Freshwater appropriation in Europe

Freshwater appropriation in Europe / EC 2026

ID 25771 | 17.03.2026 / Attached

A preliminary assessment of current conditions, knowledge gaps and resilience prospects

In this contribution, we analyze the level of water appropriation in European watersheds, using available estimates of water demand and water availability to compute the ratio of demand to availability in the European Union’s river basins.

We highlight that demands are more uncertain than availability and deserve further research. Nevertheless, currently available estimates enable a screening level assessment. Water demand usually represents 10-50% of renewable water availability and may even exceed 100% in some regions, implying direct or indirect water reuse in the river basin, use of non-renewable water or transfers among river basins. 

The level of water appropriation varies significantly across Europe, generally with a North-South gradient in line with other assessments, reflecting the interplay between demand and availability.

The patterns of potential appropriation depend on the water-using sectors. Irrigation systematically occurs in highly appropriated river basins and tends to be the main driver of water appropriation. Most central European regions show relatively uniform mixes of water demand, but energy or irrigation may become dominant in northern or southern regions, respectively. 

Climate change will exacerbate the current situation particularly for irrigation and livestock. There is a widespread potential for reuse of water across sectors, which may contribute substantially to water resilience
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Joint Research Centre 2026
Pistocchi, A., Bisselink, B., Moschini, F., Quaranta, E., Trichakis, Y., Bouraoui, F., Grizzetti, B., Hidalgo
Gonzalez, I., Udias, A., Zal, N.

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