11th Roundtable on Financing Water in Brussels: Focus on Eastern Partnership Countries

The 11th meeting of the Roundtable on Financing Water took place on 30-31 May and focused on the EU's Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Held in Brussels, Belgium, the event highlighted the needs and opportunities for accelerating investment in water-related sectors in line with the priorities of the EaP countries.

Key highlights:

The opening session provided an overview of the achievements and remaining financing challenges in the region, emphasising environmental and climate resilience and the promotion of fair and inclusive societies. The Eastern Partnership Economic and Investment Plan aims to mobilise €17 billion by 2027, and the EU's Global Gateway Initiative targets up to €300 billion to address global challenges, including water management.

Throughout the sessions, discussions focused on improving investment decisions for the implementation of EU water legislation, the enabling environment for water security investments and the use of economic instruments such as taxes and tariffs. Innovative approaches to mobilising finance for sustainable water management and addressing the challenges of river basin management planning were highlighted. The potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) as cost-effective alternatives to traditional infrastructure was also explored, underlining the importance of new knowledge and financing approaches.

The Roundtable underlined the importance of innovative solutions, sound policy frameworks and strategic investments to improve water management and security in the Eastern Partnership countries.