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The News N° 24
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EUROPE
”For facilitating the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive”
It is imperative that issues related to
floods, droughts, adaptation to climate
change be addressed in the future
Management Plans.
Consistency between management plans and
urban planning or land use documents must
be improved.
Coordination between different administra-
tive services, that implement these directives,
should be increased,
Achieving the
“Blueprint”
goals and impro-
ving WFD implementation require:
l
Increasing the prevention of agricul-
tural pollution and continuing
investments in domestic and indus-
trial wastewater treatment;
l
Achieving better integration bet-
ween the Water Directives and sec-
toral policies (including CAP, indus-
try, energy, transport);
l
Increasing means for inspection and
control of abstractions;
l
Facilitating the reuse of treated was-
tewater;
l
Improving the bond between the
identification of pressures on Water
Bodies and the measures to be
taken;
l
Grading the pressures and identi-
fying the sectors responsible for the
most significant damage.
The ”one out all out” or “limiting factor” prin-
ciple should be adapted by the production of
sub-indicators so that the citizens and their
elected representatives may really see the
positive results of the WFD implementation.
It is urgent to provide operational methodolo-
gical elements and additional orientations
to
estimate environmental and resource
costs. The same applies to the assess-
ment and quantification of the benefits
expected from improved Water Body
status.
New approaches to the restoration of aquatic
environments, to natural retention and to the
reduction of damage to the hydro-morpho-
logy of rivers, must be developed. The
exchange of good practices (e.g. RESTORE) is
essential.
Flood Management Plans should include the
functioning of aquatic ecosystems in the plan-
ned developments and favor the use of wet-
lands and natural areas.
We should recommend the use of
”green infrastructure”.
Water Governance in transboundary
basins must be improved,
especially in
International Districts established for WFD
implementation.
The role and means of International Commis-
sions for transboundary rivers should be
strengthened to ensure effective WFD imple-
mentation.
The involvement of stakeholders and of
the public is crucial for improving water
resources management.
Their information
and participation in decision-making pro-
cesses should be further developed. Special
attention should be paid to the involvement
of youth in water governance.
Specific cooperation with all countries neigh-
boring the European Union, and firstly with
the Candidate Countries sharing a same
transboundary river basin with Member
States, should be continued and expanded
with the support of the regional institutions.
The national information systems and their
harmonization with international reporting
mechanisms, the training of managers and
the participation of users, local authorities
and associations should be strengthened.
The participants thanked the East Aegean
Basin Directorate and the Bulgarian Ministry
of the Environment for their outstanding wel-
coming in Plovdiv.
They congratulated the Turkish Authorities
and especially
Professor Ahmet Mete
Saatçi,
SUEN President, for the masterful
way in which the Presidency of EUROPE-INBO
Group has been conducted since the Istanbul
Conference in 2012.
Mr. Nikola Karnolsky, Director of the
Bulgarian East Aegean Basin, was elec-
ted new President of EUROPE-INBO
Group until the next Assembly to be
held in Romania in November 2014.
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FRom one conTinenT To anoTHeR
13 - 16 November 2013 - Plovdiv - Bulgaria
Very attentive participants © IOWater - C. Runel
