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As explained in section 1.1, the selected European key water management challenges presented in this report summarise EU-level evidence on the main drivers and pressures that put European water bodies most at risk of not achieving the WFD environmental objectives, and affecting water bodies in the 2^nd RBMPs (EEA 2018a).

Ten European key water management challenges are being presented, which are related to pollution issues, hydromorphological pressures, abstractions and water scarcity, but also problems related to aquaculture and invasive alien species. These European key water management challenges arise from ongoing human activities (such as agriculture or energy production) but also partly from historic human activities (e.g. obsolete barriers on rivers or abandoned mines) and new developments (e.g. new hydropower plants).

The ten European key water management challenges have been selected based on the analysis of significant pressures affecting water bodies in the 2^nd RBMPs (see EEA 2018 assessment of status and pressures of European waters). Pressures were selected that affect a sufficiently large share of European water bodies and reported by a large number of WFD countries. In addition, European key water management challenges have been selected, which were long time important enough to develop a rather solid basis of knowledge and information to describe the scope of the issue at European level.

Even though some of the selected water management challenges such as mining, navigation, aquaculture and invasive alien species seem to affect a small share of European water bodies, they do pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems in a large number of WFD countries. In addition, they can be of high importance and intensity in specific regions of Europe significantly contributing to the failure of achieving good water status on a regional level.

Additional European key water management challenges may be identified in the future as European data collection and research improves on activities and pressures that put water bodies at risk of reaching WFD objectives.