Image description: Dry, cracked earth. Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash

The European Commission has used World Desertification and Drought Day to step up its push on water and drought resilience, framing both as central to the bloc’s economic security and food supply. In a statement marking the day on 17 June, the Commission set out the case for stronger action on land degradation, desertification and drought across Europe and globally.

The scale of the problem

Desertification already affects 13 EU countries, and soil degradation is estimated to cost around €50 billion a year. The Commission positioned its Water Resilience Strategy as the EU’s response to a water crisis driven by overuse, poor management, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It cited a stark projection: global freshwater demand is forecast to exceed supply by around 40% by 2030.

Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, said land degradation and drought are not distant threats but pressures that affect food security, climate stability and millions of lives, calling for stronger cooperation and sustainable land and water management.

The European picture

The statement comes amid a difficult drought year. The European Drought Observatory reported that roughly 19% of the territory of EEA member and cooperating countries was in drought during late May 2026, with conditions affecting dozens of countries. One analysis of Copernicus satellite data found that every country in the European Economic Area, plus the UK and several Balkan states, experienced drought at some point between 2012 and 2026.

What comes next

This year’s focus falls on rangelands, the grazing landscapes whose ecological and cultural value the day aims to highlight. The EU said it will work with international partners ahead of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification COP17, taking place in August in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.