Irrigation Days 2026
Irrigation and Smart Water Solutions for Europe’s Water Resilience
The European Irrigation Association (EIA) is pleased to invite its members to the European Irrigation & Water Resilience Forum 2026, a two-day event dedicated to exploring the future of irrigation, water resilience, and business opportunities in an evolving European policy landscape.
Please note that this event is exclusively reserved for EIA members. Registration is mandatory.
As Europe advances the implementation of its Water Resilience Agenda, new regulations, sustainability requirements, funding priorities, and water-efficiency targets are creating both challenges and opportunities for the irrigation sector. The Forum will provide a unique platform to understand these developments, exchange knowledge, and strengthen the role of irrigation in Europe’s water future.
Why Attend?
Understand where the market is heading
Gain valuable insights into the market trends, regulatory developments, investment priorities, and business opportunities that are expected to shape the irrigation sector in 2027 and beyond.
Engage with Europe’s water policy landscape
Discover how the European Water Resilience Agenda is influencing decision-making across agriculture, landscaping, and water management, and explore how irrigation technologies can contribute to achieving Europe’s water-efficiency objectives.
Connect with industry leaders and policymakers
Meet fellow EIA members, representatives from European institutions, water experts, investors, and key stakeholders from across the irrigation ecosystem during dedicated networking sessions and strategic discussions.
Help shape the future of the sector
Take part in conversations on advocacy, communication priorities, and market opportunities while contributing your expertise to strengthen the collective voice of irrigation in Europe.
Programm :
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DAY 1 – September 28, 2026
European Irrigation Business & Networking Forum
Hybrid event | Copa – Cogeca – 61, Rue de Trèves | B – 1040 Brussels, Brussels + Online | 09:30-18:00
A member-focused day dedicated to market intelligence, business planning, communication priorities and networking across the European irrigation sector.
09:30 – Welcome Coffee & Gathering
An opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, partners and industry peers from across Europe before the start of the forum.
10:00 – Strategic Outlook 2027: Markets, Trends & Business Opportunities
An interactive discussion on the market developments, investment dynamics, policies and business opportunities expected to shape the irrigation sector in 2027.
11:00 – Irrigazette 2027: Building the Voice of the Irrigation Sector
An interactive session focused on defining the editorial priorities and communication themes that will shape Irrigazette.com in 2027. Participants will contribute ideas and perspectives on the key topics influencing agriculture, landscaping, smart water solutions and Europe’s water resilience agenda.
13:00 – Networking Lunch
A dedicated moment to continue discussions, build new connections and explore collaborations.
14:30 – EIA General Assembly
The annual gathering (in person and online) of EIA members to review the association’s activities, advocacy achievements, financial performance, governance matters and strategic priorities.
16:00 – Networking Break
16:30 – Advocacy, EU Policy & Market Opportunities Workshop
As companies prepare their 2027 business plans and investment priorities, understanding the evolving European policy landscape is becoming increasingly important. Led by an external EU policy expert, this practical workshop will explore upcoming regulatory developments, funding opportunities and stakeholder priorities relevant to the irrigation sector. Participants will gain actionable insights to anticipate market changes, identify new opportunities and strengthen their positioning in an investment environment.
* Please note: this workshop is reserved for in-person participants only and will not be streamed online.
18:00 – End of Day 1
20:00 – Networking Dinner
An informal evening to continue the conversations started during the day, in a relaxed environment while enjoying good food and lively discussion. Participation fee: €50 per person. We will meet at Aux Armes de Bruxelles – Rue des Bouchers 13 Beenhouwersstraat – 1000 Brussel
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DAY 2 – September 29, 2026
Irrigation for a Water Resilient Europe
In-person participation only | Thon Hotel EU – Rue de la Loi 75, Brussels | 10:00-16:00
Day 2 is the policy-facing highlight of the programme, positioning irrigation and smart water solutions as practical contributors to Europe’s water resilience implementation agenda.
09:30 – Welcome Coffee & Policy Networking
Gathering before the policy dialogue for participants, speakers and invited guests.
10:00 – 12:00
FLAGSHIP POLICY DIALOGUE
Irrigation for a Water Resilient Europe
Sharing real-world irrigation solutions for efficient water management across agriculture and urban landscapes.
As the EU moves from strategy to implementation, policymakers, businesses and water users face a shared challenge: improving water efficiency and resilience while supporting competitiveness, food security and climate adaptation. This high-level dialogue will bring together European policymakers, irrigation industry leaders and water experts to discuss practical implementation pathways. The discussion will focus on how irrigation technologies, digital solutions, water reuse and smart water management support Europe’s water resilience objectives.
For EIA members, participating in this roundtable is a unique opportunity to engage directly with decision-makers, understand emerging policy priorities and contribute to a collective industry voice demonstrating how irrigation and smart water solutions support Europe’s water resilience objectives through practical and scalable solutions.
Due to limited seating capacity, priority access to the roundtable will be granted to EIA Premium Members. Remaining places will be allocated to other registered participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
12:00 – Networking & Continued Discussions
13:00 : lunch : The EIA invites you for an informal lunch to close the morning event and continue the discussion.
We will meet at Quartier Leopold – Place du Luxembourg 9, 1050 Ixelles.
14:30 – Technical Site Visit : The ZIN, an iconic urban development project in Brussels
The ZIN redevelopment involved introducing abundant vegetation into a highly constrained urban environment. Integrated irrigation, an exotic plant selection, and the construction of greenhouses… a technical and architectural challenge.
Address : 30 bd Simon Bolivar, Brussels
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GgE41CBHh5TEuQ2ZA
16:00 – End of Event
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.
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.
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.
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.
…and others!
How to Participate ?
The EIA Irrigation Days are exclusively reserved for EIA members.
Important information:
- Participation in the roundtable is reserved for EIA members attending the event in person.
- Due to limited seating capacity, EIA Premium Members benefit from priority registration for the roundtable.
- Remaining places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Participation in the event and roundtable is free of charge (except for the Networking Dinner).
- Early registration is strongly recommended.
- Day 1 – European Irrigation Business & Networking Forum: in person OR online
- Day 2 – European Water Resilience Leadership Forum (in person only)
- Full two-day participation
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Networking Dinner: €50 per person