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| | | E-flash 174March - April 2026 |
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Editorial | WES-BCA Regional Training & Study Tour “Adaptation measures for flood and storm water management” |
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As part of the WES-BCA program, from 21 to 24 April 2026, SEMIDE hosted a regional training in Nice (France), bringing together water management stakeholders from North Africa and the Middle East region to strengthen their capacities in flood and stormwater management. The training focused on flood risk management solutions with a focus on nature-based adaptation measures and hybrid measures combining green and “grey” infrastructures. The programme combined theoretical sessions delivered by international and regional experts with practical field visits. Participants had the opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss best practices, and deepen their understanding of integrated flood management strategies. A key highlight of the week was the presentation of nature based adaptation measures implemented in the French Alpes-Maritimes: renaturation of a segment of the urban river Cagnes presented by the municipality; Brague river renaturation and adaptation to extreme floods by the Sophia Antipolis community of municipalities (CASA); soil unsealing, porous concrete, rain trees and rain garden at Goiran square in the northern district of Nice as part of the sponge strategy of Nice Metropolis. An advanced decision support system developed by the University Cote d’Azur and used by the water utility for near-real-time flood risk assessment was also presented and discussed. These site visits showcased concrete solutions developed at the local level to address the growing challenges posed by climate change, illustrating how both grey and nature-based interventions can contribute to more resilient territories. The event fostered knowledge sharing and regional cooperation, reinforcing the role of the WES-BCA programme and SEMIDE in supporting sustainable water management and climate adaptation efforts across the Mediterranean.
Further information on SEMIDE website.
| EuroMED News | UfM Adopts Water Strategies Ahead of Euro-Mediterranean Forum and planned Ministerial Conference (29 Sept–2 Oct)
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has adopted three key strategies to address worsening water scarcity across the region, where rising temperatures and increasingly frequent droughts are putting growing pressure on populations. Announced on World Water Day, the frameworks aim to better connect water, energy, food, and ecosystems while improving financing and accelerating digital transformation. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel highlighted that coordinated regional action is essential to respond effectively to these shared challenges. These efforts will feed directly into discussions at the upcoming Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, where countries will focus on cooperation, innovation, and joint investment in the water sector. The forum, which will also expected to host the ministerial meeting, is scheduled to take place from 29 September to 2 October in Rome.
Further information on SEMIDE website.
| 43rd UN-Water Meeting in Rome The largest-ever gathering of UN-Water Members, partners, and global leaders was held under the leadership of Alvaro Lario, Chair of UN-Water and IFAD President, with a keynote by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water. The two-day meeting focused on implementing the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation and preparing for the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates. Discussions were organized around six key themes: water for people, prosperity, the planet, cooperation, multilateral processes, and investment. Delegates also reviewed the final details of the 2026 SDG 6 Synthesis Report. The meeting concluded with a call for stronger coordination and partnerships to accelerate progress on water-related goals within the 2030 Agenda. The next UN-Water Meeting will take place in Rome in October 2026, back-to-back with the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum.
Further information here.
| First EU law on soil set to enter into force
The EU's first law on soil monitoring and resilience enters into force on 16 December, a huge milestone that will help restore soil health. Healthy soils are essential for agricultural productivity, pest resistance, and nutritional food quality and safety, critical to the long-term viability and profitability of the EU’s farming sector. Soil degradation is an issue in every EU country. 60-70% of soils are in an unhealthy state, costing the EU over €50 billion every year—more than the total GDP of countries such as Latvia and Cyprus. The Soil Monitoring Law looks at all aspects of soil degradation, from erosion and compaction to contamination and soil sealing. It applies to all soils, including forests, agricultural land and urban areas. Member States will be required to monitor and assess soil health, with the new law offering considerable flexibility so Member States can tailor this requirement to their local conditions.
Further information on SEMIDE website.
| Commission calls for organisations to join Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform
The Commission is opening a call for new experts to apply to join the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform. The renewed platform will continue to work to achieve the Commission’s zero pollution ambition. Earlier this year, the European Commission published the mid-term review of the Zero Pollution Action Plan, which takes stock of the progress since 2021. According to the Review, faster action is needed if the EU is to meet its zero-pollution targets. To drive progress, the Commission is relaunching the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform and inviting new members to join.
Further information on SEMIDE website.
| First EU Water Academy Town Hall Meeting The inaugural virtual event under the EU Water Academy (EUWA) banner was held on 18 March and was designed to actively engage all interested stakeholders across Europe. The programme brought together more than 150 participants from public institutions, water utilities, academia, and industry, reflecting the strong interest in shaping this new initiative. The session opened with an introduction to the EUWA’s objectives within the broader EU Water Resilience Strategy, highlighting its role in addressing the growing skills gap in the water sector and strengthening capacity building. The agenda then focused on presenting the progress made in establishing the Academy, including its “network of networks” approach and its ambition to connect existing training initiatives at European level. Key segments of the event were dedicated to stakeholder engagement, with interactive discussions and short interventions allowing participants to share their expectations, needs, and ongoing initiatives. Contributors emphasized the importance of tailored training programmes, stronger collaboration with universities and training providers, and the need to support the transition of water professionals towards more complex roles as resource managers. Overall, the event served not only as an informative update but also as a participatory forum to co-design the future of the EUWA, ensuring that it reflects the diverse perspectives of the water community. Building on this momentum, a follow-up event took place on 14 April 2026. Second EU Water Academy Town Hall Meeting | Knowledge for policy |
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National News | Tunisia: Major Push to Strengthen Water Security and Resilience The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved on 31 March two projects to improve potable water services for millions of Tunisians, modernize irrigated agriculture, and support jobs and livelihoods in rural areas. The two new projects, financed by a US$332.5 million commitment, make up the first phase of the Tunisia Water Security and Resilience Program, which addresses both rural and urban water challenges. The program is expected to create more than 4,000 permanent jobs and over 13,000 temporary jobs, while helping Tunisia adapt to growing water scarcity and climate pressures.
Further information on SEMIDE website
| France launches €837 Million Green Fund 2026 to Boost Local Ecological Transition France has renewed its Green Fund for 2026, allocating €837 million to support local authorities in advancing the ecological transition. The initiative reinforces its central role in helping territories develop and implement sustainable projects. Following municipal elections, the fund will assist newly elected officials and their partners in designing and financing initiatives to accelerate environmental transformation at the local level. Applications for funding can now be submitted via the Aides-territoires platform.
| Project News |
CARDIMED : NBS Information Day at Marseille demonstration site, Aix-Marseille University
On April 2, around thirty participants mainly local authority technicians, along with other stakeholders, took part in an information day dedicated to Nature-based Solutions (NBS), co-organised by CNFPT (National Training Center for local authorities), ARBE (regional biodiversity and environment agency) and the CARDIMED project. The morning session opened with a reminder of key definitions of NBS, illustrated through their implementation on the Saint-Jérôme and Saint-Charles university campuses as part of the CARDIMED project. This was followed by a technical focus on soil de-sealing, as well as feedback and practical insights shared by Reliefs Paysage agency and representatives from the municipality of Le Cannet-des-Maures. In the afternoon, participants engaged in a roundtable discussion entitled “Local authorities, don’t be afraid of researchers”, fostering dialogue between practitioners and the scientific community. The day concluded with a technical site visit led by researchers involved in the project, showcasing the instrumented NBS installations at the Saint-Jérôme demonstrator site.
Learn More about CARDIMED
| | FutureLakes Advances: Podcast Launch, Key Deliverables and Policy Engagement We are excited to share that the first FutureLakes podcast is now live. Expertly produced by Rob St John of The Freshwater Blog, this episode brings together FutureLakes partners as they share evidence-based insights on restoring Europe's lakes for nature, climate and people. The podcast is available via this link. In February, FutureLakes also reached an important milestone issuing a report (Deliverable D4.1) on demonstrating successful restoration, which synthesizes knowledge from our six Demo sites, highlighting both the impacts of their restoration programmes as well as associated costs and benefits, with detailed annexes available for each lake. On 12 February, the project hosted the third MissionLakes webinar focused on the circular economy, exploring how lake-related pollution streams can be transformed into valuable resources. FutureLakes has also participated in the Mission Ocean and Waters Annual Forum on 6 March in Brussels, where we showcased the cluster MissionLakes alongside our sister projects—EUROLakes, FERRO, and ProCleanLakes—as well as IDEATION. The sister projects produced a joint Policy Brief that aims to highlight the critical importance of Europe’s lake ecosystems while advocating for their stronger integration into European Union policy and investment strategies. Learn more about FutureLakes
| CRONUS: Turning CO₂ Challenges into Sustainable Solutions A peer-reviewed publication supported by CRONUS project was published in January 2026 in Clean Technologies. The paper was realized by our partners from NTUA under the topic “Rate-Based Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of Potassium Carbonate Systems for Carbon Dioxide Capture from Industrial Flue Gases”. This article demonstrates the technical feasibility of potassium carbonate–based CO₂ capture as a robust alternative to conventional amine systems using detailed rate-based process modelling. Learn more about the paper. In parallel, the CRONUS consortium has been advancing its exploitation strategy led by SEMIDE through the Horizon Results Booster programme, an initiative of the European Commission designed to support EU funded projects in preparing their results for market uptake. Through a series of structured workshops with project partners, the Booster process helped consolidate the positioning of three priority Key Exploitable Results, namely FP1” Capture and Utilisation of CO2 via autotrophic algae growth”, FP2 “Biological CO2 hydrogenation for biomethane production” and FP5 “Anaerobic digestion system coupled with a microbial electrolysis cell”. Learn more about CRONUS
| OurMED Final Meeting 2026 as a side event of the Sustain Tunis 2026 The OurMED Final Meeting 2026 will take place on Friday, 5 June 2026 in Tunis, Tunisia , as a side event of the Sustain Tunis 2026, an international conference dedicated to water management, climate resilience, and ecosystem sustainability. Held from 2 to 4 June 2026 at the Verdi Tunis Beach Resort Hotel in Gammarth (Tunis), the conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and stakeholders to exchange knowledge and explore innovative solutions addressing the impacts of climate change on water systems and ecosystems. Within this dynamic international context, the OurMED Final Meeting will provide an opportunity to present the project’s main results, share lessons learned from the different demo sites, and engage with a wider community of experts and stakeholders working on sustainable and integrated water management across the Mediterranean region. Learn more about OurMED | |
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Nominations/Vacancies |
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has announced the appointment of a new team of Deputy Secretaries General: Two divisions are particularly relevant to the water sector. Nisreen Tamimi (Palestine) has been appointed Deputy Secretary General for the Sustainable Development Division, overseeing environment, sustainable urban development, transport and the blue and green economy. Joan Borrell Mayeur (Spain) will serve as Deputy Secretary General for the Stability and Resilience Division, leading work on civil protection, energy, water resilience, and climate action. Further information here | |
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| The NIAGARA project is being highlighted within the ZeroPollution4Water cluster, which it recently joined. Indeed, SEMIDE has become the leader of the cluster’s Policy Working Group and the representative of the NIAGARA project since December 2025. The very first Joint Policy Brief developed within the cluster, focusing on “Groundwater,” has been completed was published on March 23 on World Water Day. This Policy Brief puts forward recommendations aimed at strengthening the protection of groundwater resources and reinforcing the implementation of the Groundwater Directive. |
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| This study, conducted in the framework of OurMED Prima project by UPV “Universitat Politècnica de València” partner, provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in simulation–optimization methods for integrated water management, highlighting emerging tools and the importance of cross-sectoral approaches to address climate and resource challenges. |
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| The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a new thematic Call for Proposals on “Sustainable Wetlands”, inviting companies and organisations to develop innovative space-based applications and services supporting wetland sustainability. Selected projects will receive up to 75% ESA funding, with a maximum of €75,000 per activity, to conduct a six-month feasibility study assessing the technical and commercial viability of the proposed service. |
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| The LIFE Calls for proposals 2026 have been published on 21 April 2026. CINEA organised #EULIFE26 info days online from 28 to 30 April 2026 to support potential applicants, recording and supporting material is available online.
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| The latest PRIMA 2026 call for proposals is open, offering new funding opportunities for innovative research and collaboration projects across the Mediterranean region. Researchers and stakeholders are invited to submit proposals addressing sustainable water management, resilient farming systems, and agri-food value chains. The deadline for Stage 1 proposal submission is 15 May 2026 at 13:00 CET. |
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| Contributions must be sent before 5 June 2026 |
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| Submission Deadline: 31 July 2026 |
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| The NATURE-DEMO project has launched a special issue in the Infrastructures journal (MDPI), inviting research contributions on how Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) can strengthen the resilience, adaptability, and sustainability of infrastructure systems in the face of climate change and natural hazards |
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| Submission deadline : 24 August 2026 |
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| Overview: The 6th edition of the TERRAenVISION Conference “Nature-Based Solutions to facilitate the transition for living within the Planetary Boundaries” will take place from 7 to 10 September 2026 in the historic city of Trier, Germany, featuring three days of scientific sessions followed by a field visit on the final day.
Submit your session proposal here. |
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| Circle the Med seeks to articulate a renewed Mediterranean vision, one rooted in cooperation, resilience, and shared responsibility. |
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| Organized by INBO, the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability of the State of Rio de Janeiro (SEAS), and several key partners, this conference aims to foster collaboration and innovative solutions for sustainable water security. It will bring together 200 to 500 participants, representing national and transboundary basin organizations, national, regional and local administrations, technical institutions, UN agencies and international financial institutions.
Registration is opened: click here.
You can read the program and logistics information from this link. |
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| 29 September- 2 October 2026 |
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| The Forum, which has previously focused solely on Mediterranean countries, will for the first time include all European and Balkan states. This decision was announced in Bali, Indonesia, during the 10th World Water Forum. |
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| Marseille will host the 26th International Congress of ICID and the 77th International Executive Council Meeting from 12 to 17 October 2026. This major event takes place in a global context marked by increasing tensions surrounding water management, food security, and the impacts of climate change. |
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| Regional water week focused on MENA issues. |
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