NLwatertech2Italy mission

The mission opened in Milan with a meeting featuring Reinette Klever, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, who praised the cluster’s innovative technologies addressing water resource management. Minister Klever emphasised the Netherlands’ ambition in the water sector, anchored in partnership, integrated approaches, and promoting Dutch excellence worldwide.

A roundtable at the Dutch Consulate in Milan brought together leading Italian water utilities and companies such as Metropolitana Milanese, Acquedotto Pugliese, A2A, and others. Discussions highlighted critical issues including flood management, non-revenue water (NRW) reduction, drought resilience, and the emerging challenges of micropollutants and energy neutrality. Participants exchanged insights on smart sensor deployment, artificial intelligence applications, and cost-effective leakage detection, underscoring a shared need for knowledge exchange and innovation.

Later that day, the cluster met with the Po River District Basin Authority, responsible for the largest river basin in Italy, which serves one-third of the country’s population. Representatives detailed the complexities of managing diverse climate zones, competing water demands from agriculture, industry, and tourism, and the political sensitivities surrounding water governance. The authority expressed keen interest in partnering with Dutch water boards for knowledge-to-knowledge projects, particularly on asset management, groundwater monitoring, and flood prevention.

The first day concluded with a networking dinner in Verona, bringing together cluster members and key local stakeholders to deepen connections.

On the second day, the mission visited Acque Veronesi’s drinking water facility in Lonigo, home to Europe’s largest PFAS extraction plant. This highlighted the region’s efforts to tackle persistent groundwater contamination challenges. The cluster then met with Piave Servizi and representatives from the Viveracqua consortium, which manages integrated water services across the Veneto region. Discussions focused on strategies for water safety plans, sewage sludge recovery, investment in infrastructure, and fostering innovation through collaborative networks.

Throughout the mission, the NLwatertech2Italy cluster emphasised the importance of international cooperation, data sharing, and integrated solutions to address water scarcity, flooding, and pollution, challenges that transcend borders and require united efforts.