European water innovators exchange ideas in the Netherlands

Innovation is needed to face future water problems. That’s why the European Commission started the European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water). In February met 550 international water experts from 50 countries in Leeuwarden in The Netherlands to concretise needed action to come to sustainable water innovation.

The water conference started with presentations of the 29 action groups of EIP Water. Together these groups are working on approximately a 1000 projects. This enormous amount of projects should contribute to the implementation of the points of action as defined in the Declaration of Leeuwarden.

Recommended Actions

The declaration contains a series of key findings related to eight main topics and presents a corresponding set of Recommended Actions – a European Innovation Action Agenda – by the participants. It calls upon European governments, research institutions and universities, the private sector, industry, development and investment banks, donors, river basin organizations, water and energy/gas associations, multi- and bilateral institutions, community-based organizations, local and regional authorities and all other stakeholders to commit to the actions and recommendations of the declaration in order to accelerate innovation development in the water sector and removal of innovation barriers in Europe and beyond.