The development of the biofuels sector in Europe has raised concerns regarding the sustainability of production and its impacts on the environment.This project explores and analyses the different water needs and distribution of bioenergy crops grown or potentially grown in the next decades in the EU. The overall objective is to support the Commission regarding future work on water scarcity and on linking water and agricultural policies.

There is growing concern throughout the EU regarding drought events leading to water scarcity problems, and the number of Member States that experience seasonal or long term droughts has increased over the years. In recognition of the acuteness of water scarcity and drought challenges in Europe, a number of proposed policies aim to move the EU towards a water-efficient and water-saving economy. One important factor in this context is future land use, which is crucial for mitigating water stress in the long run.

In parallel to these developments, bioenergy is becoming a more important energy source to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil sources and foreign imports. Targets set by the EU for increasing biomass production necessitate substantial growth in agriculture production, which has led to a debate concerning potential benefits to the environment as well as possible conflicts with objectives of other EU policies, such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

In this context, this project explores and analyses the different water needs and distribution of bioenergy crops grown or potentially grown in the next decades in the EU. Steps of the study include

• Develop three scenarios, one focusing on future bioenergy developments and related land use 2020;
• Assess the impacts of an increased bioenergy cropping on the River Basin level on future water scarcity for 2020; and
• Overall, to support the Commission in the future work on water scarcity and on linking water and agricultural policies.