The Balkans, the last refuge for Europe’s wild rivers, are losing a little more of their natural heritage every year. A recent hydromorphological assessment reveals that nearly 2,500 km of pristine rivers in the Balkans have disappeared since 2012, causing the proportion of near-natural rivers to fall from 30% to 23%. Albania, which is leading […]
26 February 2026 | 10:00 am CET | in English Join three European research projects for a one-hour webinar on how water pricing and other economic instruments can help river basins become more resilient. Discover concrete examples from across Europe that illustrate how to integrate environmental externalities and support integrated and adapted water management in […]
WWF Netherlands and ERN – on behalf of DRE – in collaboration with McMillen are organizing this Barrier Removal for Flood Prevention and Safety webinar. programme & registration
For a quarter of a century, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has been the cornerstone of #EU water management. It protects rivers, lakes, groundwater, coastal waters and establishes the principle that clean water is a shared public good. 📝 To celebrate this milestone, Friedrich Barth, former team leader for the European Commission, takes us back […]
PRESS RELEASE – Brussels, 4th December 2025. In a shocking turn for Europe’s environment, the European Commission has committed to reviewing and revising the Water Framework Directive by the second quarter of 2026 under the RESourceEU Action Plan, in order to promote “access to critical raw materials in the EU”. This is an extremely worrying […]
Registration is now open (in French only) 13 January from 4pm to 6pm: 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers for Europe – what is France doing? registration (in French only) The European Union has set itself an ambitious target: to restore at least 25,000 km of free-flowing watercourses by 2030. Under Article 9 of the Nature […]
Registration is now open (in French only) 16 December from 4pm to 6pm: Axe Vienne Creuse Gartempe – Hydroelectricity or Refuge for Migratory Fish ? Registration (in French only) The Creuse has been identified as a key area for migratory fish in the context of climate change. Restoring watercourses and water quality, removing pressures, reconnecting […]
France : National Resilience Day will be held on 13 October 2025. Its aim is to raise public awareness and promote safe behaviour in the event of natural disasters (fires, floods, etc.). The effects of climate change are already showing us that extreme events are increasing in number and intensity, as evidenced by the recurrence […]
Once lagging behind Southeastern Europe is now seeing growing action to dismantle outdated dams, weirs, and culverts that fragment rivers, disrupt fish migration, degrade water quality and pose risk of failure. A new report reveals that river restoration through barrier removal—a critical tool to revive Europe’s freshwater ecosystems—is gaining unprecedented traction in Southeastern Europe (Figure […]
“On Dam Removal Day, 8 October 2025, NGOs in France and Europe reaffirm their commitment to restoring waterways and removing obsolete artificial barriers. More than 1.2 million structures block the free flow of European rivers and weaken the biodiversity and resilience of aquatic ecosystems. It is estimated that more than 200,000 of these structures are […]
ERN France
ERN is the official WWF Freshwater Partner in France and cooperates with WWF Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands and others
