Since 2018, the Blue Deal programme is working on drought management in the partnership in Romania. This was noticed by water managers in Portugal. In February, a team of experts of Blue Deal partnership Romania were invited to travel to Mértola, Portugal to provide insights and recommendations on how to address challenges posed by drought and water scarcity in this region. They did not only bring in knowledge and expertise from the Dutch perspective, but also from the Romanian perspective.

The Blue Deal partnership in Romania focuses on several key activities to combat droughts, including restoration of irrigation systems, stakeholder collaboration for joint water management solutions, monitoring and promoting sustainable groundwater usage and developing strategies to manage water resources amid climate change.
These topics were also highlighted during the expert session in Portugal.
Advising regional stakeholders
During the visit to Mértola (Mértola has the size of the Province of Utrecht), various regional stakeholders were advised by the experts on different approaches to manage the Guadiana River. Representatives from the municipality of Mértola were also present. The river forms the border between Spain and Portugal and faces severe drought conditions. As a result, there is less water available for agriculture and nature. The team was invited by the Dutch embassy and consisted of Johan Remijn and Joost van der Zwet from water authority Rijnland, Silvia Mosterd from water authority Noorderzijlsvest. Experts from Nyenrode University (Tineke Lambooy and Antoinette Hildering) and the University of Murcia, Spain (Eduardo Salazar Ortuno) were also present.
Collaborative efforts
The team was joined by Eduardo Salazar Ortuno. He is involved in advocating for the ecosystem’s voice as a legal entity. Also present was the deputy mayor of Mértola, Rosinda Pimenta, who emphasized the importance of thinking about the future together.
Furthermore, the team collaborated with Gotlieb Basch from the University of Evora. Gotlieb is passionately involved in the impact of soil on water quality. He is, therefore, strongly against ploughing and advocates for covering the soil with organic material to prevent it from drying out. This reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
For them, it would be beneficial if Brussels adjusted subsidy rules to encourage farmers to work this way. Therefore, to have more influence in Brussels, the advice to Mértola is to form a coalition with other European municipalities that face similar problems.

Expert conclusions
Manuela Moreira da Silva from the University of Algarve, highlighted innovative solutions for local water retention: it can reduce water consumption by 50%. Farmers in the region prefer small, irrigated areas to have their grass grow, favouring multiple dams over a single large dam. However, the experts concluded that new dams should not be constructed. Namely, the assumption is that more irrigated land could lead to large agricultural companies threatening the quality of the Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana.

Student perspectives
Three students, Emilio Munos Guerrero, Alba Gimeno, and Willemijn Lodders, emphasized the importance of making Mértola attractive to children and young people. They also argued that future space users should not be easily offered a cheap alternative. They highlighted the importance of health in relation to sustainable production. Rosinda Pimenta concluded by pointing out that it makes little sense to start running if the people around you are not yet doing so. “Involve them, take them along, and inspire them.”
Key takeaways
The following five points are worth considering:
- Holistic approach: To tackle drought, it is important to zoom out rather than zoom in. By looking at other aspects such as ecology, land use, water recycling, and local water retention, more can possibly be achieved.
- Soil management: Drought is not just a challenge that can be solved by bringing in more water. Soil management and use are closely linked to it.
- Stakeholder engagement: Involve current and future users in planning more than ever before. Pay attention to the distribution of young and old, different educational levels, and cultures.
- Interdependence: Drought and spatial planning are interdependent.
- Beyond technical measures: To interest all users, more is needed than presenting technical measures.
Added value
Drought becomes increasingly problematic in Europe and is an important topic on the knowledge agenda of Dutch Water Authorities. The outcomes of the visit to Mértola emphasize once again how special it is, that Dutch Water Authorities conduct extensive research on drought and create plans that even look ahead to 2100.

Dutch ambassador visits Blue Deal Romania
In the meantime, capacity building and knowledge exchange on drought management continued in the Romanian Blue Deal partnership.
The Romanian Dăbuleni pilot area – which suffers from great droughts – was visited by the Dutch ambassador Willemijn van Haaften. She met the Jiu Water Basin Administration (Jiu WBA) in Craiova, Romania, along with a team from the Embassy. Representatives from the National Administration “Romanian Waters” (ANAR) and Jiu WBA presented projects developed under the Blue Deal initiative.
The delegation explored key sites in the Dăbuleni pilot area that deals with severe drought challenges. Highlights included:
- The Dăbuleni Research Institute – Director Aurelia Diaconu presented research on drought-resistant plant species.
- The Museum of Plants Adapted to Sandy Soils – showcasing plant species adapted to the arid conditions of the Oltenia region.
- Izvor Ascunsa – Hidden Spring rehabilitation – a Blue Deal mini-pilot project demonstrating sustainable water management solutions.
- Field visits to strategic sites such as Jieț at Ostroveni, Jiu at Zăval, the Jiu-Jiet reconnection project, and the Danube at Bechet, highlighting practical approaches for drought mitigation and ecosystem restoration.
The visit reinforced the strong partnership between Romanian and Dutch water authorities and the support of the Dutch Embassy. It showcased successful interventions in combating drought and the improvement of regional water management.