European Clean Drinking Water Index
EU Environment and Climate
On June 4, 2025, the European Commission launched its Water Resilience Strategy to tackle rising water stress, droughts, and pollution. The plan targets a 10% cut in water use by 2030, improved infrastructure, better enforcement of existing water laws, and up to €15 billion in investments through the European Investment Bank.
The strategy also introduces a new Water Resilience Forum, better monitoring, digital tools, and fairer pricing of water across sectors.
The list below is based on publicly available rankings, gathered by EU Environment and Climate. While Europe generally enjoys high water quality, there are major regional differences. Mountain areas like the Alps and Scandinavia benefit from naturally clean water, while lowland agricultural and industrial regions face higher risks from pollutants like PFAS, nitrates, and pathogens. Investigative mapping has identified over 23,000 suspected PFAS-contaminated sites across Europe. The EU strategy aims to close these gaps and secure clean water for all.
Full details on the EU’s strategy are available here.
Finland
Germany
Controversies: High levels of TFA, a PFAS byproduct, found in major rivers (Neckar, Rhine basin) from industrial and pesticide sources. Local authorities are importing, diluting, or treating water using costly methods like reverse osmosis.
Luxembourg
Italy
Controversies: Veneto PFAS disaster - hundreds of thousands exposed to high PFAS in tap water since at least 2017; chronic contamination in food too.
Sweden
Controversies: Thousands of PFAS-contaminated spots nationwide; extreme cases like Kallinge—up to 2,450× safety limits—catalyzed legal rulings that PFAS in blood is personal injury .
Greece
Portugal
Austria
Ireland
Malta
Spain
Denmark
Belgium
Controversies: PFAS around 3M site in Antwerp. TFA detected in 93 % of water samples—ongoing health concerns.
Slovakia
Slovenia
Netherlands
Cyprus
France
Croatia
Latvia
Poland
Estonia
Czech Republic
Bulgaria
Lithuania
Hungary
Romania
