Future-Proofing Europe’s Water Systems

Designed and facilitated a high-level foresight process connecting long-term water system risks with concrete investment pathways, strengthening the Bank's strategic positioning and pipeline development for climate resilience.

The challenge

Water resilience is one of the defining infrastructure and economic challenges facing Europe. Climate change, biodiversity loss, ageing infrastructure, pollution, and competing water demands are converging at once. The EU adopted its Water Resilience Strategy in June 2025, and the European Investment Bank launched a EUR 15 billion Water Resilience Programme for 2025-2027, expected to mobilise EUR 30-40 billion in total investment.

Success, however, requires more than project-level financing. It demands new approaches to investment origination, planning, partnership, and capital mobilisation.

Our contribution

Altamira designed and facilitated the dialogue around a central question: how can Europe move from ambitious visions for water resilience toward concrete investment pathways capable of delivering systemic impact at scale?

The initiative explored how investment systems themselves must evolve, examining innovations in investment origination, mission-driven planning, institutional coordination, public-private collaboration, funding mechanisms, project preparation, and blended finance.

Our methodology

The process combined strategic foresight, systems thinking, collective intelligence, and investment planning, guided by five principles.

Strategic foresight

Explored emerging trends and future risks, including climate change, biodiversity loss, hydrological shifts, demographic pressures, and financial market evolution.

Systems thinking

Examined the interconnections between water, food systems, energy, land use, biodiversity, climate adaptation, and economic competitiveness.

Mission-driven investment planning

Explored how place-based and mission-oriented approaches align public and private actors around shared resilience outcomes.

Collective intelligence

Intentionally brought together perspectives that rarely engage in strategic planning together.

From vision to investment pathways

Focused on three interconnected themes: investment origination and mission-driven planning; planning tools and institutional innovations; and funding, revenue generation, and blended finance innovations.

Key findings

Europe’s water challenge is fundamentally one of investment origination, coordination, governance, and institutional alignment rather than financing availability.

Investment origination must become more integrated

Traditional sector-based planning cannot address interconnected challenges. Mission-driven, place-based approaches are needed instead.

Public-private collaboration must begin earlier

Private actors should engage during planning and project preparation, not only at procurement or financing stages, reducing costs and accelerating implementation.

New funding and revenue models are required

Water resilience generates benefits beyond the sector itself. Blended finance approaches should reflect the full range of social, environmental, and economic benefits.

Multipurpose infrastructure and “mosaic projects” are an emerging paradigm

Future investments should combine water security, climate adaptation, biodiversity restoration, agricultural productivity, urban resilience, and economic development objectives.

Convening the leaders shaping Europe’s water future

The dialogue brought together 30 senior leaders from more than 25 organisations spanning European institutions, multilateral development banks, climate funds, national governments, water regulators, utilities, infrastructure investors, global corporations, research institutions, and civil society organisations, including representatives from the European Investment Bank, European Commission, Green Climate Fund, African Development Bank, World Economic Forum, Veolia, Meridiam, AquaFed, Aqua Publica Europea, European Environment Agency, and WAREG.

Looking ahead

The initiative has become an annual strategic dialogue supporting ongoing reflection on water resilience, investment, and infrastructure planning. It provides a platform for identifying emerging trends, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and exploring how innovative investment origination approaches translate long-term resilience goals into practical action.