River Rights, Water Justice and New Perspectives on the Protection of Our Waters

On June 18 and 19, 2026, the Blue Community Berlin, together with GRÜNE LIGA and its partner organizations, welcomed Australian legal scholar and Blue Community Ambassador Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erin O'Donnell to Berlin. As part of her European tour, she discussed river rights, water protection and new legal approaches to nature with representatives from academia, civil society and environmental organizations.

In addition to the public panel discussion and a film evening, the program also included visits to Berlin schools and an excursion to innovative water concepts.

Australian Blue Ambassador Erin O'Donnell is coming to Berlin on June 18 and 19

In mid-June 2026, Blue Community Ambassador Erin O’Donnell, who is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne Law School in Australia and the author of "Legal Rights for Rivers: Competition, Collaboration and Water Governance", will be in Europe, delivering lectures in Zurich, Berlin and Vienna. The Blue Community Berlin welcomes her with a series of events on June 18 and 19 in Berlin.

In March 2024, the GRÜNE LIGA submitted a position paper to the European Commission as part of the Commission’s public consultation on the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC). The GRÜNE LIGA strongly advocates for the European Commission to uphold the Nitrates Directive. This crucial piece of legislation is needed to protect European citizens, farmers, and economies from the harmful effects of nitrate pollution.

The intensification of agriculture, driven by unsustainable use of fertilisers, has led to widespread nutrient pollution, affecting over 30% of surface waters, 14% of groundwater, and 80% of marine waters in the EU. Livestock production contributes to more than 80% of nitrogen emissions in groundwater, in particular through the excessive use of nitrogen-based fertilisers for feed.

The Nitrates Directive aims to protect water quality across the EU by reducing water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources and promoting the use of good agricultural practices.

The importance of water for our life on Earth is undisputed. It nourishes us, cools us, rejuvenates us. In Berlin, the water supply system is currently in crisis. To draw attention to the urgent problems and to emphasize the need for binding solutions, our Water Policy Office, GRÜNE LIGA Berlin and the initiative "WasserZeichenBerlin" calls for a demonstration on the occasion of World Water Day on 22. March 2024.

Our demands:

1. consistent water retention and effective protection of our water bodies;

2. improved protection and enhancement of natural habitats in and around water bodies

3. binding measures against the drying out of small bodies of water and the lowering of the groundwater level;

4. community-oriented revitalization of urban water bodies and shoreline areas;

5. promotion of environmental education programs and campains;

6. introduction of innovative recycling methods for sustainable water use.

The route starts from the main train station along the banks of the River Spree to Lustgarten on Museum Island. The march will be accompanied by two boats. A mid-rally is planned at Friedrich-Ebert-Platz, very close to the memorial site "Weiße Kreuze."

Further information in German language about WasserZeichenBerlin 2024: https://www.allesimfluss.berlin/wasserzeichenberlin

We call for the following key points of the Nature Restoration Law to be secured:

• Agree quantifiable, time-bound and binding targets for all marine and terrestrial habitats within and outside the Natura2000 setting,
• to secure a prohibition of degradation for these ecosystems,
• provide for the restoration of farmed habitats, including the rewetting of peatlands,
• establish valid indicators for forests,
• agree workable targets for the marine environment so that the EU Common Fisheries Policy no longer blocks the recovery of marine habitats,
• ensure public participation and access to justice; and
• provide for the immediate entry into force of the EU regulation.

The joint statement can be found at:
https://www.restorenature.eu/en/our-work-past-actions/trilogue-joint-restorenature-statement