Seasonal water scarcity conditions for European sub units for the four quarters of 2022, as measured by water exploitation index plus (WEI+)

NOTE : The seasonal water exploitation index plus (WEI+) provides a measure of total water consumption as a percentage of the renewable freshwater resources available for the European river basins at subunit level. Each season is defined as a calendar quarter on the map: Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September), and Q4 (October-December).

WEI+ results for EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland are presented at the subunit level, while for Italy, they are shown at the river basin level. For Türkiye and the Western Balkan cooperating countries, results are provided at the country level due to the lack of spatial data on river basins and subunits.

The EEA calculates the Water Exploitation Index for European river basins using a consistent methodology endorsed by EU Water Directors. This approach ensures comparability of results across countries but relies on datasets that may require significant gap-filling due to limited reported data from countries. Results may therefore vary for some countries that produce their own estimates. In particular, Italy has noted that the pan-European index may not accurately reflect the detailed current water stress conditions in its river basins.