RECREATE at EURESFO26: Discussing water security in island and climate-vulnerable communities

This June, RECREATE will be part of the conversation at the 13th European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO), where it will contribute to a session on one of the most pressing challenges for many island and coastal territories: How to strengthen water security in the face of growing climate stress. The session, titled "Enhancing water security in small, insular and climate-vulnerable communities," will take place on 17 June 2026, from 11:15 to 12:30.

For small islands and other climate-vulnerable communities, water is becoming an increasingly fragile resource. Longer dry periods, shifting rainfall patterns, heatwaves, flooding and other climate-related pressures are making water management more difficult and less predictable. In many places, these pressures are made worse by seasonal tourism, limited freshwater availability and geographic isolation.

This session will bring together different perspectives on how communities can respond to those challenges in practical and locally grounded ways. The discussion will draw on experiences from island and coastal case studies, including Syros in Greece and La Palma in Spain, and look at how different environmental, social and governance conditions shape local water resilience strategies.

For RECREATE, this is an important opportunity to share lessons from our work and to connect them with a wider European discussion on climate adaptation. Our contribution will highlight the value of place-based approaches that reflect the realities of each territory, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions. The panel will also explore a range of responses, from integrated water planning and risk-informed governance to circular water approaches, ecosystem-based solutions and demand management.

RECREATE will be represented by Dr. Thanasis Sfetsos, Research Director at NCSR Demokritos, who will join a panel of speakers from across research, regional governance and practice. The session will be moderated by Liane Girier-Dufournier (ICLEI Europe) and Maria Angela Cunha (Municipality of Aveiro).

Beyond sharing examples, the session is also meant to open up a broader exchange: What can other vulnerable territories learn from these experiences and how can promising approaches be adapted elsewhere? With European policy attention on islands, coastal areas and outermost regions continuing to grow, this discussion comes at the right moment.

We are glad to bring RECREATE into this space and to contribute to a discussion that is both practical and timely. Water security is not an abstract issue for islands and climate-vulnerable communities, it is already shaping daily life, local planning and long-term resilience. EURESFO 2026 offers a valuable setting to share what is working, where the gaps remain and how we can move forward together.

Publishing date: 19 May 2026

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