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With only 5.8% of its freshwater resources used — from glaciers, groundwater, rivers, and lakes — the water usage rate across the whole EU might seem under control.
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Unfortunately, this is not a case where the average gives the full picture.
The reality is that differences among countries are striking and concerning.
Take Cyprus, which is essentially in constant emergency mode. The country has used up 72% of its freshwater resources, with a peak of 92% in the summer, according to data from Eurostat and the European Environment Agency (EEA).
To put that into context, a country is in the warning zone when it’s using 20% of its water.
Earlier this year, authorities urged residents to save 10% of their daily water use (which amounts to about two minutes of water use), but the fact that Cyprus’ population is growing rapidly isn’t good news for the country’s water resources either.
The government has been scrambling to install desalination plants to meet drinking water needs, particularly ahead of the holiday season, and the outgoing Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union made addressing this crisis one of its priorities.
After Cyprus comes another Mediterranean country, Malta, with a 33% annual water usage rate. However, things get worse in the summer, when the water stress level rises to 67%.
It’s a similar story for other countries: the levels of water exploitation in Greece (37%), Romania (34%), Portugal (31%), Italy (27%) and Spain (26.5%), all sit well inside the warning zone during the summer period.
Who in the EU has the most issues accessing clean water?
The EEA says climate change and drought events will likely intensify the “frequency, intensity, and impact” of water shortages at least until 2030.
Another report by the agency — “Overheated and Underprepared” — found that around one in 10 EU citizens struggles to access enough safe and clean water.
The problem is most acute in Cyprus (36.5%) and Greece (31.5%).
Interestingly, several countries with poor water access — including Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia and Ireland — do not experience particularly high rates of freshwater exploitation.
That suggests that the water access issue may have less to do with water scarcity and more with ageing infrastructure and shortcomings in supply systems.
At the same time, despite their freshwater usage issues, France, Portugal and Spain seem to better handle clean and safe water distribution, with rates of people facing issues all comfortably below the 9% EU average.
