The impacts of climate change are most clearly reflected in water systems, with an estimated 90% of natural disasters and climate change impacts being water-related. No country is exempt from the increased frequency and intensity of floods and droughts. Hungary is facing mounting pressures on its water resources, from growing exposure to flood hazards to increasingly frequent and intense droughts. This report offers a roadmap for navigating these challenges through more effective water governance.
As part of the OECD Water Governance Programme serving the 2025-2026 Programme of Work and Budget of the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee, this report was developed by the OECD through an extensive policy dialogue with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development of Hungary, as well as more than 100 stakeholders from the public, private and non-profit sectors. It analyses the state of water resources in Hungary in relation to climate change as well as economic, social and environmental factors. Drawing on an overview of the institutional framework for water and climate policies in Hungary, it identifies critical governance gaps that hinder climate adaptation measures and offers concrete recommendations tailored to each level of government in Hungary.
Water Governance for Climate Resilience in Hungary explicitly connects climate adaptation strategies with water governance frameworks. It joins the series of OECD Studies on Water, which has examined water challenges across diverse themes and territorial contexts – from national policy dialogues in in Brazil (2015, 2017 and 2022), Peru (2021), Argentina (2019), Jordan (2015), Tunisia (2015), the Netherlands (2014), and Mexico (2013) to local deep dives such as Cape Town, South Africa (2021) and macro-regional studies in Latin America (2025 and 2012), Asia Pacific (2021), African cities (2021) and OECD countries (2011).
This work was funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the OECD in co-operation with the Reform and Investment Task Force (SG REFORM) of the European Commission.