1. WG 2.9 Best Practices in River Basin Planning
WP2 – Guidance on Planning Process
Water Directors Meeting
21th-22th November 2002

2. Guidance Main Contents
Principles relevant for the water planning
Specific requirements of the WFD regarding the planning process
Flowcharts
General recommendations for a successful planning process

3. Principles relevant for the water planning
What does water planning mean in the Directive?
Relation to other planning concepts
Three subsections: Planning process functions, geographical scope and actors

4. Specific requirements of the WFD
Five subsections dealing with the five main steps in the planning process approach:
Assessment of current status
Definition of environmental objectives
Gap Analysis
Decision on programme of measure and,
Development of a river basin plan

5. Flowcharts Objectives Identify different tasks, duration.
Identify key products
Identify actions required to meet the requirements for the obligatory deadlines
Identify critical path and bottlenecks
Assess the organisational level at which they should be carried out

6. Flowcharts

7. Level 1

8. Recommendations for a successful planning process
Description of prerequisites for a sound planning process:
Long term vision for the RBD
Knowledge and information management
Capacity
The right timing
Public Participation
Appropriate toolbox
Evaluation of the process

9. Extension of the deadline to finish the guidance around the end of February 2003

10. Expected outputs according CIS Strategy document (2 May 2001)
Guidance in relation to the identification of RBDs (end 2003)
Guidance in relation to River Basin Planning and programs of measures (end 2003)
Guidance in relation to participatory approach (end 2003)
Technical document (tool box) on River Basin Management (end 2004)
Expected outputs according progress report presented by the Commission in Water Directors Meeting (Ghent, 8/9 Nov 2001)
Guidance document on the identification of RBDs (May 2002)
Guidance document on the planning process (end 2002)
Guidance document on Public Participation (end 2002)
Manual on Integrated River basin Management with group 4.1 (end 2004)

11. Expected outputs according progress report presented by the Commission in Water Directors Meeting (Ghent, 8/9 Nov 2001)
Guidance document on the identification of RBDs (May 2002)
Manual on Integrated River basin Management with group 4.1 (end 2004)
Guidance document on the planning process (end 2002)
Guidance document on Public Participation (end 2002)
Status Nov 2002
2nd version in CIRCA Proposal to be finished in March 2003
Considered in “Carrying forward the CIS” and in 4.1 TOR and Work programme

12. Proposed Work Programme

13. Why?: Rigt timing, streamlining
Need of validation of flow charts by other WGs that at this moment have open issues still in discussion
Time availability for new inputs/improvements of the current text (the same people working in three guidance documents this year)
Possibility of organizing a workshop with other working groups and planners (together with WG 4.1?) to check the contents of the document
This is not an “open issue”. There is unanimity in the group in the decision to extend the deadline