ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 How to proceed with the Programme of Measures and the River Basin Management Plans? Pierre Strosser

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What is the starting point? Characterisation of river basins –Pressures & impacts analysis (including identification of heavily modified water bodies) –Economic analysis of water uses (importance of water uses, baseline, cost-recovery) –First risk-assessment –List of protected areas Some consultation of stakeholders performed Article 5 reports sent to the European Commission – with highly variable quality Work on objectives and reference conditions started/under way (e.g. inter-calibration)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What are the next steps (1)? Updating monitoring for complying with WFD requirements (operational, investigative, surveillance) Finalising definition of objectives and classification Identifying significant water management issues Revising the characterisation and risk- assessment (so it well supports the discussion on measures)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What are the next steps (2)? Defining the programme of measures: –Basic measures, supplementary measures, measures required for reaching good ecological potential (heavily modified water bodies) –Cost-effectiveness analysis –But also: Financial analysis (time derogation) cost-benefit analysis (alternative objective) Other assessment (social issues, affordability, etc)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What are the next steps (3)? Building and adopting the river basin management plan (2009) Ensuring pricing coherent with Article 9 requirements Implementing the plan Monitoring, evaluating (revised characterisation and risk-assessment) & updating the plan (second plan)… Enforcement

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What are the next steps (4)? Within a process ensuring participation of stakeholders and consultation of the public –Working programme –Significant water management issues –Draft river basin management plan Transboundary river basins!

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 A risky business? Doing what we are used to do – a plan that might: –Not tackle priorities & WFD issues –Consider only traditional measures –Be driven by national priorities (transboundary) Preparing a plan that will never be implemented –No money, no people, no interest…

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (1)? Rapidly clarify/decide on environmental objectives! –Find a emergency route independent of the inter-calibration process –Clarify how « alternative objectives » (derogation) will be decided (scale, issues considered, process)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (2)? Organise and structure the information base –GIS, databases & metadata, models… –Already initiated during characterisation, but still significant efforts required to update and to integrate measures –A priority today – to facilitate/more effective long-term planning and policy process

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (3)? Strengthen the integration between technical, economic, social experts –In particular for successful cost- effectiveness analysis (considering wide range of measures jointly defined)! –But also for (i) environmental cost issues, (ii) cost-benefit assessments –Communication & information for complex technical issues

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (4)? Integrate in the process and ensure clear tasks/responsibilities for those who –Analyse –Decide –Finance –Implement –Communicate –Enforce Many of them not necessarily from the water community (see inter-sectoral issues) or from the same country (tranboundary issues)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (5)? Strengthen participation and consultation (shared ownership as key to successful implementation) –Identifying questions of stakeholders relevant to different WFD that need/can be addressed –Integrating stakeholder knoweldge in assessments –Inform and communicate in a clear and transparent manner –Take stakeholders comments into account – and build mechanisms for adequate reporting

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (6)? Develop efficient inter-sectoral institutional mechanisms –Building consultation mechanisms between ministries –Ensuring river basin management plans and WFD requirements integrated in other plans/planning processes –Integrating WFD priorities into financing mechanisms (e.g. agriculture/cross- compliance)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (7)? Prepare decisions at the right scale –Water body – local issues with a given economic actor –River basin – interconnected issues –Sector level – e.g. defining financial mechanisms for supporting implementation of given sectors, agreeing on level of effort –National level – economic instruments

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (8)? Ensure that financial issues (sources, allocation…) are well taken care of –Consider diversity of sources of financing (local to national) –Ensure application of Article 9 –Identify new financing mechanisms (e.g. environmental taxes & charges) –Use all opportunities in sector-targeted financing –Do not plan (too much…) out of the scope of financial capability (=> possible time derogation)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (9)? Strenghten capacity (for all…) –Process management & animation –Economics –Ecology –Database management –Communication & information

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 What will make it successful (10)? Build a progressive shift in mentality –Changing culture (wider pool of experts, recognition of new role of administration in water management) –Integrate WFD principles into current decisions & projects Does it contribute to reaching the objectives of the WFD? (Article 4) Is it the most cost-effective solution? (Annex III) Do the benefit outweight the costs? (Article 4.7) Are we consistent with the polluter-pays & user pay principle? (Article 9) Have stakeholders been consulted/involved? (Article 14)

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 In conclusion The adoption of the WFD in 2000 has given us a great challenge! The first step is behind us – It has shows willingness but also constraints… The second step will be more difficult – as decisions in terms of measures, sectors targeted, financing…are at stake! Time is still short (in particular for transboundary river basins) But this should not be used as excuse to favour «business as usual» Let’s use effectively the opportunities offered by the WFD for improving good ecological status!

ACTeon Innovation, policy, environment Madrid – WFD Conference April 2006 Thanks for your attention….