|
| A weekly newsletter zooming in on Europe through local perspectives. Every Friday, one topic explored by five independent newsrooms. | | IN THIS ISSUE | §01 · In focus — Taking a close look at how Europe is affected by drought
§02 · The local view — Berlin, Riga, Warsaw, Vienna and Zagreb
§03 · The podcast — Listen to the latest episode and join the conversation
§04 · From the newsrooms — Recent reporting from the lensEU network |
|
|
| §01 · IN FOCUS | Is Europe Drying Out? | You might have noticed it: Summer temperatures arrived unusually early this year. Temperatures climbed quickly, sunny days stretched on, and rainfall seemed scarce. Europe is warming faster than any other continent, and that rapid warming is fundamentally changing the way water moves through its landscapes.
The consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Rivers run lower, soils dry out earlier in the year, and farmers struggle to predict growing conditions. This raises one issue: Across Europe, drought is no longer an occasional summer problem.
To understand the scale of this transformation, CORRECTIV.Europe analysed drought data from across the continent. The team, which specialises in cross-border and data-driven investigations, examined drought conditions between 2012 and 2026 using data from the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme. The analysis covered countries in the European Economic Area as well as the United Kingdom, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The findings are striking. Two-thirds of all regions have been particularly affected by droughts. They experienced at least one year in which half of the days were significantly too dry. The findings highlight how climate change is reshaping landscapes, agriculture and economies across the continent.
The data combine measurements of precipitation, soil moisture and vegetation health, offering one of the most comprehensive pictures of drought across Europe. Together, they reveal a continent facing a profound shift in its water cycle.
A Changing Water Balance | Scientists have warned about this trend for years. As global temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more moisture. This increases evaporation from soils, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. As a result, landscapes lose water more quickly than they can replenish it.
Crucially, drought is not simply a question of rainfall. Heat is an equally important factor. Even in years when precipitation remains close to average, exceptionally high temperatures can dry out soils, stress vegetation and increase water demand across entire regions. | At the same time, Europe's winters are changing. Many regions are receiving less snowfall and, in some places, less rainfall. Under normal conditions, the groundwater reserves should replenish, as well as rivers and soils. When that recharge fails to occur, landscapes enter the year already at a deficit.
Rainfall patterns are changing as well. Long dry periods are increasingly interrupted by intense downpours. While these heavy rainfall events may temporarily relieve drought conditions, much of the water runs off quickly rather than soaking into the ground and replenishing groundwater reserves.
Climate change is therefore affecting both: reducing the reliability of water supplies while increasing demand. The result is a growing risk of longer, more intense and more frequent droughts.
Here, it is important to distinguish between drought and water stress, two concepts that are often confused. Drought refers to a natural shortage of water caused by weather and climate conditions. Water stress occurs when water consumption exceeds what can be sustainably supplied. Drought can intensify water stress, but water stress can also arise in areas that are not experiencing acute dryness if demand from households, agriculture or industry becomes too high.
The Costs of Dryness
The consequences of drought extend far beyond agriculture. When soils dry out and rivers shrink, entire economies feel the impact. Forests become more vulnerable to pests and wildfires. Inland shipping routes become less reliable. Drinking water supplies come under pressure. Industries dependent on water face growing challenges. Cities become hotter and more difficult to live in during prolonged heatwaves.
Some of the most severe impacts are felt by vulnerable groups. Older people and those with pre-existing health conditions are particularly susceptible to prolonged heat and water scarcity.
The economic costs are already substantial. In 2025 alone, extreme weather events across Europe caused an estimated €43 billion in damages. These losses were not solely the result of drought but also of related events such as heatwaves and flooding following intense rainfall. Because several climate-related extremes often occur simultaneously, it is impossible to determine exactly how much of the damage can be attributed directly to drought.
What is clear, however, is that the costs are rising. According to the European Environment Agency, annual losses linked to climate-related extremes could reach approximately €126 billion by 2029 if current trends continue.
Agriculture on the Front Line
Few sectors are more exposed to drought than agriculture. Farming accounts for almost 60 per cent of Europe's water consumption. Crops depend on sufficient soil moisture during critical growth stages, making agricultural production highly sensitive to prolonged dry periods.
In parts of Europe, severe droughts have already reduced yields of key crops such as wheat, maize and barley. Lower harvests affect more than farmers' incomes. They can contribute to higher food prices, increase dependence on imports and create uncertainty about future food supplies.
As drought becomes more frequent, many farmers are being forced to adapt. Some are changing planting schedules. Others are investing in irrigation systems or switching to more drought-resistant crop varieties.
CORRECTIV.Europe talked for their coverage with farmer Felix Riecken. He is based in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, where adaptation became a necessity rather than a choice for him.
In 2018, an exceptionally severe drought pushed his family farm to the brink. Livestock had to be slaughtered earlier than planned. The silage feed for the livestock had to be accessed three months earlier than usual. Therefore, they needed to purchase additional conventional feed. As a certified organic farm, the family had to apply for a special exemption. What also followed was that milk production declined significantly. The farm suffered financial losses of up to €150,000, according to Riecken.
Riecken's experience was far from unique. Across Europe, experts interviewed by CORRECTIV.Europe described crop failures, water shortages and economic losses linked to drought. Yet his story illustrates something beyond the statistics. It demonstrates what climate change means for the people whose livelihoods depend directly on the land.
Rather than accepting repeated losses as inevitable, Riecken fundamentally changed how he farms.
Inspired by the observation that hedgerows remained green and retained moisture even during dry periods, he began converting the dairy farm into an agroforestry system: Trees and shrubs were planted throughout the landscape to improve water retention, reduce evaporation and protect soil health.
Today, the family operates five agroforestry systems. Riecken describes the approach as building ecosystem capital – investing in the long-term resilience of the land rather than focusing solely on short-term yields.
The transition has not been easy. It required years of work, substantial investment and support from customers willing to back a different way of farming. But it offers a glimpse of how agriculture may need to evolve in a hotter and drier Europe.
Adapting to a New Reality
Riecken believes farmers cannot shoulder the burden of adaptation alone. He argues that governments and society must recognise the growing risks posed by climate change and provide stronger support for long-term solutions.
Current subsidy systems, he says, often fail to reward measures that improve environmental resilience over decades. Yet such investments may prove essential if Europe wants to maintain food production while adapting to a changing climate.
More broadly, experts argue that adaptation will be necessary across society. Climate-resilient urban planning, reducing soil sealing, restoring wetlands and improving natural water retention are among the measures that could help limit future impacts.
Water-use efficiency will become increasingly important. So will investments in groundwater management, sustainable irrigation systems and infrastructure designed for a more variable climate.
Adaptation alone will not solve the problem
The underlying driver remains climate change. Every fraction of a degree of warming avoided reduces the risks associated with heatwaves, drought, water scarcity, and ecosystem degradation.
The evidence emerging from Europe's drought data points to a clear conclusion. Drought is no longer an occasional weather anomaly. It is becoming a structural feature of Europe's climate.
Water can no longer be taken for granted. What was once considered exceptional is becoming increasingly normal. The challenge for Europe is not simply to respond to individual droughts as they occur, but to prepare for a future in which water scarcity becomes a recurring reality.
Lilith Grull, International Reporter at CORRECTIV |
|
|
| | | Berlin · Germany · CORRECTIV | Germany faces Growing Drought Risks | In the past, Germany has been less affected by drought than some other European countries, but the consequences are becoming increasingly severe. According to CORRECTIV.Europe’s analysis, Germany ranks 21st for moderate drought conditions and 16th out of 35 countries for acute drought events between 2012 and 2026. Experts warn, however, that the risks should not be underestimated, particularly as climate change is expected to intensify drought conditions in the years ahead.
The first half of 2026 has already highlighted these challenges. Following a winter with below-average rainfall and an exceptionally dry spring, many regions are experiencing low soil moisture levels and declining groundwater reserves. One example that has attracted significant attention in recent weeks is Jülich in North Rhine-Westphalia, where residents were urged in May to conserve water as drought conditions worsened. | To learn more about the data analysis, whether drought can be insured against, the role of agricultural subsidies, and Felix Riecken’s story, explore CORRECTIV.Europe’s full investigation – available in both English and German. There, you can also access an interactive atlas to see how drought has affected your region.
Lilith Grull, International Reporter, CORRECTIV |
|
|
|
| | Riga · Latvia · TVNET | Drought is Not Just Dry Soil | In Latvia, we usually complain more about rain than about the lack of it. Wet summers, soaked fields and grey skies almost feel like part of our climate identity. That is precisely why drought in Latvia is often seen as a temporary inconvenience rather than a serious risk. But recent years show a different reality. | In 2018, a prolonged drought in the agricultural sector was declared a national-scale natural disaster, and farmers’ losses were estimated at around 359 million euros. This was not just a statistic: grain farmers, vegetable growers, horticultural producers and livestock farmers were affected – and, ultimately, so were consumers, because a smaller harvest means pressure on food prices.
The year 2023 reminded us that this was not a one-off episode. May was the driest on record; June was among the driest months recorded; and the grain harvest was expected to fall by 30 to 50 per cent. Drought meant a shortage of fodder, dried-out pastures, financial stress for farms and even the risk of reducing livestock herds. In cities, municipalities had to spend more on watering greenery; in rural areas, people’s wells ran dry; and in forests and bogs, the risk of fire increased.
That is why drought in Latvia is no longer just a weather story. It is a question of food, prices, rural businesses, water, fire safety and the ability to understand that climate risks are already here – even in a country where rain once seemed self-evident.
Toms Ostrovskis, Editor in Chief, TVNET GRUPA |
|
|
|
|
| | Warsaw · Poland · OKO.press | Poland's Drought by Design | Poland’s drought problem is less just a series of bad summers than a full-blown water balance crisis by now. The country has among Europe’s lowest renewable freshwater resources — from 2015 to 2023, only about 1,100 to 1,600 cubic metres per person per year, falling below the UN water-stress threshold in some areas. A warmer climate is increasing evaporation and shifting rainfall towards longer dry spells punctuated by heavier downpours, not to mention snowless winters becoming the new norm.
In practice, much of the water Poland receives drains away too quickly to rebuild soil moisture and groundwater. Decades of drainage, river straightening, ditch clearance, wetland conversion, removal of field trees, and urban land sealing have treated water as something to be removed rather than stored. So-called river maintenance works can deepen channels and accelerate run-off, worsening both upstream drought and downstream flood risk. The irony is that these works are often trumpeted by the responsible institutions as measures to combat drought.
The answer is not only more reservoirs. Scientists, NGOs and local residents have been urging decision-makers to increase retention across the landscape through simple, relatively cheap, localised actions. It’s restoring wetlands and floodplains, renaturalizing rivers, rebuilding mid-field trees and ponds, protecting soils, and allowing beavers to provide some of the cheapest small-scale dam-building available. A grassroots movement has even emerged to backfill drainage ditches, sometimes in informal, almost guerrilla-style interventions. | Policy-wise, farmers should receive incentives to keep or restore wetlands and wet meadows rather than convert every usable hectare into cropland. Water management should move from an infrastructure-first approach to an environmental-security approach, including a rewrite of inland-water rules and oversight by the climate and environment ministry, rather than the infrastructure ministry, as is the case today.
Wojciech Kość, Reporter for Climate Crisis, Energy, environment, OKO.press |
|
|
|
|
| | Vienna · Austria · Die Presse | How Drought is Threatening Austria’s Greatest Asset | Compared with the vast majority of countries, Austria is in a fortunate position: almost 100 billion cubic metres of precipitation fall across the country every year. Clean rivers and lakes generate 60 per cent of the nation’s electricity, attract tourists, and meet the water needs of households, agriculture and industry. A secure water supply is also a key selling point for international corporations. Yet increasing drought is putting Austria’s economic competitiveness at risk. | “Our economies are built on the assumption that there is enough rainfall,” warns Johan Rockström of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. Unlike in many other countries, that assumption still largely holds true in Austria. Annual water consumption amounts to 3.14 billion cubic metres, while more than five billion cubic metres of groundwater could theoretically be available each year. Protecting this resource is essential, as the situation is becoming more challenging in Austria as well. | Current studies suggest that Austria will remain a water-rich location even in 2050. However, significant regional differences are expected. The eastern part of the country is likely to face more severe droughts than the west.
Industrial water demand is expected to remain at around 70 per cent of total consumption. By contrast, the environmental agency expects agricultural demand to rise sharply. In particular, during exceptionally hot summers and after dry winters, water supplies in eastern Austria could come under pressure very quickly.
Observers have been calling for years for a digital water abstraction register and a clear strategy defining who would receive priority access in an emergency. At present, in the event of shortages, local mayors would have to decide how to allocate supplies to ensure residents have sufficient drinking water.
Is water in Austria too cheap? Most users pay only for the infrastructure. The EU Water Framework Directive recommends higher water prices to manage consumption. Representatives of industry and agriculture fear that higher prices could undermine one of Austria’s key competitive advantages. Others see stronger pricing mechanisms as the first step towards privatisation. It is a highly sensitive issue.
Matthias Auer, Economist Editor, Die Presse |
|
|
|
|
| | Zagreb · Croatia · Telegram.hr | Croatia loses Half a Billion Euros' worth of Water Every Year | In Croatia, one-third of the total damage from extreme weather events is already caused by drought, an insidious natural phenomenon that develops slowly. The state does not yet have a clear adaptation plan for prolonged dry periods: although it is witnessing increasingly frequent seasonal water shortages, its natural wealth is being squandered as though there is no tomorrow.
What can follow when drought occurs and when rain doesn’t come is the following:
80 per cent of Croatia's population drinks water drawn from underground aquifers, which are replenished by groundwater inflow, infiltration from precipitation, and, in part, by surface waters. At the same time, in Croatia, every other leak away: as much as 52 per cent of water disappears before it reaches consumers. | Additionally, hundreds of millions of cubic metres of drinking water are lost due to an ageing network, pipe bursts, technical losses, measurement inaccuracies, and frequent unauthorised consumption — in plain terms, water theft.
The Report on the State of the Water Services Sector for 2024 shows that more than 528 million cubic metres of water were abstracted within the public water supply system, while approximately 256 million cubic metres were billed to users. The difference of 272 million cubic metres that never reached citizens is recorded as non-revenue water, a volume exceeding Lithuania's total gross abstraction, which ranges from 255 to 265 million cubic metres per year. If that water loss were converted into euros, it would mean that Croatia loses around half a billion euros' worth of its most vital natural resource every year.
While Croatia's network coverage of 94 per cent and drinking water quality standards rank among the best in Europe, the economic sustainability of the system is alarmingly unsound and is quite literally draining away. The situation is particularly critical in the capital Zagreb and in Split, as well as in coastal counties, which are also hit by a seasonal surge in demand during the summer months due to tourism. During the summer season, Croatia is visited by around 12 million tourists, three times bigger than the country's population. Istria was the first region in Croatia to introduce water-conservation measures during the tourist season, following an exceptional drought four years ago.
Meteorologists warn that it is high time Croatia prepared for the growing risks posed by drought, which causes the greatest economic damage among all natural disasters, affecting agriculture, water supply, transport, energy, tourism and aquaculture, often striking multiple sectors simultaneously.
Silvana Menđušić, Reporter, Telegram |
|
|
|
|
| §03 · THE PODCAST | Europe under Pressure: The growing Impact of Drought | Prefer listening? This week’s lensEU podcast explores drought across Europe, with a particular focus on Germany, Poland and Austria.
Forest fires, crop failures, the health of nature and people: droughts can threaten almost every aspect of life. In Europe, it is becoming an increasingly serious problem. | But what does this actually mean for our everyday lives? For water supplies? For the economy? Are we prepared? | |
|
|
| In case you missed the episode you can listen to it here.
What was last week’s episode about?
Millions of Europeans are struggling to find a home they can afford. According to data from the European Commission, 82 million Europeans – one in five – spend more than 40 per cent of their monthly income on housing, significantly more than the recommended threshold of 30 per cent. The housing crisis is hindering job mobility, access to education, and starting families. It is also undermining the competitiveness of the EU economy and our social cohesion. |
| | | | | | |
| | |
|
