EU co-funds research to tackle water scarcity in Mediterranean region

The EU will co-fund a €400m research programme set up between Mediterranean countries to promote sustainable water and food management in the climate change-stricken region.

The scheme, known as the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), will focus on developing research solutions which are transferable across countries in the region as they fight climate change-induced water scarcity.

Droughts and their impacts on health and food production are a particular challenge in the Mediterranean, with 180 “water poor” million citizens whose access to renewable water falls below 1,000 m3 per year, according to campaigning organisation Global Water Partnership.