating in key discussions on Europe's water future. The European Commission launched the Water Resilience Strategy to strengthen water security across the EU, addressing the critical challenge that global water demand will exceed available resources by 40% by 2030, while reducing health impacts from pollutants and supporting Europe's €107 billion water technology sector.  

Water Resilience Forum launch 

The Forum marked the first edition of what will become a biennial gathering, serving as a cornerstone activity of the Water Resilience Strategy to drive coordinated action toward a water-resilient EU by 2050. This landmark event brought together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and practitioners to translate strategic goals into concrete implementation pathways.  

Program highlights 

Commissioner Jessika Roswall opened the forum alongside leaders from the Committee of the Regions and European Economic and Social Committee, setting the stage for comprehensive sessions on water efficiency, innovative financing mechanisms, industrial competitiveness, urban resilience, workforce development, and digital transformation. Parallel breakout sessions explored practical solutions including nature-based approaches, smart water management technologies, and cross-sectoral collaboration strategies. 

CARDIMED's contribution 

Simos Malamis and Tadej Stepišnik Perdih engaged in discussions showcasing how Nature-based Solutions, digital technologies, and the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem nexus enhance Mediterranean climate resilience across nine demonstration sites. Their participation highlighted CARDIMED's role in developing scalable approaches to water scarcity while strengthening socio-economic resilience and bridging EU strategies with regional Mediterranean action.  

In particularly, they showcased the digital tools the project is developing, and which are available on the project's website:

• CARDIMED Insights Hub 

• Citizen Engagement App (Android, iOS) 

• NbS Suitability at Catchment Scale