Irrigation Days 2026
Irrigation Days 2026: Turning Europe’s Water Resilience Ambitions into Action
On 28–29 September 2026, the European Irrigation Association (EIA) brought its members, European policymakers, water experts and industry representatives together in Brussels for Irrigation Days 2026, under the theme “Irrigation and Smart Water Solutions for Europe’s Water Resilience.” The two-day event explored how the irrigation sector can respond to Europe’s evolving water policies, market developments and growing need for efficient, resilient water management.
Day 1: Market Intelligence, Business and Sector Priorities
The European Irrigation Business & Networking Forum brought EIA members together to discuss market trends, business opportunities and the strategic priorities shaping the sector in 2027 and beyond.
A key moment was the presentation and discussion of the European Irrigation Market Smart Market Report, developed by EIA with ESCP Business School. Members explored the implications of changing regulations, sustainability requirements, digitalisation and investment priorities for irrigation businesses.
The day also included discussions on the future editorial direction of Irrigazette, the EIA General Assembly and a workshop on EU policy, advocacy and market opportunities. Members exchanged views on how the Association can strengthen its role in European policy discussions and support the sector through market intelligence, knowledge sharing and a stronger collective voice.
During the General Assembly, members approved the Association’s 2025 results and 2026 budget, and welcomed four new Board members: Ramon Alcaraz (Azud), Bruno Perroni (Lindsay), Dorothea Sulzbacher (Lite Soil) and André Correia (Rain Bird).
Day 2: Irrigation for a Water-Resilient Europe
The second day focused on the implementation of Europe’s water-resilience ambitions. The high-level roundtable “Irrigation for a Water Resilient Europe” brought together representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, European Investment Bank, irrigation industry and environmental organisations.
Participants included Pernille Weiss-Ehler, Gaëlle Marion and Dr Lukas Repa from the European Commission; Members of the European Parliament Carmen Crespo Díaz and André Franqueira Rodrigues; Josep Oriol Bellot Miana from the European Investment Bank; Sara Johansson from the European Environmental Bureau; and irrigation-sector representatives Giusy Inferrera (Irritec), Julien Lecollinet (Société du Canal de Provence), Bruno Molle and Moshi Berenstein (EIA).
Discussions addressed the contribution of precision irrigation to water efficiency, the barriers to wider adoption and the measures needed to translate European objectives into practical results. Participants highlighted the importance of investment, professional skills, knowledge transfer, modern infrastructure, coherent policies and reliable methods to measure water efficiency.
The central message was clear: technology alone is not enough. Delivering water resilience requires an integrated approach that combines efficient irrigation systems with appropriate design, monitoring, maintenance, training and cooperation between public authorities, industry and water users.
The programme concluded with a technical visit to ZIN, a major urban redevelopment project in Brussels. Together with BALA, participants explored how integrated irrigation, vegetation and greenhouses can contribute to bringing nature into a dense urban environment.
Looking Ahead
Irrigation Days 2026 reinforced EIA’s commitment to connecting the irrigation sector with European decision-makers and promoting practical, measurable solutions for water resilience. The discussions will inform the Association’s future advocacy, knowledge-transfer and member activities as Europe moves from water policy ambitions towards implementation.
Pernille Weiss-Ehler is Member of Cabinet of Commissionaire Roswall, Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. Pernille is the Water Resilient Expert of the Cabinet.
Former Member of the European Parliament (2019-2024) where she was full member of the ITRE and the ENVI Committees on the topics of water, energy, textiles, circular economy, and pharma. Chair of MEP Water.
Pernille holds several academic degrees and has worked as both as public and private manager, as entrepreneur after starting her career as a nurse.
Pernille Weiss-Ehler is Member of Cabinet of Commissionaire Roswall, Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. Pernille is the Water Resilient Expert of the Cabinet.
Former Member of the European Parliament (2019-2024) where she was full member of the ITRE and the ENVI Committees on the topics of water, energy, textiles, circular economy, and pharma. Chair of MEP Water.
Pernille holds several academic degrees and has worked as both as public and private manager, as entrepreneur after starting her career as a nurse.
André Franqueira Rodrigues is a lawyer, Member of the European Parliament since 16 July 2024. He is the S&D coordinator in the Committee on Fisheries and a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, as well the Committee on Transport and Tourism, on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and on the Committee on Security and Defence.
He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in the XIII legislature term, and Vice-President of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group. He also served as an advisor to the President of the Regional Government of the Azores during the XI and XII Regional Governments. He is currently the Vice-President of the PS/Azores.
Gaëlle Marion is the Head of Unit for Environmental Sustainability in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, dealing with all interlinks between agriculture, the environment and climate. Before that, she was the Head of Unit for Conception and consistency of rural development.
She has been involved in the development of the Common Agricultural Policy since 2007, both on rural development and farm income support, and horizontal aspects such as governance, delivery models and networking. She is an agro-economist from Agro-ParisTech (1993), France.
Josep Oriol Bellot Miana
European Investment Bank
Josep Oriol Bellot Miana is an Industrial Engineer and Economist with 27-year experience through the whole water, wastewater, agriculture and environmental cycle: engineering, planning, construction, operation, business development, project structuring, M&A, financing and management.
He has been at the European Investment Bank since 2021 contributing to the financing of irrigation projects inside and outside EU through various instruments, sovereign loans, corporate, equity, intermediate finance and blended finance.
Giusy Inferrera is a sustainability specialist at Irritec with 15 years of experience in the irrigation sector. At Irritec, she supports the integration of sustainability and ESG principles into business strategy, contributing to sustainability reporting, stakeholder dialogue and initiatives aimed at improving resource efficiency and climate resilience in agriculture.
She is also Vice Leader of the Sustainability Working Group of the European Irrigation Association (EIA), where she collaborates with industry stakeholders to advance sustainability practices and promote the role of efficient irrigation in addressing global water and food security challenges.
Dr. Lukas Repa is a senior policy officer of the European Commission’s DG Environment. A lawyer by training (LL.M and Dr.iur), Lukas passed the bar exam in 2003 and subsequently joined the European civil service. Having joined the Commission in 2004, Lukas started working in competition law and financial services, then energy policy and digital policies. From 2016-17 Lukas was a research fellow at UC Berkeley, USA. Lukas currently works on European laws and policies on water scarcity & droughts in Europe, in the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, unit C.1 (sustainable freshwater management).
Julien Lecollinet is Head of International Activities at the Société du Canal de Provence (SCP) and represents Eau, Agriculture et Territoires (EAT), the French association promoting sustainable irrigation, drainage and agricultural water management.
With 25 years of international experience, he has led and advised major irrigation modernization and water resilience initiatives across Europe, Africa and Asia. His work focuses on the intersection of infrastructure, governance and digital innovation, helping water agencies, governments and farmers improve water-use efficiency, climate resilience and environmental protection.
André Franqueira Rodrigues is a lawyer, Member of the European Parliament since 16 July 2024. He is the S&D coordinator in the Committee on Fisheries and a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, as well the Committee on Transport and Tourism, on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and on the Committee on Security and Defence.
He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in the XIII legislature term, and Vice-President of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group. He also served as an advisor to the President of the Regional Government of the Azores during the XI and XII Regional Governments. He is currently the Vice-President of the PS/Azores.
Bruno Molle is a member of EIA since 2003 and of the board since 2007. Engaged in irrigation research activity since 1990 with Cemagref (that became Irstea in 2013 and INRAE in 2018), he focused on irrigation technology performance and management.
Until 2020, he managed the laboratory of INRAE that concentrates its research on irrigation technology and practices to better the water use efficiency, whatever the climate (sprinkler drift and evaporation) and water quality (drip behavior with suspended solids or biofilms, nutrients distribution in fertigation and chemigation) conditions. He graduated from Bordeaux SupAgro and has a PhD in Agronomy from the University of Montpellier.
Moshi Berenstein is serving voluntarily as the President of the European Irrigation Association (EIA) since 2020. Actively engaged in the Irrigation & water management sector since more than 14 years today, Israeli by origin, Moshi started working in Netafim in Israel in 2008 and moved with his family to live and work in Southern France in 2013. Graduated from the Israeli Technological institute TECHNION with a degree in Economics and from Tel Aviv University with a Master’s degree MSc. in Operations-Research. Prior to joining Netafim Moshi held several senior positions in the fields of Finance and Commercial in the Israeli market.