7th Press Release after policy-stakeholder engagement

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7th Press Release after policy-stakeholder engagement

May 20, 2025

Integrated WEFE Nexus Governance Highlighted at IRENEC 2025 as Essential for Mediterranean Climate Resilience

Istanbul, Türkiye – The 15th International 100% Renewable Energy Conference (IRENEC 2025), organised by EUROSOLAR Türkiye, was held at Istanbul Beykent University from 14 to 16 May 2025

Policy stakeholders participating in the IRENEC 2025 conference, highlighted the critical need for a more integrated approach to Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystem (WEFE) governance. Discussions emphasized that policies across these vital sectors should no longer be designed in isolation but planned and implemented together, particularly in Mediterranean regions facing escalating challenges such as drought, water scarcity, ecosystem degradation, and increasing pressure on food production.

Participants explicitly connected the WEFE Nexus framework with key European and international policy initiatives, including the European Green Deal, the Farm-to-Fork Strategy, climate-neutrality commitments, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Central to the discussions was the urgent adoption of water-efficient agriculture, renewable energy integration, agrivoltaics, biodiversity protection, and circular resource use.

Strengthening Local Capacity and Coherent Governance

The engagement recognized municipalities and local authorities as essential actors responsible for translating national and European objectives into practical, on-the-ground action.

To achieve effective implementation, stakeholders underscored the necessity for:

Coherent regulatory frameworks and clear legislation.
Accessible green finance and targeted economic incentives.
Stronger local capacity through capacity-building initiatives.
Reliable data and robust technical assessments.
Sustained multi-stakeholder cooperation among public authorities, farmers, researchers, businesses, and local communities.

The overarching policy message delivered at IRENEC 2025 was clear: progress in one sector must not create unintended pressures in another. Future policy frameworks must proactively identify synergies, manage trade-offs, and deliver combined environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Key Policy Messages

During the policy-stakeholder engagements, the main consensus points were synthesized into the following policy messages:

Integrated Planning: Water, energy, food, and ecosystem policies should be planned together rather than treated as separate sectoral responsibilities.
Water Efficiency in the Mediterranean: Addressing regional water scarcity requires less water-intensive agriculture, expanded water reuse, and highly efficient food-production systems.
Synergistic Renewable Energy: Renewable energy deployment must support food production without increasing pressure on water resources, agricultural land, or natural ecosystems.
Opportunity of Agrivoltaics: Agrivoltaic systems present a key opportunity to combine agricultural production with renewable electricity generation, provided that crop compatibility, land use, and environmental effects are thoroughly assessed.
Sustainable Food Systems: Sustainable food policy must promote healthier production with reduced reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, addressing the complete chain from farm to consumer.
Alignment with Strategic Frameworks: The European Green Deal, Farm-to-Fork Strategy, climate-neutrality targets, and SDGs serve as the overarching framework for integrated WEFE action.
Ecosystem Restoration: Biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration must remain integral components of all water, energy, and agricultural decision-making.
Central Role of Municipalities: Mayors, municipal councils, and local authorities play a crucial implementation role through local climate plans, land-use decisions, infrastructure investment, public procurement, and community engagement.
Scaling Green Finance: Accessible green finance, clear legislation, and appropriate incentives are required to transition integrated WEFE solutions from pilot demonstrations to widespread adoption.
Inclusive Stakeholder Participation: Farmers, local communities, researchers, municipalities, businesses, and civil-society organizations must actively participate in policy design, monitoring, and evaluation.
Evidence-Based Policy Making: Policies must be supported by reliable data, technical and economic assessments, capacity-building, and clear, measurable indicators.

About FrontAg Nexus

FrontAg Nexus is a PRIMA-supported project working to address climate change, natural resource scarcity and food-security challenges in the Mediterranean through climate-smart and water-saving agricultural solutions. The project combines technological innovation with socio-economic research and policy development, promoting a more integrated approach to water, energy, food and ecosystem management.

Learn more at frontagnexus.eu.

Disclaimer

This publication reflects the views of the author only. The European Commission and PRIMA Foundation cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.