Sustainable use of water promoted at CEWP-meetings in Qingdao, China

The European and Chinese stakeholders of the China Europe Water Platform (CEWP) met last week in Qingdao, China for celebrating the official start of a new series of projects funded by the European Union’s Partnership Instrument and for a Joint Steering Committee Meeting. The meetings were organized by the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources and the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that at the moment represents the EU in the CEWP.

In the kick-off workshop on 26th June the stakeholders discussed the different objectives and actions planned within the frame of the projects funded by the EU (2018-2021). The support from the EU will enable the CEWP to strengthen its leading role in the field of China-Europe water cooperation which includes e.g. river basin management, rural water, the links between urbanization, energy and water, international water policy and business and innovation issues.

On 27th June the stakeholders gathered for a Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the CEWP. The meeting ended with a renewed commitment on both the Chinese and European sides towards the Water Platform, whose work is based on mutual interest and mutual benefit. 

Both meetings were held in connection to the Qingdao International Water Conference. The CEWP also held several events during the conference, including three business related Access Program Events on 27th and 28th June. CEWP’s Access Program provides insights and future market requirements for water tech solutions.

The next high level dialogue will be held in Beijing

Considering the particular role of water as a crucial natural resource and its impacts on the environment and on the social and economic development, the objective of the CEWP is to promote policy dialogue, joint research and business development in the water sector. Since the CEWP was introduced in 2012, four annual high-level dialogues have been held respectively in Zhengzhou, Budapest, Beijing and Copenhagen.

The 2017 CEWP High-level Dialogue Conference was held in Turku, Finland with high-level representatives from 11 countries, from the EU, World Bank and OECD and over 400 delegates present. The conference was concluded by the Turku Declaration, which promotes China–EU cooperation on water resource management, green growth and circular economy  with a particular focus on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goal on water. The conference was also concluded by the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding, establishing formally a Water Policy Dialogue between the EU and China.

The next high level dialogue is planned to be held in Beijing in November this year. In Beijing the focus will be on the global promotion of water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the exchange of policies and practices related to water security, on the river and lake governance and on the environment restoration.

On 4th December 2018 CEWP will organize a business side event for technology start-ups, investors and established water tech companies in Slush Helsinki, Finland. The topic of this Access Program event will be digitalization as a game changer in the water sector.

Background information:

The China Europe Water Platform (CEWP) aims at strengthening water cooperation between the EU and China. The EU–China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation explicitly supports the EU–China Water Platform so as to "promote water policy dialogue, enhance joint scientific research and business cooperation with a view to addressing water challenges such as water quantity (water scarcity, drought, ground water, urban water systems, water and security nexus), water use efficiency (water recycling, industrial water use, water and food nexus, water and energy nexus), water quality (pollution reduction, river basin management), and water disasters."

For additional information: http://cewp.eu/
See also: China-EU water cooperation took a leap forward – historical meeting at the Turku Castle (News 6.10.2017)

Inquiries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Seppo Rekolainen, Director of International Water Cooperation, tel. +358 295 162 086, [email protected]