Issues of water quantity and quality are of concern to many European citizens and transcend national boundaries. The contents of this LIFE Focus publication are drawn from the proceedings of the first LIFE Environment thematic conference, ‘Water for life - LIFE for water', which took place in Brussels in October 2009. The aim of the event was to examine the role of LIFE Environment as an instrument to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, alongside other EU water-related legislation and policy. In addition to this general aim, the conference included thematic sessions (with LIFE project case studies) on four specific topics of interest: water scarcity and climate change; hydromorphological alterations; implementation of marine strategy; and eutrophication. The highlights of a poster session are also included.