Key facts
- Europe's summer drought and heat are causing severe damage to fish populations in rivers, lakes, and farms.
- The Danube River, Europe's second-longest waterway, has reached critically low levels.
- National authorities are implementing unilateral measures, such as using explosives and submerging vessels, to manage water flow for nuclear plants.
- Experts and environmental groups argue that Europe lacks a unified, binding policy to address recurring water shortages.
- The EU's existing water legislation and voluntary resilience measures are seen as insufficient to tackle the growing threat of drought.
Europe is facing severe consequences from a summer drought and heatwave, which are devastating fish populations in rivers, lakes, and farms and causing millions in damages. The Danube River, a critical artery for freight, drinking water, agriculture, industry, and power generation, has reached dramatically low water levels, prompting EU governments to implement emergency measures.
Romanian authorities resorted to using explosives to steer more water toward the Cernavodă nuclear plant, while Hungary submerged vessels to maintain water flow for its Paks nuclear plant. These unilateral actions have raised concerns among environmental groups and neighboring countries about potential negative impacts on ecosystems and water availability downstream.
Experts warn that such drought conditions are likely to occur more frequently due to climate change, highlighting Europe's underpreparedness. The continent lacks a unified, binding policy to address water shortages, with responsibility fragmented among national governments and river basin authorities under a patchwork of EU laws that are often poorly enforced. Many resilience measures remain voluntary.
The low water levels pose a significant risk to energy security, as major nuclear plants rely on the river for cooling. Hungary has begun constructing a riverbed sill to raise water levels, a measure whose long-term ecological consequences are yet to be fully assessed.
While the EU's Water Framework Directive mandates coordinated water management, experts argue that the bloc has failed to deliver a cohesive policy response to drought preparedness. A call for an EU Drought Directive and a Water Resilience Strategy with voluntary measures have been introduced, but critics contend that national governments often resort to short-term, reactive solutions.
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall acknowledged the imperative to enhance preparedness and evaluate the adequacy of current EU water legislation for resilience and drought management, hinting at potential revisions.