1. EU GUIDELINE ON PP in WFD, MARET MERISAAR, CCB Estonia
GUIDELINE ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN RELATION TO THE EU WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE
Active involvement
Consultation
Public access to information
Maret Merisaar, EGM

2. Appearance of the Guideline
May Common Implementation Strategy for EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC
Informal WG on PP Guideline set up in October 2001(Netherlands, Spain and EU Commission)
21/22 November 2002 endorsing the guideline by EU Water Directors in Copenhagen
2003 – testing and improving
February 2004 – Presentation of the Final Guideline
Target groups: Central and regional authorities, public and interest groups
CCB WFD SEMINAR

3. What can you find in this guideline?
Steps of River Basin Management Planning (RBMP)
Forms of PP in different steps of RBMP
Role of the public and stakeholders in implementing WFD
PP helping to achieve environmental objectives
How can PP help to build programme of measures?
How should the results of PP be reported?
Which results should be reported by 2004?
What will you NOT find in this guideline: a blueprint on performing PP as it does not exist.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

4. WFD: purpose and key objective
The WFD establishes a framework for the protection of all waters (including inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater) which:
Prevents further deterioration of the status of water resources;
Promotes sustainable water use;
Aims at enhancing protection and improvement of the aquatic environment through specific measures
Ensures the reduction of pollution of groundwater and
Contributes to mitigating the effects of floods and droughts.
…and what is the key objective?
 Overall, the Directive aims at achieving good water status for all waters by 2015.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

5. Art 14: Public information and consultation
1. Member States shall encourage the active involvement of all interested parties in the implementation of this Directive. For each river basin district, they publish and make available for comments to the public:
 (a) a timetable and work programme for the production of the plan, at least three years before the beginning of the period;
 (b) an interim overview of the significant water management issues, at least two years before the beginning of the period;
 (c) draft copies of the river basin management plan, at least one year before the beginning of the period.
On request, access shall be given to background documents and information used for the development of the draft river basin management plan.
 2. Member States shall allow at least six months to comment in writing on those documents in order to allow active involvement and consultation.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

6. Spectrum of public participation
INFORMATION SUPPLY: People participate by being informed what has been decided or has already happened. Co-knowing.
CONSULTATION: Administrative bodies consult stakeholders to learn from their knowledge, perceptions, experiences and ideas.. Co-thinking.
PARTICIPATION: in planning and implementation: Stakeholders are invited in the process to give their perception of the problem or visions and possible solutions. Co-operating.
SHARED DECISION MAKING: Joint analysis of situations and development of plans. The administrative bodies share responsibility with the stakeholders
SELF DETERMINATION: People take initiatives, they develop contacts with external institutions for resources and technical advice they need for producing plans of measures. Administrative bodies may provide support, advise and indicate pre-conditions
CCB WFD SEMINAR

7. A typology of stakeholders
Professionals – public and private sector organisations, professional voluntary groups and professional NGOs (social, economic and environmental). Local authorities and government departments, statutory agencies, conservation groups, business, industry, insurance groups and academia.
Local Groups - non-professional organised entities operating at a local level. It usefully breaks down into:
Communities centred on place – e.g. residents associations and local councils.
Communities centred on interest – e.g. farmers’ groups, fishermen, football clubs, hunting groups.
Communities centred on identity (age, gender, religion, politics) e.g. women’s groups, school groups, church groups.
Individual citizens, farmers and companies representing themselves. E.g. key individual land owners or local individual residents.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

8. PP in different planning steps
See table in the guideline, page 24
Active involvement in all steps pp 26-34
Consultation p 35-41
Access to info pp 42-44
Evaluation of PP in Reports (annex Vii, No 11)
CCB WFD SEMINAR

9. Steps in River Basin Management Planning
River basins borders, WFD transposed into national legislation
STEP
RB characterised, econ analyses of water use, env quality objectives; water prot. areas, human act impacts
STEP
Planning program of measures, outline of RBMP, start of monitoring programme
Publishing TIMETABLE AND WORKPLAN for RBMP,
6 months for comments
STEP
Publishing IMPORTANT WATER MANAGEMENT ISSUES,
6 months for coments
STEP
Publishing DRAFT RBMP, 6 months for comments
STEP
Publishing final version of RBMP, progr of measures
STEP
Implementation of programme of measures
STEP
Evaluation and updating in every 6th year
CCB WFD SEMINAR

10. Access to info and documents
Unorganised public: Internet, broshures, TV
Organised stakeholders: Steering groups, & committees
Forms depend on objectives: Awareness rising or promoting changes
Limiting factors : time, budget
One or several information centres per water basin
The Direcive does not specify it, but it would be resonable to reply to info requests in two weeks.
Inventories of pressures; impacts of the planned measures to the water environment - environmental information, that should be public acording to the Arhus Convention.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

11. Consultations: Code of procedure for written consultation
Timetable of consultations to be set as early as possible;
About what, in what timescale, for what purpose;
Documents published should be as simple as possible, incl. 2 pages summary;
Use electronic ways for publishing and draw attention to web sites;
6 months for responding;
Analyse of responses should state, why the comments are accepted or not;
Appoint coordinator for consultations, who evaluates the process and disseminates the lessons for the future.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

12. Diagram of the planning process.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

13. Consultations: Diagram of a planning process
1. STARTING: Meeting/workshop for discussing objective of consultations; working process; precondiditions for involvement; Availability of data , communication plan.-> DECISION 1
2. EXPLORING: Inventory of knowledge and perceptions on problems to be consulted, is the timing for informing suitable, who is to be consulted, how are responses dealt with, tools of communication available and affordable, feedback mechanisms.-> DECISION 2
3. RANKING: Analysis and structuring -> DECISION 3
4. IMPLEMENTING: Information supply to stakeholders
CCB WFD SEMINAR

14. Consultations in Step 3: Timetable and work program
TASKS: Public must be consulted about the RBMP process by the end on 2006
HOW: Consultations depend on the geographic extent of management plan. Documents published on international and national level should have a similar wording throughout the same river basin.
Timetable, competent authorities, what will be done, by whom and when;
The public that is consulted does not need to live in the concerned River Basin.
Extensive use of Internet is advised.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

15. Consultations in Step 4: Important water management issues
TASK: By October 2007, imortant water management issues should be made public for consultation. Derive issues from: 1) Analyses of water quality inventory; 2) discussions regarding environmental quality objectives; 3) necessary masures, 4) perceptions, knowledge and experience of stakeholders.
HOW: Examples:
A: International River Basin level. International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)
B. River Basin Level: Water management plan for Örebro municipality in Sweden
CCB WFD SEMINAR

16. Consultations in Step 5: Draft River Basin Management Plans
TASK: If not earlier, then by Oct 2008 – extensive document with maps should be published for consultation;
HOW: Example of Nemunas River : Locally basaed advisory groups were established; PP included awareness rising on the importance and role of wetlands and on internationally important biodiversity areas;
Forms: Roundtables group discussions,
Tools: Media, newsboards, leaflets, public meetings
6 months, but there was also time needed for the analyses of the comments in the end.
The key issue with international river commissions are too long consultations of the structure of the international RBMP
CCB WFD SEMINAR

17. Results of PP in RBMP reports
Annex VII of the WFD requires, that in the final reports the following info on PP process is included:
Objectives of public participation
Forms (use of techniques of PP) in different steps
Changes in the preliminary plan due to PP
Reasons for rejecting the proposals
Evaluation of the PP process and lessons learned.
CCB WFD SEMINAR

18. EU GUIDELINE ON PP in WFD, MARET MERISAAR, CCB Estonia
Success factors
Change of attitude of public authorities;
Changes in procedures;
Political commitment and resources;
Capacity building and representation of stakeholders;
Reaching beyond stakeholders to individual citizens and enterprises;
Demonstration objects.
CCB WFD SEMINAR