Today (14 Oct), the European Commission publicly presented the EU Water Resilience Investment Accelerator by Green Assist, an advisory initiative under InvestEU, funded by the LIFE programme.
The accelerator will support 20 innovative pilot projects on natural water retention, clean water and water efficiency. It will bring together investors, solution providers and sectors facing water-related challenges, inspiring similar action across the EU.
It focuses on innovative business models and projects with creative funding approaches — particularly private funding. The accelerator’s role is to promote these innovations, helping speed up investment in the field.
Closing the €23 billion investment gap
Water is essential for life. It is vital for people and nature and helps regulate the climate. It is also crucial for the economy, agriculture and energy production.
Investing in sustainable water management and innovation will strengthen Europe’s businesses, boost competitiveness and increase the resilience of our society against water-related shocks like long periods of drought or floods.
However, there is still a major investment gap. It is estimated at around €23 billion per year, or 0.1% of EU GDP, to implement existing water legislation.
To close this gap, significant additional investment is needed at all stages of water management, including from private investors. The Water Resilience Investment Accelerator is one of the actions designed to help bridge this gap.
Which areas will the accelerator cover?
The accelerator will cover three thematic areas:
- Water efficiency and smart water solutions: Supporting innovative solutions that improve water efficiency, reduce losses, and promote more efficient and circular water use.
- Nature-based solutions for water resilience: Promoting nature-based approaches that strengthen climate adaptation, water retention, biodiversity and long-term resilience.
- Clean water solutions: Advancing technologies and systemic approaches to improve water quality, reduce emissions and support cleaner industrial systems.
The accelerator will pay particular attention to projects led by EU-based start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as EU-based farmers and local authorities. The aim is to support effective, scalable and locally driven water resilience solutions that can be replicated across Europe.
How will it work?
The accelerator aims to:
- Give visibility to innovative financing solutions and good practices from successful projects, to encourage their uptake and replication across the EU.
- Draw on existing EU advisory instruments to help projects attract private finance and implement innovative financing models. The objective is to make these projects more bankable and more attractive to investors.
- Strengthen links between solution providers and potential beneficiaries to improve access to the financial sector.
- Draw lessons from the accelerator to help close the investment gap in water resilience.
Next steps
The Commission is inviting relevant projects seeking advisory support to apply to Green Assist — the Green Advisory Service for Sustainable Investments Support.
Green Assist is an advisory initiative under InvestEU, funded by the LIFE programme. Its aim is to build a pipeline of high-impact green investment projects.
Green Assist is already supporting close to 100 public and private beneficiaries across Europe, including several active in the water sector.
A few useful things to know before applying:
- There is no cost to applicants. The programme pays the external experts directly, so there is no impact on your balance sheet.
- The application process is simple. It is based on a 3-page template.
- The support is tailored to your needs. If you are eligible, the services will be adapted to your specific needs and specifications.
Should you be interested, please send applications and requests for information to: CINEA-GREEN-ASSIST
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (CINEA-GREEN-ASSIST[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) by the end of October.
Background
The Water Resilience Investment Accelerator is a flagship action under the Water Resilience Strategy.
The 2025 European Water Resilience Strategy aims to tackle water scarcity, improve water management, expand access to clean water, drive innovation, and restore the broken water cycle. This will help protect communities and biodiversity, while also strengthening the EU economy.
The strategy focuses on three objectives:
- Restore and protect the water cycle as the basis for water supply, from source to sea;
- Build a water-smart economy to boost competitiveness, attract investment and promote the EU water industry;
- Secure clean and affordable water and sanitation for all, and empower consumers for water resilience.
Developing finance and investment for water is an integral part of the strategy and of achieving these objectives.
More information
Water resilience strategy | European Commission
Green Assist: the Green Advisory Service for Sustainable Investments Support | European Commission
