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4.1.        Freshwater consumption in Europe

Approximately 266 000 million m³ of water were abstracted in Europe (EEA38+UK) in 2017 to serve  the needs of the different sectors of the European economy. This is nearly 9 % of the annual renewable freshwater resources in Europe. After its abstraction, water is transported, treated, distributed, used in production processes, partly evaporated and transpired, and partly integrated in products. Intermediate losses, unused water and wastewater finally find their way back into the environment as returns. In 2017, around 40 % of the total abstraction was consumed and 60 % of the total abstraction was returned before or after use to the environment. Water returned to the environment may have its physical or chemical properties altered (e.g. higher temperature, pollution). The percentage of abstracted water that is returned differs greatly among sectors. In the agricultural sector it is 30 to 40 %, the returns of cooling water from the industrial and energy sector can be up to 80 %, while hydropower returns almost 100 % (EEA, 2018b)  (Figure 4.1).