Two ClientEarth reports examine how selected European countries manage infrastructure that shapes these rivers, from large ageing dams to small barriers that no longer serve their original purpose. 

Many large dams still operating in Europe were built in the 1960s and 1970s, before environmental impact assessment requirements were introduced. Over time, sedimentation reduces reservoir storage capacity, which can affect functions such as hydropower generation or flood management. Changes in rainfall patterns, drought conditions, and river flows can alter how infrastructure performs compared with the conditions under which it was originally designed. 

Past the Expiration Date examines the challenges posed by ageing large dams and the EU rules governing their continued operation, with case studies from Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, and Romania. 

Maja Starosta, Law and Policy Advisor at ClientEarth and the author of the report, said:  

“Governments must stop managing today’s rivers with yesterday’s decisions. Our rivers have changed: the climate has changed, and the infrastructure shaping them has changed over time. The way we make decisions about them needs to change too. Decisions about whether dams should continue operating for another twenty or thirty years have to reflect the conditions we face now. 

“That does not mean every dam should be removed. Ageing does not automatically mean obsolete, but still standing doesn't mean still serving its original purpose. Safety risks, environmental impacts, declining functionality, and rising costs should all be taken into account when deciding about the future of a dam.” 

The second report, Freeing Europe’s Rivers, examines what Member States need to make barrier removal work in practice, drawing on EU law and case studies from Poland, Finland, and France. 

According to the report, Europe’s rivers contain an estimated 1.2 million artificial barriers, more than 100,000 of which are estimated to be abandoned or obsolete. Barriers can alter the movement of water and sediment and prevent migratory fish from reaching spawning and feeding habitats. Monitored migratory freshwater fish populations in Europe declined by 75% between 1970 and 2020. 

Maria Włoskowicz, Legal Expert at ClientEarth and the author of Freeing Europe’s Rivers, said: 

“Healthy rivers are part of our safety net. We depend on river systems for water, food, and energy, while functioning rivers and floodplains help landscapes cope with too much or too little water. 

“This summer’s drought showed how quickly low river levels can affect people and economies across borders. Restoring rivers is about wildlife, but also about making the systems we rely on more resilient to the conditions Europe is increasingly facing.” 

The reports come as the European Commission assesses Member States’ draft national restoration plans under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which sets an EU-wide objective of restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers to a free-flowing state by 2030.  

Across the three case studies, the report identifies reliable barrier inventories, clear legal procedures, and workable administrative and funding systems as key to effective removals. 

Włoskowicz said: 

“The Nature Restoration Regulation has created a clear obligation, but a target on paper will not restore a river. As the Commission assesses national plans, it should look closely at whether countries actually have the credible barrier inventories and removal systems needed to deliver it.” 

ClientEarth is calling on the European Commission and Member States to strengthen oversight of ageing dams and improve systems for identifying and removing obsolete river barriers. 

Notes to editors

The reports 

Freeing Europe’s Rivers analyses legal and administrative systems for removing obsolete river barriers in Poland, Finland and France, identifying obstacles and good practices that can support implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation. 

Past the Expiration Date examines the challenges posed by ageing large dams and the EU rules governing their continued operation, with case studies from Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, and Romania. It looks at permit renewals and lifetime extensions that allow dams to continue operating without prior environmental impact assessment. It draws on issues raised in a 2023 complaint to the European Commission concerning dam permit extensions in Poland. 

ClientEarth’s complaint to the European Commission 

In 2023, ClientEarth and two other organisations filed a complaint with the European Commission over Poland’s practice of extending or renewing permits for large dams without assessing their environmental impacts or effects on Natura 2000 sites, which they argue breaches EU law. 

Nature Restoration Regulation 

The EU Nature Restoration Regulation sets binding restoration targets, including restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers to a free-flowing state by 2030. Member States were required to submit draft national restoration plans by 1 September 2026. The Commission has six months to assess each draft, after which Member States have six months to finalise their plans. 

About ClientEarth 

ClientEarth works in over 60 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. We shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive.   

We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world.