30/04/2026
🌍From floods to droughts: Europe’s new water reality
The latest European State of the Climate reports reveal a striking pattern:
👉 Two consecutive years. Two extremes. One growing challenge.
🔗https://climate.copernicus.eu/ESOTC
📊 2024: A year of widespread flooding
· Europe experienced the most widespread flooding since 2013
· 30% of the river network exceeded high flood thresholds
· 12% exceeded severe flood levels
· In Central & Eastern Europe, Storm Boris caused flooding across 8 countries, with flows reaching twice the annual maximum along 8500 km of rivers
➡️ The Danube basin was heavily affected, with peak flows propagating across the entire river system.
📊 2025: A year of water scarcity
· 70% of European rivers recorded below-average flow
· Large parts of Central & Eastern Europe faced persistent drought conditions
· Heatwaves and reduced rainfall led to low river flows and declining water availability
🌊 Why this matters for lakes & reservoirs in the Danube region
For water managers, this creates a complex balancing act:
💧 During floods:
· Need to retain and safely release excess water
· Protect infrastructure and downstream communities
☀️ During droughts:
· Need to store enough water for supply, ecosystems, and energy
· Maintain minimum ecological flows
⚖️ The challenge:
· Operating systems designed for “average conditions”
· Now facing high variability, uncertainty, and compound risks
🚀 The LAREDAR project is tackling exactly this challenge:
✔️ Improving coordinated reservoir management across the Danube basin ✔️ Strengthening transboundary cooperation and data sharing
✔️ Enhancing modelling and operational approaches for lakes and reservoirs
✔️ Supporting balanced management between flood protection and water storage
Read more about project: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/laredar-1
