Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2016 (96. évfolyam)
2016 / 3. szám - HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT - Ijjas István: Good Practices for Integrated Water Resources Management in EU and Hungary
10 Hungarian Journal of Hydrology Vol. 96. No. 3. 2016. EU Commission with participation from all relevant stakeholders. The CIS has successfully delivered more than 30 guidance documents and policy papers and has been a valuable platform for exchange of experiences and best practices on implementation among Member States. The European Commission has to assess the progress in the implementation of the WFD in certain intervals and to inform the European Parliament, the Council and the public about the results of the assessments. Three implementation reports have been produced in 2007, 2009 and 2012 (EC 2013). Integration of water and environmental policy in case of new infrastructure projects A considerable number of new infrastructure projects are at different stages of planning and preparation in EU Member States and in Hungary. These projects provoke pressures and can deteriorate water status, but are at the same time beneficial in terms of socio-economic aspects and climate change mitigation. This can be the case for multifunctional use of infrastructure projects serving different purposes, including the mitigation of floods and droughts and ensuring water resources for different water users by the seasonal and/or multiannual regulation of water flows. The application of WFD Article 4.7 is key for new infrastructure development and for integration of environment and economy. The related requirements for exemptions, according to the Article 4.7, WFD include amongst others that: • the benefits of the new infrastructure are of overriding public interests outweighing the benefits of achieving the WFD environmental objectives, • there are no significantly better environmental options which are technically feasible, • all practicable mitigation measures are taken to minimize negative effects on the aquatic ecology, • the projects are reported in the River Basin Management Plans. WFD CIRCABC - The Information Exchange Platform One of the key activities under the joint implementation of the WFD is the improvement of the information exchange between the EU Member States, the EU institutions, the various stakeholders and the interested public. In order to promote information exchange and to facilitate the work of the experts (the process of social learning), the European Commission set up an internet-based platform called "CIRCA" which has recently migrated to a new platform called "CIRCABC" (Communication and Information Resource Centre for Administrations, Businesses and Citizens). It is a web-based service provided by the European Commission. It is used to create collaborative workspaces, where communities of users can work together and share information and resources. Legal tools of EU for integration of environment and economy Over the last 30 years, EU legislation has developed much in terms of environmental protection and improvement. However, as more Directives have been adopted, the regulatory requirements have become more complex, and the implementation has become more complicated. Therefore, a coordinated and harmonised implementation is needed. One of the major objectives of the WFD, the EIA and SEA Directives, the Public Participation Directive and the Birds and Habitats Directives (BH-D) is to integrate the environment into decision-making process. IWRM UNDER THE EU WFD IN LARGE RIVER BASINS The Danube River Basin The Danube River Basin (DRB) is the “most international” river basin in the world, located on the territories — fully or partially - of 19 countries. The Danube River Basin has been the subject of many environmental investigations and studies funded by the countries sharing the Basin, a wide range of organizations and the EU: • Regional co-operation of the Danube countries in the frame of the International Hydrological Program (IHP) of UNESCO (1974-) • The Danube...for whom and for what, Equipe Cousteau (1992) • Danube Integrated Environmental Study, Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin, EC PHARE-Programme (1993-1994) • Strategic Action Plan (SAP), Environmental Program for the Danube River Basin (1994) • SAP Implementation Plan (1995) • Danube Nutrient Reduction Program (1997 -1999) • ICPDR Joint Action Plan 2000- 2005 • EC supported DAB LAS program (specific reports in 2002 and 2004) • EU WFD Danube River Basin Analysis (2005) • UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project (2001 - 2006) • UNDP-GEF-ICPDR Danube River Basin Updated Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis Based on EU Water Framework Directive - Analysis Report (2006) • First Danube River Basin Management Plan (2009) • Second Danube River Basin Management Plan (2015) • First Danube Flood Risk Management Plan (2015) Those 14 countries with territories greater than 2,000 km2 in the DRB, cooperate in the framework of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). The Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC), signed in 1994, provides the legal framework for cooperation on water issues within the Danube basin. Transboundary cooperation had a long history in the Danube Basin. Today, scholars of international law often identify the Danube Basin as the region where international organizations first evolved (ICPDR 2014). The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) is now the largest international body of river basin management experts in Europe, with a mission to promote and coordinate sustainable water management in the Danube Basin. The work of the Danube countries under the ICPDR provides a model of
