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  • The environment is not sufficiently protected from water abstraction, as the definition and implementation of e-flows, and the subsequent revision of water permits, are lagging behind.
  • 62 % of rivers, 51 % of lakes, 61 % of transitional waters and 51 % of coastal waters were not in good ecological status in 2015 (EEA, 2018c).
  • 75 % of freshwater habitats in Europe were not in favourable conditions in 2020 under the Habitats Directive (EEA, 2020g).
  • Two thirds of European wetlands were lost before the 1990s and their area has subsequently decreased, but the loss seems to have levelled off between 2006 and 2012 (EEA, 2020b).
  • Agriculture remains the most prominent driver of water abstraction in Europe, because of high water consumption in irrigated agriculture in the south, but the sector shows signs of decoupling from growth in southern, western and northern Europe.
  • The installation of renewable energy sources has contributed to significant reductions in water abstraction in the energy sector, because of replacement of combustion plants. Western Europe shows significant trends of decoupling water consumption in the energy sector from sectorial growth.
  • The water consumption in the industrial sector is decreasing, while the value of industrial production continues to grow in western, northern and eastern Europe, suggesting a trend for decoupling.
  • The public water supply sector achieved significant water savings overall in Europe. However, the volume of public water supply increased in southern countries and tourism has posed significant local pressures, especially in the Mediterranean.
  • Shifting sectorial water management towards a more sustainable paradigm entails a series of challenges, because of the trade-offs between making a sector less water intensive and keeping up its production levels.
  • Sustainable water management needs to rely more on water demand management, supply from alternative water resources, circular and nature-based solutions.

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