Page 37 - RIOB - La lettre du Réseau

37

INBO Newsletter n° 21 - April 2013

implementation of the Water Framework Directive

Europe

www.inbo-news.org

Discussions on adaptation to global

changes, especially climate chan-

ge, should be introduced as soon as

possible for preparing the second

phase of River Basin Management

Plans (RMBPs) 2015-2021

espe-

cially for analyzing their effects and vul-

nerability and for defining adaptation

measures to be recommended in a

context of uncertainty. Within such a

framework, the choice of appropriate

indicators to assess the "water Foot-

print" of the different uses and improve

efficiency in relation to water scarcity is

fundamental.

It is also necessary to develop new

approaches to river restoration and

protection of water ecosystems,

by

passing from a point approach to large-

scale restoration projects, articulated

with different multi-purpose planning

mechanisms on appropriate scales. To

do this, we need to promote the sharing

of information, expertise and best prac-

tices, as well as improving knowledge

through appropriate actions in R&D,

hydromorphology and restoration of

rivers and wetlands.

Water governance in transboun-

dary basins should be improved

especially in the “International Dis-

tricts” created for the EU-WFD imple-

mentation, which requires cooperation

agreements signed by riparian coun-

tries to establish the conditions for

appropriate governance, based on

mutual confidence, common unders-

tanding of the basin problems, on avai-

lable and shared accurate data and

analysis and with the involvement of

stakeholders.

The role and means of the Interna-

tional Commissions for transboun-

dary rivers, either existing or being

established, should be streng-

thened

to enable effective WFD imple-

mentation in the concerned EU coun-

tries.

To cope with the challenges related to

global change (climate and socio-eco-

nomy) and to the prevention of extreme

phenomena, it is necessary to integrate

adaption to these changes in the key

steps of the drafting of River Basin

Management Plans, taking care to

introduce an uncertainty logic to define

sufficiently flexible measures. Policies

should be adaptive enough to allow

progressive adaptation and basin expe-

riments involved in such a process

should encourage the building of new

institutional and individual capacities

that are required.

The WFD can be used as a toolbox for

addressing adaptation to climate

change in areas at risk, to reduce the

impacts of droughts and flood risks.

Regarding the economic analysis, it is

necessary to improve knowledge on

how subsidies were considered in the

RBMPs and to clearly define cost reco-

very.

The assessment of Environmental

and Resource costs requires better

methodology and data availability

while the economic approach to

ecosystem services is to be streng-

thened.

Monitoring and information sys-

tems should be strengthened

and

adapted to the objectives to be achie-

ved and better compared between

Member States, but the issue of their

investment and operation costs arises

in many situations.

The high cost of implementing the

WFD and "daughter" directives

raises a problem, in the context of

an economic and budgetary crisis,

to achieve the set-out ambitious

goals on schedule.

The goals of controlling non-point pol-

lution and restoring degraded water

ecosystems may not be achieved for

many Water Bodies in any case for the

2015 or even later deadlines.

New measures will be required

implying additional means which

are not currently planned or have

been pushed back to the end of the

2021 - 2027 period.

Finally, the involvement of stakehol-

ders and the public is crucial to

improve water resources management,

their early information and participa-

tion in the decision-making processes

should be further increased.

Appropriation by all decision-

makers and users of the water-

related policies and of the resulting

measures is essential for progress

and effectiveness of undertaken

actions.

Recognizing, on the one hand, the inte-

rest of the WFD principles and

methods for other regions of the world,

and on the other, the sharing of some

transboundary water bodies with

neighbouring countries of the EU,

community cooperation with Part-

ner Countries from the Mediterra-

nean, the Balkans and Eastern

Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia

is to be pursued and increased.

In particular, this cooperation should

primarily focus on topics for

dialogue

and transboundary surface and

groundwater management

with the

support of regional institutions, for

strengthening national information

systems

and their harmonization with

international reporting mechanisms,

for

training

managers or planners of

water resources and for

the participa-

tion

of users, local authorities and

associations.

EURO-RIOB

EUROPE-INBO

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