1. INTEGRATED TESTING OF GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS IN PILOT RIVER BASINS
AGENDA ITEM 4:
INTEGRATED TESTING OF GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS IN PILOT RIVER BASINS
Water Director meeting
Athens, 16th June 2003

2. Major activities in the reporting period January - June 2003
UK-Ribble offered to join the PRB testing
Agreement on the mandate of the PRB group within the new CIS structure
Platform for Information Exchange (PIE)
Candidate Countries
First meeting of the PRB coordinators in Bruxelles (28th February 2003)
2nd PRB Workshop “Preliminary lessons resulting from guidance document testing in Pilot River Basins” (3-4th April 2003, Belgirate, Italy)

3. TP2. Selection of Pilot River Basins
Proposals endorsed by the Water Directors
B, F, NL (Scheldt),
D, F, Lux (Moselle-Sarre)
France (Marne)
Ireland (Shannon)
Denmark (Odense)
Finland (Oulujoki)
Norway (Sudalsvassdraget )
Portugal (Guadiana)
Spain (Júcar)
Greece (Pinios)
Italy (Tevere, Cecina)
H, RO (Somos)
CZ, D, PL (Neisse)
UK offered to join the PRB testing
UK (Ribble)

4. The UK-Ribble river basin will contribute through reporting on the performance of Public Participation and Planning Process guidance. The Environment Agency (EA) for England & Wales has recognised the value of using the PRB exercise to prepare for actual implementation of the WFD.
A second major aim for the Ribble will be the preparation a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures by 2007, in readiness for the implementation of the Directive. To maximise the value of the planned approach to the Environment Agency, it requires the Ribble project to follow closely its timetable for implementation. This is different to the PRB timetable.
The SCG in February and in May 2003 agreed that the Ribble should be taken up on the list of PRBs, but it will be provisional until the next Water Director meeting in Athens.
ACTION FOR THE WDs: The Water Directors are asked to support the proposal and endorse the Ribble as a Pilot River Basin.

5. The PRBs within the IRBM-WG(2B) Common Implementation Strategy
A Steering Committee including the PRB co-coordinators, the IRBM co-leaders, the Commission, and a few experts from Member States who contributed to the elaboration of the ToR will guide the PRB exercise.

6. PIE: Platform for Information Exchange
address:
Forum of experts involved in the PRBs
Address questions and solutions
Exchange of information
Library connected to CIRCA

7. CANDIDATE COUNTRIES
Clarification on procedures for participation in the PRB testing and state-of-play was provided to Candidate Country representatives attending the Workshop “Implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Applicant Countries” (Bruxelles, 9-10th December 2002).
Some proposals of joining the present phase of the testing have been advanced based on ongoing river basin projects in the countries (e.g. Latvia for the Daugava). Due to the strict timetable for 2003, it is suggested to establish information links through the PIE during this phase.
Full involvement of CEE countries would then happen in a next phase based on a comprehensive concept for all PRBs that should be prepared by the end of the year taking into account the experience from 2003.

8. Face-to-face meeting of PRB coordinators
Bruxelles, 28th February 2003
Discuss initiatives to sustain the exercise and clarify expected deliverables.
Organise ad-hoc seminars on Key Issues (on well defined case-by-case basis) by bringing together experts who have applied specific aspects of the Guidance Documents.
Linkage of PRB and research activities (e.g. EuroHARP, HarmonRiB, DG RTD). Start a reporting-type exercise on selectd PRBs (EEA).
Identify topics for detailed discussion at the forthcoming Workshop in Belgirate.
Recognised need for regular meetings of the PRB coordinators. Hold them jointly with Steering Committee meetings.

10. Reports
Progress Reports – Follow the advancement of work as foreseen in the timetable submitted by each PRB, and identify possible gaps. Just a few pages covering topics such as key activities, progress, open questions on testing, etc.
Experience Reports – On questions (gaps) linked to the testing and the ToR (Terms of Reference), or on specific issues of cross cutting nature (e.g. intercalibration, groundwater)
Outcome Report – Final results by each PRB from which a synthesis report covering all GD testing will be derived (scope for a Drafting Group)

11. 3-4th April 2003, Belgirate, Italy
Springtime Workshop
“Preliminary lessons resulting from guidance document testing in Pilot River Basins”
3-4th April 2003, Belgirate, Italy
Presentation of front-runners
PRB speaker corner
Specific Topics (elaborated as short discussion papers distributed before the Workshop):
Testing water bodies, typology and reference conditions in PRBs
Economic analysis
Public participation

12. Outcomes of discussions:
Guidance Documents (GDs) represent a Europe wide common understanding on specific WFD subjects. The target groups of the GDs are rather central authorities than local and regional authorities.
Several Member States have prepared so called handbooks bridging the “Europe wide common understanding” of GDs and what may be needed at regional and local level.
Considering the needs of the regional and local level a clear focus is necessary to implement Art. 5 obligations.  
Real life testing in the PRBs delivers a better feedback on applying the GDs in practice than a “virtual” way of testing. In other words: implement the Art. 5 obligations and use these experiences as a test of the GDs.

13. The IRBM-WG (2B) saw merit in a specific product to be accomplished by the end of 2003, being a living document to assist the implementation of the Art. 5 obligations.
In order to prepare such a living document a dynamic information exchange is advocated where PIE (Platform for Information Exchange, web address: viso.ei.jrc.it) should play a facilitating role.
The IRBM-WG (2B) is invited to consider the set up of a Help Desk or an equivalent where specific questions on the implementation/real life testing can be put and communicated.

14. Agreed Deadlines and Deliverables
PRB WORKPLAN FOR 2003
Agreed Deadlines and Deliverables
Action 1: Comments/approaches on testing water bodies, and Progress Report (by 30th June 2003)
Action 2: PRB co-ordinator meeting, Bruxelles (8th July 2003)
Action 3: Comments to the ToR, and Progress report (by 30th September 2003)
Action 4: Preliminary synthesis (by end of October 2003 before 3rd PRB Workshop)
Action 5: Summary Workshop tackling 3-4 cross-cutting issues related to Art. 5 (beginning of November 2003)
Action 6: Draft of overall report (drafting group) summarising progress and gaps (30th November 2003).