The paper presents a research framework for supporting drought management on the basis of drought risk identification, assessment and management. While risk identification involves the analysis of past and future drought on the basis of climate projections, the assessment of risk follows a probabilistic approach and refers to the assessment of potential drought impacts. Finally, risk management concerns the selection and evaluation of measures for minimizing risk to an acceptable level. The analysis is performed in six Case Studies (The Netherlands; Portugal; Switzerland; Po River Basin, Italy; Jucar River Basin, Spain; and Syros Island, Greece), representing a wide range of climate and socio-economic conditions. All these activities are supported by stakeholder input through the organisation of theme-specific workshops. As the Case Studies are spread over Europe, the results show that risk reduction cannot follow a “one size fits all” approach, as it was pointed out also by the EC “Blueprint”.