The WATERVERSE project has made significant strides in developing the Water Data Management Ecosystem (WDME) — an innovative framework designed to simplify the collection, integration, and harmonization of diverse water-related datasets. By fostering collaboration, trust, and efficient information exchange, WDME demonstrates strong potential to transform how water data is managed and shared across Europe.
However, as the project’s findings highlight, technical and institutional challenges remain. Interoperability issues, a lack of standardized data formats, scalability of harmonisation processes, and the need for user-friendly design still hinder full implementation. Another major concern among stakeholders is liability — the question of who bears responsibility in cases of incorrect or misinterpreted data. This underscores the urgent need for clear legal and governance frameworks to define accountability and data ownership.
The six WATERVERSE case studies, supported by multi-stakeholder forums, offered valuable regional insights into these challenges. Common themes emerged, including the need for stronger data standardization, legal clarity, and coordinated EU support to scale WDME adoption. Stakeholders stressed that trust-building, inclusive governance, and a clear demonstration of practical benefits are essential to encourage uptake.
The Water Resilience Strategy, published in June 2025, recognizes digitalization as a key driver of water sector transformation and provides a foundation for progress. It is expected to feed into the upcoming EU-wide Action Plan on Digitalisation in the Water Sector, planned for 2026.
Building on WATERVERSE’s outcomes, the project team offers four key recommendations to accelerate progress:
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Adopt best practices from WATERVERSE and similar initiatives to set national targets for integrating digital tools in water management.
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Develop a compelling vision that clearly communicates WDME’s benefits and added value to end-users.
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Support harmonized governance standards and establish EU-level legal frameworks addressing data liability, ownership, sharing rights, and licensing.
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Provide standardized certification and guidelines to ensure robust data security and protection.
- Develop regulation and support for the implementation of standardized data frameworks and interoperability between systems in the water sector with special attention to the possibilities for integration of these frameworks into existing systems.
- Support to the development and maturation of tools and technologies for data preparation, processing, collection, and harmonization while promoting user-centric design and user friendliness.
- Enable and support collaborative governance models, multi-stakeholder forums and pilots that co-create operational frameworks for WDM, build trust, and enable social learning between stakeholders.
- Enhance capacity building to develop awareness and understanding of water data management for teams and stakeholders, focusing not just on the technical deployment, but also on the governance, legal and ethical aspects of data management.
- Incentivise collaboration between utilities, technology providers, SMEs, and research institutions to accelerate WDME adoptions and create sustainable service ecosystems
By identifying drivers, barriers, and policy instruments across economic, technological, socio-cultural, and governance dimensions, WATERVERSE has laid the groundwork for a more resilient, transparent, and digitally connected water sector — one where data drives smarter decisions and sustainable outcomes for all.
