Input to the Water Directors’ meeting 27-28 November 2025

This letter to Europe’s Water Directors outlines the Living Rivers Europe Coalition’s key messages for the upcoming joint meeting in Copenhagen (27–28 November 2025).

The coalition urges Water Directors to endorse the CIS Guidance on identifying free-flowing river stretches, stressing its scientific robustness and importance for implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation’s target to restore 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers by 2030. They call for adequate resources, transparent reporting of all barrier removals, and continued support for the ECOSTAT free-flowing rivers group.

They also press for rapid implementation of the EU Water Resilience Strategy, emphasising that the Water Framework Directive should remain the foundation of Europe’s water policy. Member States are encouraged to address implementation bottlenecks, set sustainable abstraction levels, regularly review permits, and ensure that new EU initiatives – such as the Water Academy, Blue & Green Corridors, and EIB funding – help scale up nature-based solutions.

Finally, the coalition highlights the importance of the upcoming 2028–2033 River Basin Management Plans, urging a shift from planning to measurable outcomes. Priorities include reducing exemptions, planning barrier removals, updating permits, applying new pollution rules, and enforcing the polluter-pays principle.