17. - "The Next Generation funds and their effect on the sustainability of the water cycle"

This brief aims to provide an analysis of the use of the Next Generation funds to achieve sustainable water management. To this end, the Spanish Government has drafted the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP). The document emphasizes the key role of water in the maintenance and restoration of good ecological status. The idea is based on the fact that environment-friendly water management is needed that guarantees the resource and the ecosystem services it provides. Therefore, for the future, integrated management of water in all its forms (inland, ground, fresh, brackish, transitional and coastal waters) is necessary. It is also crucial to take into consideration the relationship between aquatic systems and the land ecosystems that depend on them. This approach is proposed by Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 23rd October 2000, establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, known as the Water Framework Directive (WFD), approved over two decades ago.