A recommendation from the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities puts managed relocation on coastal authorities’ agenda as projections show annual flood losses could reach hundreds of billions of euros by 2100.
The Congress adopted the resolution and recommendation during its 51st session in Strasbourg on Oct. 27, 2026. Local and regional governments are asked to identify locations where defenses cannot be sustained and prepare options for moving homes, businesses and infrastructure inland.
The package pairs relocation planning with updated risk maps and periodic reviews of no-build and buffer zones. It asks national governments to fund buyouts and relocation assistance. Local plans should consider legal, social and financial effects, as well as livelihoods, coastal heritage and vulnerable communities.
The European Commission’s EU Blue Economy Report 2025 estimates annual coastal-flood damage at €137 billion to €814 billion by 2100 across the EU-27. The upper estimate reflects a high-emissions scenario and assumes coastal protection does not increase. The Council of Europe’s announcement cites annual losses above €1 billion from erosion across the European Union and United Kingdom, a separate measure from the Commission’s flood-damage projection.
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre puts annual coastal-flood damage across the EU and U.K. at almost €240 billion by 2100 without mitigation and adaptation. Its analysis says moderate emissions reductions combined with higher flood barriers around populated and economically important districts might avert about 95% of projected damage. The estimates have different geographic coverage and assumptions, so their totals represent separate scenarios.
The Congress reports erosion affecting more than a quarter of Europe’s coastline. Its resolution says coastal regions account for 40% of Europe’s GDP and 80% of low-elevation coast faces future erosion risk. The Congress’s background paper links rising seas and stronger, more frequent storms with greater difficulty maintaining fixed shore defenses. It recommends pairing protective structures with dune restoration, wetland conservation and improved sediment management.
Fanis Spanos, a report co-rapporteur, called coastal erosion “a fundamental challenge to territorial balance.” Delegates also invited further discussion at COP31 in Antalya, scheduled for Nov. 9-20.
