Resumen
With increased water scarcity due to anthropocentric and natural causes, the trade-offs and
synergies intrinsic to efficiently allocate water resources to various competing uses have become
more polarized. Realizing the importance of an integrated approach in water governance, the RETOUCH
Nexus project introduces and promotes the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus as a multi-
level and cross-sectoral approach that advocates the EU water economy and, in addition, relies on
ecological and social considerations. The overall objective of RETOUCH Nexus is to design and
foster integrated, innovative and inclusive Nexus-smart water governance schemes and institutional
settings to promote a secure water future in the EU, resilient to climate change. RETOUCH Nexus
follows an evidence-based approach to propose, assess and optimize a set of WEFE Nexus smart
methods in six different case studies reflecting various cross-sectoral, multi-level and
multi-stakeholder water governance contexts. First, the project will monitor water governance by
providing a set of Nexus-smart socio-economic and environmental indicators that reflect the
cross-sectoral and multi-level nature of water use. Second, RETOUCH Nexus will design integrated
and climate-resilient water governance practices that ensure sustainable water systems. Tt will
also develop economic instruments and business models that support robust water management under
cross-sectoral competition. Third, RETOUCH Nexus will foster more transparent, inclusive and
innovative engagement mechanisms that empower stakeholder and citizen participation in water
governance. Finally, RETOUCH Nexus aims to effectively increase the socio-economic and
environmental resilience of water governance in Europe by upscaling and endorsing successful
s-based water
governance interventions that will be designed and validated throughout the duration of the
project.
