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4th European Water Conference

Brussels, 23-24 March 2015

Conference report

MAY 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background .............................................................................................................................................................. 3

High Level Opening ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Key messages ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Session I: Floods Directive ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Key messages ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Presentation Abstracts ....................................................................................................................................................... 6

Session II: Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures: achievements and lessons learnt from the first RBMP ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Key Messages ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Presentation Abstracts ....................................................................................................................................................... 9

Session III: Water Framework Directive next steps: towards the second River Basin Management Plans .................... 11

Key Messages ................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Presentation Abstracts ..................................................................................................................................................... 12

Session IV: Water Framework Directive: integration issues ....................................................................................... 14

Key Messages ................................................................................................................................................................... 14


Session V: Water policy in the context of Green and Blue Growth ............................................................................. 17

Key Message ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17


Closing Address ....................................................................................................................................................... 20

Annex 1: Programme ............................................................................................................................................... 21

Annex 2: Biographies of Chairs, Speakers and Panellists ........................................................................................... 25

Session I ............................................................................................................................................................................ 25

Session II ........................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Session III .......................................................................................................................................................................... 33

Session IV ......................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Session V .......................................................................................................................................................................... 43

All photographs in this report are copyright of Bernal Revert.

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Background

The 4th European Water Conference, organised by the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General, was held in Brussels on 23-24 March 2015. The Conference provided the opportunity for representatives from Member States, stakeholders and the European Commission working directly or indirectly on the implementation of the Water Framework and Floods Directives to debate the following key topics:

• Experiences from the first cycle of implementation of the WFD, achievements and lessons learned

• The European Commission's assessment of the implementation of the WFD programmes of measures

• Preparations and expectations for the second River Basin Management Plans

• Experiences so far in the implementation of the Floods Directive, including the preparation of the Flood Hazard and Risk Maps and the Flood Risk Management Plans

• Integration issues: links between water policy and agriculture, energy, and navigation policies

• Opportunities to support water policy under the new financing period 2014-2020 (Rural Development Programmes, Operational Programmes, etc.)

• The role of water policy in the context of Green and Blue Growth

A number of documents were made available on the Conference web page1 to provide background information in advance of the conference discussions:

1) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive: Actions towards the 'good status' of EU water and to reduce flood risks

2) Accompanying documents to the Communication: a) Commission Staff Working Document: Report on the progress in implementation of the Water Framework

Directive Programmes of Measures b) Commission Staff Working Document: Report on the progress in implementation of the Floods Directive c) 5 Commission Staff Working Documents: Report on the progress in implementation of the Water Framework

Directive River Basin Management Plans for Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Spain and Portugal 3) Consultant reports:

a) Member States reports on the Progress in implementation of the Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures

b) Member States reports on the progress in implementation of the Floods Directive c) Screening of the draft second River Basin Management Plans d) Screening of the draft Flood Risk Management Plans

The Conference was attended by 458 participants representing 320 different organisations, with 19 presentations and 5 panel discussions taking place over the course of the two days. The final conference programme is presented in Annex I and biographic details of speakers, panellists and chairs is presented in Annex II. The event was successfully webcast live online with a total number of 554 viewers on the first day and 206 viewers on the second day and recordings are available on the Conference web page. The Conference was also widely commented on social media with the twitter hashtag #EUWater2015 receiving over 200 mentions and the EU Environment Facebook page receiving 56 likes and 30 shares.

This report provides a summary of the key messages arising from the event and abstracts from each of the presentations. Copies of the presentations can be found on the European Commission’s resource platform CIRCABC2.

1 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/2015conference/index_en.htm 2 https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/72eebfe1-f680-4300-9a2f-d2b598d7a944

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High Level Opening

The conference was opened with addresses from Karmenu Vella (Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries), Alda Ozola (Deputy State Secretary of Environment of the Republic of Latvia) and Giovanni La Via (Member of the European Parliament, Chair of EP ENVI Committee), in a high-level session chaired by Karl Falkenberg (Director-General DG Environment).

Key messages

• 2015 is a milestone year in European water policy as it marks the end of the first cycle of river basin management planning (RBMP) under the Water Framework Directive. Over this first cycle European water policy has delivered improved water quality and better quantitative management of water: surface water bodies expected to be in ‘good status’ have increased from 43% in 2009 to 53% at present.

• Despite this steady progress, the target set for 2015 for all aquatic ecosystems to have met ‘good status’ has not been achieved. Progress made has not gone far enough or been delivered fast enough and despite the economic climate, efforts must accelerate to achieve the original ambitions since water is essential for people, nature and the economy. 2015 provides an opportunity to take stock, to share and use the lessons learnt over the past 15 years, to ensure effective management solutions are incorporated into in the 2nd RBMP’s currently being prepared.

• Modelling indicates that climate change will increase the frequency of both floods and droughts. A trend is being confirmed through major flood events experienced across Europe in Italy, France, Spain, UK and the Balkans in the last few years. It is essential that Member States adopt a holistic approach to managing our water systems. There is a need for green infrastructure such as natural water retention measures to be adopted to manage flood risk while offering multiple benefits, alongside traditional engineering based solutions.

• We should make water a priority investment for green and blue growth. It is hoped that water will be at the centre of new proposals from the Commission on the circular economy e.g. through instruments promoting the effective reuse of water. Financial support from the EU is available to complement national funding to help Member States implement the Water Framework and Floods Directives and enable their objectives to be met. The Rural and Regional Development Funds, the Cohesion Fund, Horizon 2020, LIFE and the European Innovative Partnership provide, inter alia, the mechanisms for innovation and research and for new ideas and approaches to be developed to effectively manage our water resources.

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Session I: Floods Directive

Key messages

• The Floods Directive has established a pan-European framework for the management of floods. Considerable progress has been made and through its implementation, a paradigm shift has been achieved from just reacting to flooding, to planning and pre-empting flood events across Member States. However, continuous improvement is required in the 2nd cycle. Wise land use, greater consideration of climate change impacts, improved stakeholder consultation, closer cooperation between Member States and wider adoption of natural water retention measures, together with the experience acquired during the first risk identification and mapping exercises will eventually strengthen Flood Risk Management.

• Green infrastructure, by means of land use management and natural flood retention measures, plays an important role in delivering the objectives of both the Water Framework and Floods Directives. There is an increased trend in the use and prioritisation of these green non-structural measures instead of traditional grey structural measures and recognition that they provide multiple benefits (e.g. nature protection, flood protection, preservation of hydromorphology).

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Presentation Abstracts

Presentation 1: Progress in implementation of the Floods Directive. Ioannis Kavvadas, DG Environment, European Commission.

The presentation summarised the Commission findings as published in the Report on the progress in implementation of the Floods Directive3.

Presentation 2: Experiences in implementation of the Floods Directive in the Czech Republic. Jana Tejkalová, Ministry of the Environment, Czech Republic

The presentation focused on experiences in the four steps of implementation of the Flood Directive: implementation to the Czech legislation, identification of the areas with potentially significant flood risk (APSFR), preparing Flood Hazard and Risk Maps (FHRMs) and Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs). The Flood Directive was implemented by Water Act in 2010 and other regulations. There were already proposed and standardized methods for identification of APSFR and flood mapping in the Czech Republic. The methodology for FHRMs was tested in two pilot project “Atlas of risk in Elbe basin” (River Jizera) and FHRMs in large confluence area.

Implementation is coordinated by working group “Flood Directive”, members come from government, river basin authorities and scientists and meet regularly once a month.

Methodology of identification of the APSFR addresses potential adverse consequences of future floods (Art. 4 d). The key factors taken into account were the number of permanent residents and the value of properties affected by designed floods of 5, 20 and 100 year return period. Localities with potential sources of heavy pollution and national cultural heritage affected by designed flood of 100 yrs return period were taken into consideration as well. In the Czech Republic 2966 kilometres of river sections were identified as APSFR.

Assessing flood danger and flood risk of flood plains is carried out through so-called method of risk matrix (Říha et al, 2005). Flood Risk Map combines information about danger and vulnerability of objects and activities in floodplain. Flood Risk Map shows areas where maximal acceptable risk is exceeded. The FHRMs are located in the Central Database Storage. The results of flood mapping are sourced for the preparation of the FRMPs (three plans for parts of main basin Elbe, Oder and Danube). Documentation of APSFR, for one APSFR sometimes or for more if areas are smaller and close to the others, is part of level C of RBMP and is references for preparing FRMPs. Now the public consultation for RBMPs and FRMPs and also SEA process is running between 22 December 2014 and 22 June 2015.

Presentation 3: Results of the screening of the draft FRMPs. Sarah France, WRc plc.

The Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) required by the Floods Directive should be adopted by December 2015 and reported by March 2016. Although there is no formal requirement in the Floods Directive for MSs to publish draft FRMPs, there is an obligation on MSs to co-ordinate the FRMPs with the RBMPs and, therefore, a significant number of MSs have already published draft FRMPs for consultation. The European Commission has commissioned a screening assessment of a selection of the draft FRMPs to provide an early insight into the level of compliance of the plans. The screening assessment will include comments on the content of the plans (scope, completeness, omissions, complexity) but also make comparisons between MSs at the plan component level.

In this presentation, the results of the screening assessment were set out and key strengths and weaknesses identified with key areas for improvement in the finalisation of the plans.

3 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/impl_reports.htm#fourth

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Presentation 4: Experience in preparing the Flood Risk Management Plan in Austria. Clemens Neuhold, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria.

The presentation reflected on how the requirements of the EU Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) had been achieved in Austria and how the nationwide comparability and transferability of results had been obtained.

Austria as a federal state has its competences structured in different departments (e.g. water management, flood protection, spatial planning and emergency planning) as well as administrational levels (federal state, federal provinces, districts, municipalities). Besides administrational characteristics there is also a high diversity in topographical boundary conditions from Alpine areas to pre-Alpine and lowland areas emphasising different approaches and foci of flood risk management.

To harmonise the related interests a discussion and decision committee had been established consisting of 70 representatives. The resolutions of this committee then defined the basis for a national 3-step procedure where the Federal Ministry provided a “federal blueprint of the flood risk management plan” to the federal provinces. The federal provinces then incorporated their regional and local (municipal) information and data. Based on this response the coordinated and nationwide comparable Flood Risk Management Plan had been set up and had been forwarded to public information and consultation. Complementary stakeholder involvement (NGOs, energy sector, municipalities, economy, etc.) has been ensured by information and discussion workshops throughout the entire process.

The administrational and topographical characteristics to be considered in the frame of FD implementation strengthened the coordination and harmonisation across all sectors and stakeholders related to flood risk management. The FD implementation, therefore, is a holistic attempt to outline the needs for action for all sectors related to risk management. The obligation of reviewing the process on a regular basis and to revise the information if needed supports a sustainable approach by discussing the achievements and deficits transparently. The consideration of residual risk (overload and failure of flood defences) and, hence, the incorporation to national legislation is of substantial relevance especially for awareness raising and public information and consultation.

Concluding the implementation of the EU Floods Directive is very valuable for strategic planning (mid-term) on national level which is then linked to existing and well-proven mechanisms of detailed planning and funding. The priorities are set on non-structural measures as well as measures fostering flood retention. Therefore, coordination and harmonisation with the priorities and needs of the Water Framework Directive implementation is ensured.

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Session II: Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures: achievements and lessons learnt from the first RBMP

Key Messages

• The Water Framework Directive and daughter Directives have contributed to improving water protection in the EU. A limited improvement in aquatic ecosystem health has been achieved since the start of the first cycle of RBMPs, with 53% of surface water bodies now expected to achieve good status, up from 43%. This represents nearly a 25% increase in relative terms during a period of economic crisis. There has been continued good dialogue between Member States and the Commission in how to improve the implementation of the WFD and increased cooperation in the management of trans-boundary waters. However, we cannot be complacent as considerably more progress is required.

• The Programmes of Measures do not go far enough: they do not include sufficient cost-effective measures that are required to relieve pressures; rather, they include measures already in place or already in implementation. In particular, there are insufficient measures to control abstraction and ensure adequate ecological flows in our rivers and there are still considerable gaps in addressing diffuse pollution and lack of incentives to promote more efficient irrigation in certain Member States. Water pricing and cost recovery are not applied consistently across all sectors and across Member States and this is an area for improvement.

• There is evidence of some strong public consultation, participation, partnerships and cross-sector discussions taking place during the 1st cycle of RBMPs and the preparation of the 1st FRMPs. Public participation enhances the planning process, helps the prioritisation of measures with multiple benefits and enhances the communication of progress made. This needs to be extended and strengthened during the 2nd cycle.

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Presentation 1: Findings and recommendations of the Commission report on PoMs. Alberto Parenti, DG Environment, European Commission.

The presentation summarised the Commission findings as published in the Report on the progress in implementation of the Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures4.

Presentation 2: Experience on PoMs in the UK. Sonia Phippard, Defra, UK.

All parts of the UK face challenges in protecting, restoring and enhancing the water environment but pressures are most acute in England. Many of our waters are heavily modified and face multiple pressures. Solutions can be complex and very costly to implement.

Against projected population growth, economic development and climate change, preventing deterioration in the status of our waters is a priority. First cycle plans made extensive use of the exemption provisions in the WFD.

We are now more certain of the state of our waters and the pressures following 16 000 targeted investigations and 8 years of monitoring with now a greater focus on biological and hydromorphological assessments. We are also improving our evidence base on chemicals.

The first cycle RBMPs also prompted new ways of working. We have established over 100 catchment partnerships, to strengthen local community engagement and partnership working. Additional Government funding has helped to establish these and a new catchment restoration fund has supported projects led by local interests.

We have seen significant investment from our privatised water and sewerage companies. They invested €30 billion in England and Wales during the first cycle, with €6.1 billion specifically to meet environmental obligations. Costs are recovered by billing of customers. Their actions are reducing phosphate and ammonia input to our waters.

Legislation also drives improvements. Scotland has introduced regulations to help tackle rural diffuse pollution. These are based on industry best practice. A targeted approach, working closely with farmers means compliance rates are good. We have also been working to ensure we have robust mechanisms for protecting and restoring water flows.

Evidence shows small net gains in the ecological quality of English rivers since 2009 though these have not yet been reflected in improvements in assessments of overall status. Shifting monitoring and updated standards for the second cycle will further strengthen our evidence base. But this new baseline will present challenges in demonstrating the benefits from the major investments that will be going in to the updated Programmes of Measures.

4 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/impl_reports.htm#fourth

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Presentation 3: Pan-European hydro-economic modelling. Ad de Roo, Joint Research Centre, European Commission.

To support European Union water policy making and policy monitoring, JRC has developed a hydro-economic modelling environment to assess optimum combinations of measures that can be taken related to water resources. Measures considered in this spatial modelling system include water retention measures, flood protection measures, water savings and/or efficiency measures, nutrient reduction measures, and economic measures such as water pricing. This modelling environment consists of linking the agricultural CAPRI model, the LUMP land use model, the LISFLOOD water quantity model, the EPIC water quality model, the LISQUAL combined water quantity, quality and hydro-economic model, and a multi-criteria optimisation routine.

With this modelling environment, river basin scale simulations are carried out to assess the effects of the various measures described above on several hydro-chemical indicators, such as the Water Exploitation Index (WEI+), Nitrate and Phosphate concentrations in rivers, the 50-year return period river discharge as an indicator for river flooding, and economic losses

due to water scarcity for the agricultural sector, the manufacturing-industry sector, the energy-production sector and the domestic sector, as well as the economic loss due to flood damage.

This modelling environment has been developed covering entire Europe at a relatively fine resolution. Since European river basins vary with respect to climate, topography, soils, land use, and socio-economic conditions, each region likely has its own ‘optimum’ package of measures to improve its water resources. Therefore, the modelling environment has been developed in such a way, that measures are locally specific. Measures that could be beneficial in Spain, might not be beneficial nor needed in Scandinavia or Romania, and vice versa.

Recently, this model environment – that was first applied for the Impact Assessment of the 2012 Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources – has been improved implanting some lessons learnt, e.g. an improved groundwater module, water allocation rules, and embedding environmental flow. Economic functions are currently being updated as well. The work is streamlined with the Water Account research at EEA and specific studies carried out by DG ENV (e.g. natural water retention measures, cooling water requirements, etc.), in order to make use of the best possible information available.

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Session III: Water Framework Directive next steps: towards the second River Basin Management Plans

Key Messages

• Changes in the delineation of water bodies have made comparisons between 1st and 2nd cycle RBMPs very difficult. However, initial screening of the draft 2nd RBMPs has shown improvements in both the definition of reference conditions and the analysis of pressures and impacts. There is a much improved system of monitoring in place, but methodological gaps still exist in relation to the monitoring of chemical substances, hydromorphological conditions and groundwater and coastal/transitional water bodies.

• Only some RBMPs have been explicit in the progress made in achieving WFD objectives set in the 1st cycle and there is a need for greater transparency in achievements against these objectives. Delays in implementing key actions in PoMs have contributed to the lack of progress being made in some Member States.

• Natural water retention measures feature prominently in the 2nd cycle of PoMs, but there is still a tendency for the pressures from agriculture to be addressed by voluntary measures as part of Rural Development Plans in many Member States. However, there is concern that these voluntary measures will not deliver the results required and that enforcement of measures is necessary.

• There is an increased use of exemptions under Articles 4.4, 4.5 and 4.7, but the justifications for these exemptions are not always robust enough.

• Demonstrating progress towards improved status is essential to justify the policies, investments and efforts made during the 1st RBMP cycle and to gain support for new measures to be adopted in the 2nd cycle. The one-out, all-out principle adopted by the WFD may hide improvements in status that have been made during the 1st cycle and therefore additional indicators are needed to aid in the communication to stakeholders that progress is being made.

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Presentation 1: Results of the screening of the draft second RBMPs. Thomas Dworak, Fresh-Thoughts Consulting GmbH.

According to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) Member States are required to publish draft second River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) by December 2014, with final RBMPs to be adopted by December 2015 and reported to the European Commission by March 2016. The European Commission has commissioned a screening assessment of a selection of the draft second RBMPs to provide an early insight into the level of compliance of the plans. The screening assessment will be based on the findings and recommendations of the Commission as a result of the assessment of the first RBMPs. The screening assessment will examine the steps that MSs have taken to address the weaknesses of the first plans, and will seek to give an early indication of what progress has been made.

In this presentation, a high level overview of the results of the screening assessment was provided to identify the main changes from the first plans. Examples were shown of areas where significant progress has been made, and others where more efforts are required.

Presentation 2: Preparation of the second RBMP in Romania. Elena Tuchiu, Romanian Waters.

Romania, as the other Member States, is in the continuous process of implementing the Water Framework Directive. After the elaboration, approval and reporting of the first National Management Plan, which represents the national synthesis of the 11 River Basin Management Plans, the Romanian authorities have focused on the monitoring process of the program of measures implementation and on the steps for complying the second planning cycle. In this context, the characterization of river basins and the assessment of pressures and their impacts, based on identified significant water management issues at the national and international level (Danube River Basin District), have been done. Following the legal requirements, the drafts of the second River Basin Management Plans and the second National Management Plan have been produced and published in December 2014, being in the process of public consultation in order to improve and complete them through the stakeholders and public involvement and contribution. In the process of elaboration of the second RBMPs, the same approach has been followed, especially considering the strong points resulting in the first cycle assessment. Furthermore, the recommendations received during the bilateral meeting with the European Commission were taken into consideration, having in view filling in the gaps identified in the first management plans. More efforts have been made starting from the lessons learned in the first planning stage. In the current cycle of the WFD implementation, the knowledge base has been improved and new national methodologies based on CIS Guidelines have been developed or are in progress. The presentation gave insight of the National Management Plan and how the strategic integrated planning is developing in the national context. Moreover, the main aspects of the RBMPs were outlined and the progress in the achieving of the environmental objectives were highlighted.

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Presentation 3: Communicating progress towards good status. Diederik van der Molen, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Netherlands.

Member states put great efforts in improving the status of water bodies. More measures may be needed in the coming years. For political approval of the plans, public support and funding, it is essential that we are able to present a realistic status of our water bodies and to show progress of the efforts taken so far. At the moment this is not the case. The approach based on one-out-all-out illustrates that there is at least one pressure remaining. But the indicator gives a too negative picture compared to observations of many water users and is insensitive to show progress.

At present the chemical status is the result of the worst parameter of a list of about 40. Based on the draft 2nd RBMP of the Rhine river basin, it is expected that only a few water bodies will meet the standards for all parameters. And this will not significantly change in 2021 and 2027. The Commission acknowledges that some substances have a widespread distribution and long recovery times. Therefore these ubiquitous substances may be presented separately so that improvements in water quality achieved in relation to other substances are not obscured.

For the ecological status also dozens of parameters should be good, before the overall status may be presented as good. Again, for the Rhine only a few water bodies meet good status now and in the coming years. At the same time, we observe spectacular improvements in the river and the WWF is preparing an experimental reintroduction of sturgeon. Presenting biological indicators separately, will give a more realistic picture and may illustrate progress in the status.

Another gauge used to illustrate the ambition of member states, is the percentage water bodies that need an exemption. However, the percentage water bodies that need an extended deadline to reach all objectives is highly sensitive for the completeness of the monitoring program, changing methods and more stringent standards under the EQS Directive.

We propose to agree upon additional indicators using information that has already been provided by electronic reporting. International harmonization of the additional indicators is needed, to be able to compare the performance of member states and to guarantee acceptance within member states. This may contribute to political approval, public support and funding to tackle the remaining problems in our water bodies.

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Session IV: Water Framework Directive: integration issues

Key Messages

• Cohesion policy has made a significant contribution to investments to improve the water environment: in the

last financial period (2007-2013), €22 billion was available to improve waste water treatment and drinking

water supplies. This continues in the current period (2014-2020) with substantial funds available for water management under the thematic objectives 1, 5 and 6 and investments are required to be in accordance with the RBMP. Project investment should follow the water hierarchy and financial sustainability of projects must be ensured e.g. by ensuring adequate water pricing policy is in place.

• The Rural Development Programme provides a great opportunity to finance measures for the Water Framework Directive. The Rural Development Policy of 2014 – 2020 has two important rural development objectives explicitly related to water management: improving fertiliser and pesticide management and increasing water use efficiency through improved irrigation.

• Member States are responsible for prioritising the investments. The opportunities are available; it is for national authorities to make the right decisions to contribute to water policy objectives.

• Synergies exist and win-wins can be obtained through the coordinated and integrated implementation of the Floods and Water Framework Directives, as experienced in Flanders.

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Presentation 1: Opportunities for water within the new financial period 2014-2020. Sander Happaerts and Mike Mackenzie, European Commission.

Opportunities for water management in Cohesion Policy 2014-2020

In past periods, Member States and regions have drawn significant support from the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund for investments in the water sector. Also in the new 2014-2020 period, support is available for assisting Member States to meet the requirements of the Union's environmental acquis, and to address needs for investment that goes beyond those requirements. This includes investments in the provision of water for human consumption, drinking water conservation and wastewater treatment. The main focus for water infrastructure will be in less developed and transition regions.

The presentation outlined the possibilities and priorities for investments in the water sector in the 2014-2020 period. It also highlighted the novelties of the new regulatory framework, which includes an ex-ante conditionality for funding in the water sector to ensure that strategic policy arrangements are in place for effective investments.

EU rural development policy and water, 2014-2020

Water-related concerns are very clearly addressed by the EU's rural development policy for the period 2014-2020.

Water appears explicitly in two of the policy's "priorities" – in the sub-priorities on "improving water management" (which relates essentially to water quality) and on "increasing efficiency in water use by agriculture" (which relates to water quantity). Other priorities also have links to water.

The new Rural Development Regulation offers a range of "measures" (categories of activity which can be funded) that Member States / regions can support in their rural development programmes in order to address these priorities. For example, through the various measures, funding can be provided for: investments in more water-efficient farm equipment; area-based

land management payments which compensate for voluntary lower use of pesticides or fertilisers; and compensation of particular difficulties arising from implementation of the Water Framework Directive. Many other examples could be cited.

For the first time, the new Rural Development Regulation sets out particular conditions for support for investments in irrigation. These conditions – which are closely linked to the Water Framework Directive - aim to ensure more consistently that rural development policy finances only irrigation which is sustainable.

Presentation 2: Coordinated implementation of the WFD and Floods Directive. Sven Verbeke, Flemish Environment Agency, Belgium.

In Flanders, the WFD and FD are judicially integrated through the Decree of Integrated Water Management. Following the decree the Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMP’s) have to be integrated into the River Basin Management Plans (RBMP’s). The competent authority is the Coordination Committee on integrated Water Policy (CIW), composed of different administrations competent for or involved in water management. Its task includes the drafting of the RBMP’s, containing the FRMP’s, and the organization of public consultation.

Besides the obvious advantages of having a single water management plan with a single competent authority and a single public consultation, there are synergies between the RBMP and the FRMP. Both plans have a similar structure including an analysis, a description of objectives, an assessment of the current state and an inventory of the necessary measures. Similar to the WFD assessment of the ecological status of water bodies, a framework was developed for assessing flood risk. The outcome shows whether flood risk management measures are needed to achieve the flood risk objectives.

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Furthermore, all WFD and FD measures were prioritized together by local stakeholders. For the WFD, this prioritization was translated into a selection of WFD measures for the upcoming cycle. For the FD, all flood risk management measures were retained and a further prioritization was performed using social flood risk as a criterion. This approach favours the implementation of synergetic measures.

However, because of some key differences in both directives and the obligation of separate reporting, parts of the FRMP are described separately within the RBMP. The differences can be found in the area of application and the timing for achieving the objectives. Firstly, for the FD a subset of the WFD waterbodies with a significant flood risk was selected. Secondly, the WFD stipulates that a good ecological status has to be reached in 2015, but there is no deadline in reaching the flood risk objectives. Although the FRMP will be updated every 6 years, the FRMP covers a longer time horizon, where the realization of the measures isn’t bound to the RBMP cycle.

Presentation 3: Natural Water Retention Measures: experiences in Germany. Sven Schulz, Federal State of Saxony Anhal, Germany.

With a length of 1093 km and a river basin area of about 140.000 km², the Elbe River is one of the largest and nearly last freely flowing rivers of Central Europe with a unique natural landscape. About 8.900 km² (nearly 9% of the German river basin) are designed as protected area under the Habitats Directive. This value must be protected.

The experiences of the past extreme flood events (esp. 2002, 2006,2011, 2013) on the river Elbe shows clearly that a sustainable flood risk management is only possible if measures such as relocation of flood defence dykes in order to create natural floodplain conditions, controllable polders and the removal of weak spots in existing dykes are combined.

Considering that approximately 80% of the natural retention space of the Elbe River got lost, the restoration of natural floodplain areas is a difficult and lengthy process but nevertheless, an important contribution for a sustainable flood protection. It is necessary that the river

gets more space again!

In 2001, a year after the WFD was adapted by the EU, the “Large scale Conservation Project Middle Elbe” began. Project Partners are the World Wildlife Fund of Nature Germany (WWF), the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conversation and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) represented by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Saxony-Anhalt (MLU). The project will end in 2018.

One of the main objectives of the whole project is the relocation of a flood defence dyke in order to (re)create natural floodplain of about 600 ha in the Steckby Lödderitz area in Saxony-Anhalt. This project will be a contribution to flood protection as well as to the preservation of the interconnected floodplain forest. The presentation will give an overview of the project, shows the present state and will give an outlook on the following steps.

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Session V: Water policy in the context of Green and Blue Growth

Key Message

• Population growth, economic growth and climate change will exacerbate the stresses on water. Achieving water security is going to become an even greater and more complex priority in both developed and developing countries for the years ahead. Research from OECD and GWP has shown that wealthy countries, which have invested in flood protection, are generally secure from economic damage from floods at lower return periods. However, these countries are still susceptible to extreme events (> 1:100) where economic damages become considerable.

• Recent research by Hall, J.W. et. al, (2014) considers how water security contributes to economic growth. Economic growth can be linked to hydrological variability and investment in water storage. In countries with high hydrological variability, a high level of investment in water infrastructure is needed to support and sustain economic growth.

• Climate change predictions indicate a higher hydrological variability across Europe although there is large uncertainty in this. Given this and the above relationship, there needs to be an increased consideration of climate change in the current RBMPs and FRMPs.

• The OECD has developed a framework for assessing how countries are managing risks, which has three components: (1) to KNOW and assess your risks; (2) to TARGET risks; and (3) to take ACTION and manage those with cost-effective investments making best use of the available sources of financing.

• The threat that water security poses to global business is rapidly rising up the board room agenda and the case for action is very clear. This year the World Economic Forum ranks the water crisis as the top global risk and research undertaken by Veolia Water highlights that by 2050, under ‘business as usual’ water management practices, approximately $63 trillion, or 45 percent of the projected 2050 global GDP will be put at risk. CDP’s research is showing that some companies are improving their ability to identify water related risks whilst others are making crucial moves towards understanding water stewardship strategies that will safeguard water resources in the long term. There are many examples of how threats to water are having a significant negative impact on business and therefore posing a risk to the investors of these companies. However, 75% of companies responding to the CDP have identified operational benefits and opportunities from addressing water-related risks. Investors want to understand the business value of water risk and the CDP is providing a standardised way of measuring and reporting on water risks to inform decision making.

• The 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) provides the EU policy framework and long-term vision for sustainability: circular economy, management of natural resources that protects biodiversity, creating societal resilience and a pathway to a low carbon future. It is a framework that refers to broad environment legislation e.g. Floods and Water Framework Directives. The WFD sets the sustainability boundaries for human water use and water, reserved for ecosystem functionality, providing a sustainable balance for a green economy.

• The green economy is an approach that focuses on well-being, protects our environment, while helping to enhance performance in a globalised economy and guaranteeing social fairness. Meeting this vision of a green economy means addressing systemic risks. It aims not only at efficiency, but also at ecosystem resilience and at human well-being. Achieving the long-term objective of living well, within the ecological limits of our planet, requires a rethink whereby we organise our social and economic systems within the boundaries of our ecosystems. Integrated and systemic polices are a key condition for delivering this which must have a high level of ambition and be strongly implemented. In the water domain there is work required on policy implementation.

• The EU has been leading the world in green growth and the role of green growth in the EU economy and economic recovery is significant. Green growth is worth €4 trillion worldwide and is growing by 4% per year and in 2010 accounted for 2.5% of total EU GDP, with 30% annual growth forecast up to 2025.

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Presentation 1: OECD perspective. Simon Buckle, OECD.

We are gaining a better understanding of how water security contributes to sustainable growth. Extreme weather events can cause large shocks, with persistent impacts, and disrupt global supply chains. Variability of water supplies is also a major drag on growth. Therefore, shielding economic activity from variability of water supplies and extremes is likely to enhance development and growth prospects, at local, national and global level.

We are also improving our understanding of how seas and oceans contribute to and are affected by human activities and economic development. Marine biodiversity is a critical area, as recent estimates suggest that nearly two-thirds of marine ecosystems have been degraded by human activity even while hundreds of millions of people rely on oceans for food and livelihoods. For instance, excessive application of fertilisers causes the runoff of many chemicals – nitrogen in particular – generating pollution, acid rain, and eutrophication, as well as emissions of nitrous oxide.

The OECD investigates policies to manage water that contribute to green growth, and reduce impacts on marine ecosystems. Particular attention is paid to information, to better understanding of water-related risks, vulnerabilities and consequences; how infrastructure can be designed and financed to contribute to water security and green growth; how institutions and governance can help ensure better inclusive outcomes, allocate risks to those best equipped to manage them, and co-ordinate across a variety of policy fields and government layers. Innovation, both technical and non-technical, is essential and barriers to the diffusion of new solutions should be systematically addressed.

Future OECD work will focus on the economics of water quality and of marine biodiversity, with a focus on valuation, policy instruments, finance mechanisms and governance issues. Much remains to be done and collaboration will be welcome.

Presentation 2: Business perspective. Steven Tebbe, CDP Europe.

CDP works to transform the way the world does business to prevent dangerous climate change and protect our natural resources. Evidence and insight is vital to driving real change. The CDP use the power of measurement and information disclosure to improve the management of environmental risk. CDP launched its water program in 2010 and since then, it has quickly established itself as the pre-eminent platform for corporate water disclosure internationally. In 2015 CDP leverages the power of 617 investors with $63 trillion in assets as well as 14 global purchasers with a combined annual procurement spend of $216 billion to catalyze effective action to protect water resources.

The threat that water security poses to global business is rapidly rising up the board room agenda, exemplified by the World Economic Forum ranking the water crisis as the top global risk. The mismanagement of water can result in significant business failure, but effective and innovative action can result in sustainable growth.

This presentation highlighted examples of how water has constrained growth and impacted the shareholder value of multi-national companies. It discussed that while there has been some progress, CDP finds from its water questionnaire, that water risk is still generally managed on a business as usual basis. Companies need to take a more comprehensive view of their water impacts and vulnerabilities and how they might be managed. The presentation also went on to highlight how some leading companies are recognizing the strategic importance of water stewardship and are realizing opportunities for growth.

The CDP argue that it is critical for companies to integrate water into in their current and future business strategies in order to develop more resilient business models that offer a long lasting business case to their investors.

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Presentation 3: EEA perspective. Hans Bruyninckx, European Environment Agency.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) aims to provide relevant, reliable, targeted and timely information to policy-making agents and the public. This is in order to help achieve significant and measurable improvements in Europe's environment and to support sustainable development. The EEA has been focusing on pathways beyond existing 2020 targets through to 2050.

This reflects the vision of the 7th Environment Action Programme (7th EAP) which promotes a long-term objective of ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’. This is based on a 2050 vision with three objectives: protecting the EU's natural capital; creating a green, circular economy; and safeguarding citizens from risks to health and well-being.

The presentation from Dr. Hans Bruyninckx highlighted the following:

• The green economy is an approach that protects our environment, while helping to enhance performance in a globalised economy and guaranteeing social fairness.

• Meeting this vision of a green economy means addressing systemic risks.

• It aims not only at efficiency, but also at ecosystem resilience and at human well-being.

• There is a need to rethink our systems and the business models that support them, and to then transition to new systems that fulfil societal needs in a sustainable way.

Acknowledging the three objectives of the 7th EAP, this presentation then reflected on the water sector, noting in particular:

• The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a key piece of legislation setting ecosystem based targets and including an economic assessment in its implementation.

• The EEA's ‘the European environment – state and outlook 2015 report’ (SOER 2015), launched at the beginning of March, presents some mid-term WFD results in particular the progress towards good ecological status and the pressures that are challenging this achievement.

• SOER 2015 also highlights how far water efficiency can contribute to the objectives of the EU's 2012 ‘Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Waters’, and where and how improved measures in the water sector can have multiple benefits.

• Improving how water is managed can only be solved if complementary efforts in the food, energy and transport systems take place. All combined will lead to opportunities for green growth.

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Closing Address

In her closing address, Marianne Wenning, Director Quality of Life, Water and Air, DG Environment provided a summary of key messages that arose from the two days of presentations and discussion. She commented that as we reach the end of the first cycle of RBMPs and assess the achievements made, the question of whether the glass is half full or half empty is often asked. The answer is never mind where we are, it must be full in a very short time. There is a lot still to be achieved and we must act faster and be more effective to ensure we meet our objectives. The tools are available and Member States must seize the opportunity over the next cycle and use the rural development and regional funds to support the actions required.

The Blueprint in 2012 provided solid principles and we have heard excellent examples of these:

• Transboundary cooperation has progressed significantly, with excellent examples taking place in the Danube

and the Rhine;

• Public and stakeholder participation in water management has seen considerable progress through the implementation of the Floods and Water Framework Directives during the 1st cycle. All Member States are encouraged to increase and widen stakeholder consultation during the 2nd cycle;

• The role of economic instruments is very important by way of setting the right incentives to ensure efficient use and long-term sustainable use of water resources. Some Member States and specific sectors have made significant progress, but in others there is still a lot to do;

• Taking an integrated approach to managing the hydrological cycle is crucial to ensure the objectives of water policy are met. It is essential that silos and piecemeal approaches are quickly phased out and both Member States and the European Commission must make specific efforts to overcome these attitudes and break down obstacles to integration and cooperation;

• Flood risk management plans, prepared under the Floods Directive, will be assessed. There are links with the WFD and Member States are strongly encouraged to consider the use of natural water retention measures as opposed to traditional ‘grey’ approaches;

• The Commission is committed to working with Member States and stakeholders during the 2nd cycle of the implementation of the Floods and Water Framework Directives, by providing guidance and clarifications and addressing challenges through the working groups of the Common Implementation Strategy;

• The Commission will continue to work on water reuse which can give a substantial contribution to using water more efficiently in the near future;

• Research and innovation is important. The European Innovation Partnership on Water will continue and be brought forward and we believe this will deliver tangible results in the near future that will help with the implementation of the WFD. Member States are encouraged to actively contribute and engage with Horizon 2020.

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Annex 1: Programme

Programme

4th European Water Conference

23 – 24 March 2015

Charlemagne Building, Alcide de Gasperi Room, Rue de la Loi 170, Brussels

FINAL VERSION

Day 1

1st day 10:30 – 12:00

High-level opening Chair: Karl Falkenberg, Director-General DG Environment Commissioner K. Vella Alda Ozola, Deputy State Secretary of Environment of the Republic of Latvia Giovanni La Via, MEP, Chair of EP ENVI Committee

12:00 – 14:00 Lunch Session I: 14:00 – 16:00

Floods Directive Key elements: • Progress in the implementation of the Floods Directive • Draft Flood Risks Management Plans • MS experiences so far • Links to other policies: disaster risk management, civil protection, insurance & spatial planning • Views from sectors Chair and panel moderator: Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary ICPDR

14:00 – 14:15 Progress in implementation of the Floods Directive Ioannis Kavvadas, European Commission, DG Environment, Water Unit C1

14:15 – 14:30 Experiences in implementation of the Floods Directive in Czech Republic Jana Tejkalová, Head of Unit, Ministry of the Environment, Czech Republic

14:30 – 14:45 Results of the screening of the draft FRMPs Sarah France, Service Area Leader – Catchment Management, WRc plc

14:45 – 15:00 Experience in preparing the Flood Risk Management Plan in Austria Clemens Neuhold, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria

15:00 – 16:00 Panel discussion (including short introductory statements) – Jana Tejkalová, Head of Unit, Ministry of the Environment, Czech Republic – Karl Schwaiger, Water Director, Austria – Giorgio Pineschi, Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea – Anouk te Nijenhuis, Chair of Working Group Floods, Rhine Commission – Iain Blackwell, Divisional Director at Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., European Water

Association (EWA) – Nicolas Bauduceau, Technical and Scientific Director, Centre Européen de prévention de

Risque d'Inondation (CEPRI) – Ian Clark, Head of Unit A3 Policy and Implementation Frameworks, DG ECHO – Pavel Misiga, Head of Unit C1 Water, DG Environment

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break

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Session II: 16:30 – 18:00

Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures: achievements and lessons learnt from the first RBMP Key elements: • Commission Communication on Programme of Measures • Member State experiences of the first cycle • Development of pan-European hydro-economic modelling • Views from sectors and NGOs and International basin organisations

Chair and panel moderator: Gustaaf Borchardt, President Rhine Commission

16:30 – 16:45 Conclusions of the Commission report on PoMs Alberto Parenti, European Commission, DG Environment, Water Unit C1

16:45 – 17:00 Experience on PoMs in the UK Sonia Phippard, Water Director, UK

17:00 – 17:15 Pan-European hydro-economic modelling Ad de Roo, Action Leader, Joint Research Centre, European Commission

17:15 – 18:00 Panel discussion (including short introductory statements) – Sonia Phippard, Water Director, UK – Manuel Sapiano, Water Director, Malta – Stefan Berggren, Water Director, Sweden – Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary ICPDR – Hans van der Werf, Secretary General, Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine

(CCNR) – Jukka Muotka, Manager of Environment in Renewable Energy, Fortum, Eurelectric – Giovanni Bidoglio, Head of Unit Water, Joint Research Centre, European Commission – Nicola Notaro, Deputy Head of Unit C1 Water, DG Environment

18:00 –19:30 Networking cocktail (Charlemagne building)

Day 2

Session III: 2nd day 9:00 – 10:30

Water Framework Directive next steps: towards the second River Basin Management Plans Key elements: • Member States experiences in preparation of second RBMPs • Views from sectors and NGOs and International basin organisations

Chair and panel moderator: André Weidenhaupt, Advisor to Minister of Environment, LU

9:00 – 9:15 Results of the screening of the draft second RBMPs Thomas Dworak, Director, Fresh-Thoughts Consulting GmbH

9:15 – 9:30 Preparation of the second RBMP in Romania Elena Tuchiu, Director of Management Plans Department, Romanian Waters

9:30 – 9:45 Communicating progress towards good status Diederik van der Molen, Directorate-General Environment & Water, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Netherlands

9:45 – 10:30 Panel discussion (including short introductory statements) – Gheorghe Constantin, Water Director, Romania – Laurent Roy, Water Director, France – Víctor Arqued, Deputy Water Director, Spain – Pieter de Pous, Policy Director, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) – Roberto Zocchi, Eureau – Christian Pèes, President of COGECA – Jorge Rodríguez Romero, Team Leader Water Unit C1, DG Environment

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break

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Session IV: 11:00 – 12:30

Water Framework Directive: integration issues Key elements: • Links to the Floods Directive implementation • Link to Regional and Rural Development policy 2014-2020, including financing of drinking

water and wastewater infrastructure • Views from sectors and NGOs and International basin organisations

Chair and panel moderator: Philip Weller, Danube Water Program Coordinator, IAWD

11:00 – 11:15 Opportunities for water within the new financial period 2014-2020

Sander Happaerts, European Commission, DG Regional and Urban Policy, Competence Centre Smart and Sustainable Growth Mike Mackenzie, European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, Unit 'Consistency of rural development policy'

11:15 – 11:30 Coordinated implementation of the WFD and Floods Directive Sven Verbeke, Flemish Environment Agency, Belgium

11:30 – 11:45 Natural Water Retention Measures: experiences in Germany Sven Schulz, Head of the Department for Management and Maintenance, Landesbetrieb für Hochwasserschutz und Wasserwirtschaft of the Federal State of Saxony Anhalt

11:45 – 12:30 Panel discussion (including short introductory statements) – Philippe D'Hondt, Director General Flemish Environment Agency, Water Director, Flanders

(Belgium) – Heide Jekel, Head of Unit of Cooperation in International River Basins, Freshwater

Management Conventions, International Freshwater Protection Law, Germany – Andreas Manolis, Acting Water Director, Cyprus – Albert Vermuë, Secretary General of EUWMA – Michele Falcone, Chair CEEP Water Task Force – Martina Milinaric, Senior Policy Officer, Biodiversity & Water, WWF – Sander Happaerts, European Commission, DG Regional and Urban Policy, Competence Centre

Smart and Sustainable Growth – Mike Mackenzie, European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, Unit

'Consistency of rural development policy' – Joaquim Capitão, Team Leader Water Unit C1, DG Environment

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch

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Session V: 14:00 – 16:00

Water policy in the context of Green and Blue Growth Key elements: • Contribution of water sector and EU policy to the growth and jobs agenda • Medium and long term perspectives as regards availability of clean water in the EU and

potential impact on the economy

Chair and panel moderator: Jeremy Wates, Secretary General, EEB

14:00 – 14:15 OECD perspective Simon Buckle, Head of Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, OECD

14:15 – 14:30 Business perspective Steven Tebbe, Managing Director, CDP Europe

14:30 – 14:45 EEA perspective Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environment Agency (EEA)

14:45 – 15:45 Panel discussion (including short introductory statements)

– Marianne Wenning, Director, DG ENV – Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director EEA – Nuno Lacasta, President of Portuguese Environment Agency and Water Director, Portugal – Simon Buckle, Head of Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, OECD – Steven Tebbe, Managing Director, CDP Europe – Bernard Guirkinger, Suez Environnement – Antoine Badinier, Deputy Director, Engineering and Hydropower Division, EDF – Peter Jonkers, Program Manager Green Brewer, Heineken International

15:45 – 16:00 Closing address

Marianne Wenning, Director Quality of Life, Water and Air, DG Environment 16:00 End of conference

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Annex 2: Biographies of Chairs, Speakers and Panellists

Session I

Nicolas Bauduceau, Technical and Scientific Director, Centre Européen de Prévention de Risque d'Inondation (CEPRI) (Panellist)

INA-PG agricultural engineer with a bachelor’s degree in international economy, Nicolas Bauduceau is currently CEPRI’s technical and scientific director. After starting his career as a survey coordinator for AScA (Applied Action Sciences), he studied a wide range of topics from 2002 to 2006: flood risk management and its link to regional planning, how to reduce vulnerability to floods, public policy evaluation, sustainable development in rural areas, and environmental conservation efforts. Since joining CEPRI in 2006, he has been using his vast expertise to help local authorities promote new approaches to flood prevention.

Iain Blackwell, Divisional Director at Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., European Water Association (EWA) (Panellist)

Mr Blackwell is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager with over 20 years’ experience in water and environmental engineering, much of it focused on Flood Risk Management. His experience covers fluvial, pluvial, coastal and urban flooding aspects, in both the public and private sectors. His public sector experience in the UK and Ireland includes work for national and local government, covering a range of scales from catchment-wide approaches through to localised urban flood risk management projects. In the private sector he has provided strategic advice on infrastructure projects focused on protection, adaptation and resilience of infrastructure including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. In the wider water sector he has experience on a broad range of studies in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean related to groundwater and surface water resources, water supply, dams, reservoirs, and hydropower, and has had several technical papers published in international journals. He recently presented at a symposium on flooding in Calgary, Canada, following major flooding in summer 2013. He is a Member of the EC Working Group F for implementation of the Floods Directive as the European Water Association (EWA) representative, and currently works for Jacobs, based in the UK.

Ian Clark, Head of Unit A3 Policy and Implementation Frameworks, DG ECHO (Panellist)

Ian Clark joined the European Commission in 1984 and worked for ten years in the Regional Policy Directorate General and sixteen years in the Environment Directorate General.

Since early 2010 he was has been working in the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection on disaster management policy with responsibilities that include cooperating with Member States in the promotion of risk assessment, risk management capability, peer reviews and research in the field of disaster management.

Since March 2012 his responsibilities also include coordinating the Commission's contribution to the post 2015 UN Framework for disaster risk reduction, developing a global risk analysis methodology upon which to base EU funding to address disasters and humanitarian crises, policy evaluation and the new EU Aid Volunteers programme, designed to support disaster risk reduction activities in countries outside the EU.

Between January and May 2008 Ian Clark was a visiting scholar at University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies.

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Sarah France, Service Area Leader – Catchment Management, WRc plc (Speaker)

Sarah France is a specialist in EU and national policy and legislation in all fields of environmental management. She is currently leading the WRc’s Catchment Management business, and is an experienced project manager having led complex multi-disciplinary projects including a large collaborative project for the European Commission on the Water Framework Directive and project administrator for a multi-component collaborative project under the PHARE programme. Sarah has supported the European Commission on the implementation of the WFD for the last 14 years, in particular focusing on reporting issues. Throughout her career she has carried out a number of projects relating to chemical substances and industrial emissions including the derivation of EQSs, the development of an environmental burdens methodology, the assessment of sources of priority substances, and a study for the European Commission on the application of Best Available Technology (BAT) in the EC's Basic Petrochemical Industry.

Pavel Misiga, Head of Unit C1 Water, DG Environment (Panellist)

Pavel Misiga is a graduate of Comenius University, London School of Economics and Princeton University. He worked as an environmental consultant and a government official in his home country Slovakia. He served as a director at the Ministry of Environment and advisor to the State Secretary for Environment. In the period 2000-2003 he represented his country in the EU accession negotiations on environmental issues. He joined the European Commission in 2003. In the period 2003-2006 he was responsible for the implementation of environmental projects financed by the Cohesion Fund. Between 2006 and 2014 he was the head of unit that developed and implemented policy in the areas of Sustainable Consumption and Production, Eco-innovation and Circular Economy. Since June 2014 he has been the head of the "Water" unit in Directorate-General for Environment responsible for the implementation of the Water Framework and Floods Directives.

Ioannis Kavvadas, Unit C1 Water, DG Environment (Speaker)

Ioannis Kavvadas graduated from the National Technical University with an MEng degree in Civil Engineering. Studies continued in the University of Nottingham (1998 MSc Construction Management with distinction, dissertation on risk management) and in the University of Bath (2004 Master of Business Administration, dissertation on strategic scenario planning).

After working 9 years in the private sector in multi million civil engineering transport projects with technical, financial and management responsibility and a stint in the Greek Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ioannis is since 2007 employed by the European Commission. He served in the European External Action Service for six years, initially in Addis Abeba and later in Beijing as a head of Section. In 2013 Ioannis joined the Commission's Directorate General for Environment as a policy officer.

Clemens Neuhold, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria (Speaker)

Clemens Neuhold studied Environmental Engineering and Water Management at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna. From 2006 to 2012 he worked at the BOKU Institute of Water Management, Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering. Since 2012 Clemens Neuhold is working at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW) affiliated to the Division of Flood Risk Management and (part-time) at the BOKU Institute of Forest, Environment and Natural Resource Policy.

He is responsible for the national implementation and international coordination of the EU-Floods Directive (the BMLFUW is the competent authority). His main duties are to coordinate the implementation with Federal Ministries related to risk management, the 9 Federal Provinces and relevant field administration units. To ensure the international coordination Clemens Neuhold is Austria’s delegate for the CIS working group on floods (WG F), the Flood Protection Expert Group of ICPDR (Danube), the Working Group Flood of ICPR (Rhine) and the Working Group Flood Protection of ICPE (Elbe).

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Karl Schwaiger, Water Director, Austria (Panellist) Karl Schwaiger studied Civil Engineering at the Technical University Vienna. After 6 years of work as technical expert and project manager in Austria’s largest state owned Steel and Technology Company he joined the ranks of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. He is affiliated to the Directorate General Water Management where he worked in various units and positions covering different fields of water management with a particular focus on international water policy.

Since Austria joined the European Union he has been responsible for the technical implementation of EU water legislation into national legal and administrative practice. He was part of the Austrian team negotiating the EU Water Framework Directive and, successfully, co – chairing the negotiating of the EU Floods Directive under Austrian EU Presidency 2006.

His main responsibilities are to preside the elaborations of Austria’s position in international water policy; particular focus is at EU level, at the level of the International Commissions for the Protection of Rivers Danube and Rhine, and at the level of UN ECE, OECD and FAO. Further, he represents Austria at all relevant international water conferences (e.g. World Water Forum, World Water Summits…) and respective high level meetings.

Jana Tejkalová, Head of Unit, Ministry of the Environment (Speaker/Panellist)

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STATUS

• Chartered Engineer Water Structures 2010 - Member of the Czech Chamber of Chartered Engineers and Technicians

• Member of Working Group Floods

• Member of working group “Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Elbe River basin (WFD) of International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe River

• Member of Committee for Water Planning (Czech Republic)

• MSc Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University of Prague, 2006

• MA Philosophy & Arts, Charles University of Prague, 2000

EXPERIENCE RECORD

• 2013 – present Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, Department of Water Protection- Water and Flood planning, Operational Programme Environment

• 08 -12/2012 MOTT MACDONALD CZ Division “Supervision and EU Funds” (Engineer – Water management and modelling)

• 02-07/2012 MOTT MACDONALD Ltd. Water Division – Reading office - (Design Engineer - Flood urban projects)

• 2006 – 01/2012MOTT MACDONALD CZ (formerly MOTT MACDONALD Prague) –Transportation Division – (Engineer – Water management)

Publications

Jana Tejkalová, Informace o novém období Operačního programu Životní prostředí, Vodní hospodářství 10/2014, p.32

Jana Tejkalová, Povodňová problematika v procesu plánování , Sborník z konference Protipovodňová ochrana 2013, Brno 2014, p.23

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Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary ICPDR (Chair)

Mr. Ivan Zavadsky joined the ICPDR Permanent Secretariat as the Executive Secretary in August 2013.

From 2007 until July 2013, he worked for the GEF Secretariat, where he was responsible for the technical and financial review of complex regional programmes and projects in the GEF International Waters focal area. In this capacity he cooperated extensively with GEF project beneficiary countries, GEF agencies (e.g. WB, EBRD, UNDP, etc.), multi- and bi-lateral donor organisations and regional water conventions and commissions. Lately, as the Coordinator for the GEF IW Focal Area, he has led the development of the GEF IW Strategy for the next, the 6th GEF cycle.

Since 2001, he managed two UNDP/GEF regional projects in the Danube River Basin and Black Sea region assisting 17 countries in the implementation of a regional convention such as the Danube River Protection Convention, addressing the nutrient pollution and ecological rehabilitation of the Black Sea from eutrophication, which in the late 80s led to the development of one of the largest “dead zones” in the world.

Since 1992 he served as Director General at the Ministry of Environment of Slovakia responsible for policy and regulation of water, waste and air sectors. In 1999-2001 he led the negotiations of the accession of the Slovakia to EU for entire sector environment. During his more the 15 years long government service career he represented Czechoslovak and Slovak governments to number of international bodies or organisations, such as International Commission on the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Environmental Policy Committee OECD, Committee on Environmental Policy UN ECE, etc.

Mr. Zavadsky holds degrees in water management (1981) and economics in water management (1986) from Slovak Technical University in Bratislava.

Giorgio Pineschi (Panellist)

Born in Rome (Italy) in 1966. Environmental engineer specialized (PhD) in water resources management with a twenty years long experience in the field of water quality protection and water resource management at national and international level, gaining practical and extensive experience on the field of water and wastewater engineering, flood protection, water research, capacity building and water policy. At the moment he is Manager in Sogesid (a public owned Engineering Company providing technical support to the public administration). From 1999 up today he supports the Italian Ministry of the Environment, working as Water Adviser to the Minister and technical and support to the Water Department. From 2001 to 2008 he was the Italian Contact Person for the WFD’s Common Implementation Strategy, supporting the Italian Water Director and coordinating the national network of experts involved in the technical implementation of water related EU directives. In 2008 he was the Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) for an EU - Twinning Project on Water Quality Management of River Nile and Lake Nasser, leading an international consortium of Egyptian, Italian, French and Austrian water experts. Lecturer in many post-graduate training courses and Member of the Technical Committees in Po and Tevere River Basin Authorities working at the preparation of the River Basin Management Plans required under Directives 2000/60/EC and 2007/60/EC. Active in many high level international water related initiatives, participating at the World Water Forum (Mexico City, Istanbul, Marseille), Italian technical contact point for the UNESCO WWAP, member of the OECD Water Initiative and Italian member of the of the Water JPI’s Governing Board. Senior water expert, in many diplomatic and highly sensitive initiatives, such as the water related risks connected with the refloating and towing of the Costa Concordia wreck.

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Session II

Stefan Berggren, Water Director, Sweden (Panellist)

Deputy Director and head of Division for Natural Environment at the Government Offices of Sweden, Ministry of the Environment. Representing Sweden within the European Union as Marine, Water and Nature director.

Responsible nationally, in European context, and internationally for the areas of fresh and marine waters, maritime spatial planning, marine and terrestrial protected areas, habitat and birds directives, environmental aspects of fisheries, agriculture and forestry, biological diversity in water, marine and terrestrial areas and ecosystem services.

History from the Ministry for Foreign Affair and Ministry of Agriculture, and different management position in various Governments’ expert authorities such as, Medical Products Agency, National Food Administration and the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

Gustaaf Borchardt, President Rhine Commission (Chair)

Gustaaf Borchardt is currently Chairman of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR, Koblenz, Germany). He is also chairing the Timber Procurement Advisory Committee (TIPAC, The Hague, The Netherlands).

Gustaaf Borchardt has wide experience in European Governance, sustainable development and EU complex multinational questions. He worked at the European Commission (1995 – 2013) as a Director in various sectors such as Justice and Home Affairs, Secretariat General Responsible for relations with the European Council and COREPER I Commission representative, and in DG-Environment, responsible for water, marine and chemicals (2008-2013). In this context, it can be mentioned the ‘Water Blue Print’ of 2012 to safeguard Europe’s water resources, REACH, member of the management board of the European Chemical Agency, the 2013 EU Regulation on biocides.

Previous positions include banking, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU Court of Justice.

For the benefit of the Rhine and all of its tributaries the members of the ICPR: Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and the European Commission cooperate successfully with Austria, Lichtenstein, the Belgian region of Wallonia and Italy. Focal points of work of the ICPR are sustainable development of the Rhine, its alluvial areas and the good status of all water in the water shed. The ICPR won the prestigious THIESS International river price 2014. It just published the draft of the second river basis management plan and of the first flood risk management plan.

Jukka Muotka, Manager of Environment in Renewable Energy, Fortum (Panellist)

Mr Muotka works as an Environmental Manager in Fortum Power and Heat Oy. Mr Muotka has deep expertise in hydro power and environment. During his long career he has worked in several research projects in the field of hydro power and Environment including pilot projects on implementing Water Framework Directive and developing Migratory Fish Strategy for big hydro rivers. Currently Mr Muotka is a member of Eurelectric WG Hydro and Chairman of Commission of Hydro Power of Finnish Energy Industry. Mr Muotka chairs also Finnish Migratory Fish Forum. (http://www.ymparisto.fi/vaelluskalafoorumi)

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Nicola Notaro, Deputy Head of Unit C1 Water, DG Environment (Panellist)

Dr Nicola Notaro is a qualified Italian lawyer and holds an LL.M in European law (Bruges) and a PhD in environmental law (London).

He is Deputy Head of the Water Unit in DG Environment at the European Commission (EC) and visiting Professor of European Environmental Law at the College of Europe in Bruges.

He has previously worked as Legal Adviser and then Team Leader for the international climate negotiations in DG Environment. He has lectured and published extensively in the field of environmental law (in EN or FR) at the Universities of Maastricht, London, College of Europe Bruges, Montreal, Aarhus, Lille, Milano, VUB Brussels, etc.

Alberto Parenti, Unit C1 Water, DG Environment (Speaker)

Dr. Alberto Parenti holds a PhD in International Economic Law at Bocconi University, Milan and a LLM in Environmental Law at SOAS, London. Dr. Parenti enjoys a double background (Economics and International Law), with a focus on Environmental issues.

After teaching for 5 years Environmental subjects at Bocconi University, in 2001 Dr. Parenti moved to Ethiopia to work for UNIDO on the implementation of sustainable industrial development projects in the country.

In 2005, Dr. Parenti came to Brussels, to work as a special advisor in the IUCN Countdown 2010 biodiversity initiative.

Since 2006, he is an official of the European Commission. He started in DG Internal Market and he moved to DG Environment in 2008 where he works since. In 2011 Dr. Parenti became the coordinator of the Sustainable Consumption and Production team and in 2013 he oversaw the publication of the Communication on Building the Single Market for Green Products. In 2014 he moved to the Water unit to coordinate the publication of the Communication on the Assessment of the Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures and the Flood Directive, which will be discussed during the Water Conference.

Sonia Phippard, Water Director, UK (Speaker/Panellist)

Sonia Phippard has been Director for Water and Flood Risk Management since April 2010. She held two previous posts in Defra – responsible for EU and International policy in relation to food, farming and rural development, including reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (2006-2010) and Director, Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Products (2001-2006). That role included oversight and co-ordination of the delivery programme for the Government’s Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy, sustainable agriculture policy issues and co-ordination of policy issues in relation to the livestock sectors. Before joining Defra, most of her career was spent in the Cabinet Office, with periods of secondment to the Department of Education and Science and to PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

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Ad de Roo, Action Leader, Joint Research Centre, European Commission (Speaker)

Prof. Dr. Ad de Roo (1963) is since 1997 full-time employed at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Ispra (Italy), currently in the Water Unit and dealing with fresh water resources at European and Global scale, including the Danube Water Nexus project. He studied physical geography and obtained a PhD from the University of Utrecht in 1993 on spatial soil erosion and hydrological modelling. Since 2011, he is also part-time professor of Physical Geography at the Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University.

He works especially in projects where water issues are central, and particularly extreme events like floods and water scarcity. He has specialized in the field of large-scale modelling of water quantity, for which he developed the models and LISEM (small catchment hydrology and soil erosion), LISFLOOD (large catchment hydrology), and LISQUAL (catchment hydrology and water quality). He developed together with Prof. Paul Bates (Bristol University) the LISFLOOD-FP floodplain inundation model. He is the initiator of the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) that issues operational flood forecasts to European authorities. He participates in various working groups on water within the EC, and has been involved in working groups of the Oder, Elbe and Danube Commission (ICPDR). He is also co-editor-in-chief of the scientific journal CATENA, and in the editorial board of the Journal of River Basin Management.

Recent work at JRC focusses on hydro-economic modelling of river basins, evaluating the biophysical effects and economic aspects of current water resources for the various sectors (agriculture, industry, energy production, public sector, environment) and the effects of socio-economic and climate change as well the effects upon those resources of specific programs of measures that are envisaged.

Manuel Sapiano, Water Director, Malta (Pannelist)

Manuel Sapiano works as Chief Technical Officer (Water) in the Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit (SEWCU) within Malta’s Ministry for Energy and Health. He leads the Water Policy Unit with responsibilities for the development of National Policies and Management Plans for the Water Sector, the identification of national priorities and the identification of the funding instruments required for their implementation, and the undertaking of National Water Conservation and Stakeholder Engagement Initiatives. Furthermore, he also coordinates the implementation process of EU related water legislation in the Maltese islands (including the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Water Directive and the Floods Directive), and in this role is currently coordinating the development of Malta’s 2nd River Basin Management Plan.

He has been involved in the national implementation process of the Water Framework Directive since 2002, and has participated in the formulation of the groundwater related aspects of the Article 3 (Definition of the River Basin District), Article 5 (Characterisation), Article 8 (Monitoring) National Implementation Reports as well as Malta’s 1st River Basin Management Plan.

Within the Common Implementation Strategy of the Water Framework Directive, he fulfils the role of Water Director for Malta. He also represents Malta as one of the co-chairs of the Programme of Measures Working Group and since 2004 has been the national representative on the CIS Groundwater Working Group.

He also coordinates SEWCU’s identification of and participation in research and development initiatives in the water sector, mainly focusing on issues such as the water demand management, coastal aquifer management, optimisation of groundwater monitoring methodologies and innovative water re-use solutions.

Mr Sapiano is a hydrogeologist, with specific specialisation in island hydrogeology.

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Hans van der Werf, Secretary General, Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) (Panellist)

Secretary-general of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine, since 2012

Strasbourg, France.

Naval architecture, Dordrecht, Netherlands

Law studies, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Hans van der Werf started his career with the Netherlands’ shipbuilding representative organisation, where he was in particular in charge of the coordination of research and development. After several years as head of the technical department, he joined the inland shipping industry in 1986. After a term as director of the Central Bureau of Rhine- and Inland Shipping in the Netherlands, he joined the Central Commission as deputy secretary-general (1994), in particular in charge with economic and environmental policy matters. Amongst others, he was intensively involved in the issues of capacity policy, market access, market observation, waste treatment of inland vessels, integration of water born transport in logistic chains, co-modality, pricing and the issue of the internalization of external cost.

The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine is an international organisation that exercises an essential regulatory role in the navigation of the Rhine. It is active in the technical, legal, economic and environmental fields. In all its areas of action, its work is guided by the efficiency of transport on the Rhine, safety, social considerations, and respect for the environment. Many of the Central Commission’s activities now reach beyond the Rhine and are directly concerned with European navigable waterways more generally. The Central Commission works closely with the European Commission as well as with the other river commissions and international organisations.

Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary ICPDR (Panellist)

Mr. Ivan Zavadsky joined the ICPDR Permanent Secretariat as the Executive Secretary in August 2013.

From 2007 until July 2013, he worked for the GEF Secretariat, where he was responsible for the technical and financial review of complex regional programmes and projects in the GEF International Waters focal area. In this capacity he cooperated extensively with GEF project beneficiary countries, GEF agencies (e.g. WB, EBRD, UNDP, etc.), multi- and bi-lateral donor organisations and regional water conventions and commissions. Lately, as the Coordinator for the GEF IW Focal Area, he has led the development of the GEF IW Strategy for the next, the 6th GEF cycle.

Since 2001, he managed two UNDP/GEF regional projects in the Danube River Basin and Black Sea region assisting 17 countries in the implementation of a regional convention such as the Danube River Protection Convention, addressing the nutrient pollution and ecological rehabilitation of the Black Sea from eutrophication, which in the late 80s led to the development of one of the largest “dead zones” in the world.

Since 1992 he served as Director General at the Ministry of Environment of Slovakia responsible for policy and regulation of water, waste and air sectors. In 1999-2001 he led the negotiations of the accession of the Slovakia to EU for entire sector environment. During his more the 15 years long government service career he represented Czechoslovak and Slovak governments to number of international bodies or organisations, such as International Commission on the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Environmental Policy Committee OECD, Committee on Environmental Policy UN ECE, etc.

Mr. Zavadsky holds degrees in water management (1981) and economics in water management (1986) from Slovak Technical University in Bratislava.

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Session III

Gheorghe Constantin, Water Director, Romania (Panellist)

Gheorghe Constantin is the director for water resources management within the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests of Romania and also the Water and Marine Director. In this position he is in charge with the implementation of the EU water directives in Romania. Including waste water and drinking water directives. Moreover he is in charge with the international cooperation in the water management field and from 2007 is the chair of the East Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia component of the European Union Water Initiative.

Pieter de Pous, Policy Director, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) (Panellist)

Pieter de Pous holds a master degree in forestry sciences from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands. Since 2005 he has worked in the policy unit of the European Environmental Bureau, coordinating the organizations advocacy work in the areas of biodiversity, water, soil, bio-energy and agriculture policies. Since September 2010 he is the EEB’s policy director. Managing a team of 10 policy officers, he leads the EEB’s policy work with a focus on horizontal issues like natural resources and environmental governance. He is also chairman of the board of ECOS, a specialized NGO representing environmental interests in standardization. Between March 1 and May 1 2011 he was acting Secretary General of the EEB.

Thomas Dworak, Director, Fresh-Thoughts Consulting GmbH (Speaker)

Thomas Dworak is the head of Fresh-Thoughts Consulting GmbH, a SME based in Vienna working on environmental issues. Fresh-Thoughts Consulting aims to link scientific research to policy in the area of sustainable development.

His current work concentrates on environmental protection with a main focus on the water, agriculture and climate change. On this issue he worked in several countries, including Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, UK, The Netherlands, the Baltic, the Danube and Mekong region. He also has a long standing record as a consultant to the European Commission (DG Environment, DG Research and DG Climate).

Mr Dworak has worked on several issues related to the implementation of the WFD. Issues covered are: monitoring, water pricing, heavily modified water bodies, exemptions, impact assessments, agriculture, climate change. In this context he has lead several projects and contributed to dozens of conferences. The scope of his projects is often at the EU level but also includes national level work in several Member States. He also has supported the international commission of the Danube.

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Christian Pèes, President of COGECA (Panellist)

• Born 31st January 1957

• Farmer in Athos-Aspis, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France; www.christianpees.com

• President of the Euralis Group; www.euralis.fr

• President of Cogeca (European Agri-cooperatives); www.copa-cogeca.eu

Since 2000, Christian Pèes has been President of Euralis, a cooperative based in Lescar, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. With 15,000 farmers and 5,000 employees, Euralis is a market-leader in the agricultural and agri-food sectors. It is a trusted partner for agriculture and food professionals.

Originally focused on maize, the group diversified its agricultural production and services before going on to invest in the agri-food sector.

Having started out in the South-West of France, Euralis has been expanding both within France and internationally and turned over 1.544 Billion Euros in 2013.

With Euralis, Christian Pèes, a geographer by training but a maize farmer and pig producer for more than 20 years, wants to popularise the cooperative model, its economic efficiency, proximity to its members and defence of the values of solidarity, responsibility and commitment.

A passionate farmer and a man of conviction, Christian Pèes is convinced of the importance of the land and French farming for the future. Currently President of Cogeca (Confederation of European agri-cooperatives), he defends the interests of its members and French agriculture in Brussels and, aware that we live in a changing world, argues for better global regulation of agricultural markets at the Think Tank MOMAGRI, because agricultural price volatility is the root cause of many socio-economic and political problems. In his book L'arme alimentaire (Armed with Food), published in 2006 by Cherche Midi, Christian Pèes demonstrates that agriculture can be a driving force for our economy at a time when two fundamental questions remain unanswered: how to feed a planet likely to have 9 billion inhabitants by 2050 and how to satisfy our energy requirements?

Jorge Rodríguez Romero, Team Leader Water Unit C1, DG Environment (Panellist)

Jorge graduated in Organic Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in 1994. The whole of his professional career has been linked to water protection. He is permanent official of the Spanish Ministry of the Environment (in special leave) and of the European Commission. He has also worked a number of years as independent consultant and for an international engineering firm based in Canada. Since 2004 he works for the European Commission Directorate General for the Environment and since 2008 he leads a team responsible for the Water Framework and Floods Directives. He is currently Head of EU Delegation before the International Convention for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR).

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Laurent Roy, Water Director, France (Panellist)

Laurent Roy has been appointed as Director in the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development & Energy since 2012. The Directorate he is leading - “la Direction de l’eau et de la biodiversité” - is responsible for public policies in the areas of water, nature, marine & mineral resource management in the French Republic. He had previously been Regional Director in charge of environment & housing in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region since 2009 (south east of France).

He graduated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris with an advanced specialisation in mathematics and also at the Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural des Eaux et des Forêts in Paris as an engineer. Aged 49, he is now an general engineer in his national civil servant body (“corps des ingénieurs des ponts, des eaux et des forêts”).

His previous positions were:

• Regional Director of Industry & Research and regional Director of Environment in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region (2007-2009),

• Regional Director of Industry & Research and regional Director of Environment in the Picardy region (2005-2007),

• Regional Director of Environment in the Picardy region (2001-2005),

• Advisor to the French Minister of environment and spatial planning (1997-2001)

• Deputy Regional Director of Environment in the Champagne-Ardenne region, head of the water and nature service (1995-1997),

• Deputy Director of Agriculture and Forest in the Pas-de-Calais sub-region (“département”), head of the rural spatial planning and environment unit (1992-1995),

• Development assistant at the European Commission Delegation in Indonesia (1990-1992).

Elena Tuchiu, Director of Management Plans Department, Romanian Waters (Speaker)

Elena TUCHIU is the Director of the Management Plans Department in the National Administration “Romanian Waters” (NARW). She is a chemist and started her career as researcher in the waste water treatment department of the National Institute for Environmental Protection. Since 2001, she has worked for the national water management authority (NARW). Between 2005-2009, she participated in the Taiex Regional Training Programme, organized by the European Commission – DG Enlargement and DG Environment, having the general objective „training the trainers“ through providing theoretical and practical training to key stakeholders on the implementation and enforcement of EU legislation in the environmental protection field.

From her position at the national level, she coordinates the implementation of water related EU legislation, especially the WFD, the Nitrates Directive, UWWTD, the EQS Directive and Hazardous Substances Directive working from the begging in the process of EU legislation transposition and implementation in Romania. Also, she is involved in the process of elaboration of the National Management Plan and coordination of River Basin Management Plans elaboration (at the River Basin Authorities level). Mrs. Tuchiu coordinates the reporting process to the EC, EEA for the WFD and other water quality Directives and to the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR).

At the Danube District level, she is member of specific expert/task groups: River Basin Management, Pressures and Measures and Nutrients of the ICPDR, contributing to the reports/documents elaboration, modeling application (MONERIS) and representing Romania in these groups.

Also, at European level, Mrs. Tuchiu has contributed WFD CIS process, being involved in the Working Groups activities, testing process of the EU guidelines in the pilot river basins and since 2010 she has participated at the Strategic Coordination Group and Water Framework Directive Committee meetings and activities.

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Diederik van der Molen, Directorate-General Environment & Water, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Netherlands (Speaker)

In my younger days I was often on the lakes in the north of the Netherlands. If I held my arm to my wrist in the water, my fingers were no longer visible. It was a green soup. That inspired me to study Environmental Science and Water Management at Wageningen University. After my degree I did more research at the university and later at the National Water Board.

A doctorate on the credibility and acceptability of mathematical models marked the transition from science to the application in water management and advice. After gaining experience and knowledge from practice, the next step was to decision making.

At present, I work for the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. The main topic is water quality management. Therefore, I am involved with the Water Framework Directive and other European water regulations, representing the Netherlands in the Strategic Co-ordination Group and the Article 21 Committee. Also, I am member of the supervisory board of the World Fish Migration Foundation. Meanwhile, the green soup disappeared in most of the lakes and I am still enjoying surface waters as an angler.

André Weidenhaupt, Advisor to Minister of Environment, LU (Chair)

André Weidenhaupt was born in Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg) in 1966 and also went to school there. After having completed his studies in Chemistry at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), he went on to plunging into his lifelong matter of expertise: Water & Sanitation. He acquired a diploma in sanitary engineering and water pollution control as well as a PhD from the ETH and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.

André lectured Environmental Technology at the Luxembourg University of applied sciences for five years while getting his hands dirty in such fields as industrial pollution prevention and wastewater treatment as the Director of the Environmental Technology Research Centre (CRTE) of the CRP Henri Tudor in Luxembourg.

During the 2005 Luxembourg’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, André Weidenhaupt was appointed REACH coordinator at Luxembourg’s permanent representation at the EU in Brussels and chaired the Ad Hoc Working Party on chemicals at the Council where he contributed to have REACH moving forward.

From 2005 to 2014, André Weidenhaupt has been director of Luxembourg’s Water Management Agency. In 2010 and 2011, he chaired the International Commissions for the Protection of the Moselle and the Sarre and from 2011 to 2013 he has been chairman of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine.

Since March 2014, André Weidenhaupt is director-general of the Department for Environment of Luxembourg’s Ministry for Sustainable development and Infrastructure.

Roberto Zocchi, Senior Manager of ACEA SpA, Eureau (Panellist)

Roberto Zocchi has over 25 years executive experience in Research, Innovation, management and business development in the water business. He established WRc S.p.A., the Italian Company of the British WRc plc - Water Research Centre, and negotiated the strategic alliance with ACEA SpA of Rome, the major water/wastewater Company in Italy, and the WRc group, becoming, from 2006 to 2009, Central Director of the Business Area “Lab & Engineering Services” of the ACEA Group.

He gained direct experience in planning the management of the water resources and especially in the economic regulation. In this sector, he was directly involved in the implementation of the law for the reorganisation of the Italian Water Industry.

Roberto is presently Senior Manager of ACEA SpA, responsible for 3 Innovation and operative Companies in ACEA Group; Board Director of WRc plc (UK); Chairman of CSM, Centro Sviluppo Materiali, a reference R&D centre for innovation in materials and related production and Chairman of the Commission on Economics of Water (EU3) of EUREAU, the European Federation of National Associations of Water Services.

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Session IV

Joaquim Capitão, Team Leader Water Unit C1, DG Environment (Panellist)

Joaquim Capitão has a degree in Civil Engineering – Hydraulics from the Technical University of Lisbon (PT) and an MSc in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering from the University of Florida (USA).

After about 15 years working as a researcher, in the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering in Portugal and in the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Italy, he moved within the European Commission to join DG Environment in 1998.

In DG Environment, he worked on safety of nuclear installations, nature protection and, for more than 9 years in the management of the LIFE Programme, which provides financial support to environmental projects. Since December 2013 he is a member of the Water Unit in DG Environment, where he leads the Planning and Measures Team.

Philippe D'Hondt, Director General Flemish Environment Agency, Water Director, Flanders (Panellist)

University Ghent: Master of Sciences Chemistry (1977)

University Ghent: Master of Sciences Environmental Sanitation (1978)

WORK 1978 - 1980: Research assistant University Ghent (air emissions)

1980 - 1990: Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models: Head of Unit (implementation Belgian marine policy concerning dumping and burning toxic waste at sea)

1990 - 1991: European Commission, DG Environment: seconded national expert for the preparation of marine directives and for the implementation of the international marine conventions

1991 - 1993: Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models

1993 - present: Flanders Environment Agency

• 1996 - 2008: Head of Department Monitoring and Research

• 2008: Head of Department Air, Environment and Communication (air monitoring, international environmental policy, environmental reporting and communication)

• Since 2014: Director-General Flanders Environment Agency

MANDATES • Member of the Management Board of the European Environment Agency from 1999

– 2005 and 2008 - 2014

• Chairman of the Coordination Commission Integrated Water Policy (Flanders)

• Water Director Flemish Region (Water Framework Directive)

• Head of the Flemish delegation in the Scheldt and Meuse Commissions

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Michele Falcone, Chair CEEP Water Task Force (Panellist)

Personal details • Place and date of birth Cosenza, 13 March 1972

Education • Degree in constitutional law (summa cum laude) from La Sapienza University, Rome,

9 March 1995 • Two-year master's degree from the School of Administrative Studies, Bologna, with

thesis on human resources management supervised by Prof. Golzio of Bocconi University, Milan

• Two-year Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Bologna, with thesis on corporate finance: "Calculating WACC in the integrated water services sector"

• Qualified lawyer, specialising in administrative law • ISO 9001 (VISION 2000) Quality System Assessor following 40 hours of study and

examinations at the AICQ, Milan branch • Secretary General certificate (qualification to work in municipalities with up to 65,000

inhabitants)

Career • Chair of Water Task Force of CEEP www.ceep.eu • General Manager of GRUPPO CAP www.gruppocap.it from 2010

CAP Holding is a company in full public ownership by 196 local authorities. It operates through its group companies in the provinces of Milan, Monza and Brianza, and Pavia, covering a population of around two million and half inhabitants.

The company increased its revenue by just over 35% year-on-year in 2011, following the addition of more than 67 local authorities that had previously infringed compliance regulations. In light of these results, CAP Holding was identified by the Provincial Council of 5 April 2012 and the Conference of Mayors of the Province of Milan of 3 May 2012 as the company to be directly awarded the management of the water service in the future.

In 2013, the companies TAM, IANOMI and TASM were merged into the group. CAP Holding became the first company to be directly awarded the management of water services (828 employers) and the company with the highest capitalisation (+€567 million), as well as the sixth-largest Italian company operating in the water services sector by revenue.

The company has made significant improvements to its internal processes, obtaining UNI EN ISO 9001, UNI EN ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, SA 8000 and ISO 22000 certification, thereby increasing its capacity to carry out works.

In 2015 the company achieves the “three stars award” from Government for its organization lead in legality and transparency.

Sander Happaerts, European Commission, DG Regional and Urban Policy, Competence Centre Smart and Sustainable Growth (Speaker/Panellist)

Dr Sander Happaerts is a policy analyst at the Competence Centre Smart and Sustainable Growth (Directorate-General Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission). He focuses on promoting environmental and climate policy issues in a regional development context.

Before joining the Commission, Sander worked as a research manager on environmental policy and sustainable development at the Research Institute for Work and Society (KU Leuven, Belgium). He was also part-time professor on EU and global environmental politics. Sander obtained a PhD in Social Sciences in 2011, with his research on regional policies for sustainable development. His dissertation was awarded in the 2012 Thesis Competition of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union.

In 2010, Sander held a visiting fellowship at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM, Canada), where he joined the Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Research Chair. In 2006, he worked as an intern for the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the United Nations in New York.

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Heide Jekel, Head of Unit of Cooperation in International River Basins, Freshwater Management Conventions, International Freshwater Protection Law (Panellist)

Heide Jekel is head of the division „Cooperation in International River Basins, Freshwater Management Conventions, International Freshwater Protection Law” in the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety since 2005. She represents Germany in six international river basin commissions, e.g. the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR), as well as in several bilateral water commissions. The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and other EU water related Directives on international level is one of the focuses of her work. The UNECE Water Convention, it’s Protocol on Water and Health and the UN Watercourses Convention are also her responsibility.

After having graduated in law Heide Jekel started her professional career in the district government in Coblence and the environment ministry of the German federal state Rhineland-Palatinate. Since 1994 she has worked in the Federal Environment Ministry, first dealing with legal issues concerning the final disposal of radioactive waste, then as environment attaché in the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union in Brussels, being involved inter alia in the WFD negotiations. Afterwards she has worked several years in the water law division, e.g. transposing the WFD into national law.

She has published some papers on national water law as well as on the implementation of the WFD, inter alia concerning public participation and synergies with nature conservation, in various German environment journals.

Mike Mackenzie, European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, Unit 'Consistency of rural development policy' (Speaker/Panellist)

Since 2010, Mike Mackenzie has worked in DG AGRI (European Commission) in the unit dealing with the fundamental principles and structure of the EU's rural development policy – the so-called "second pillar" of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In this position, among other things he has worked on the role of rural development policy in supporting care for the environment, stimulating technological development and encouraging various forms of "collective activity".

From 2005 to 2010 he worked as speech-writer to Mariann Fischer Boel, the EU Agriculture Commissioner of the time.

Before joining the staff of the Commission, he was a journalist for the international trade publication Agra Europe – reporting from the UK on agricultural commodities and then, from 2003 until 2005, from Brussels on agricultural policy in the EU.

Andreas Manolis, Acting Water Director, Cyprus (Panellist)

Andreas Manolis received a M.Sc. degree in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and a Master in Public Sector Management from the Cyprus International Institute of Management. He worked for the Public Power Corporation S.A. of Greece as a Mechanical / Electrical Engineer from 1979 to 1989, in the hydro power sector. Since 1989 is employed by the Water Development Department (WDD) in Cyprus. During his employment with WDD he had an active role in the implementation of numerous large water development projects such as pumping stations, potable water treatment, wastewater treatment and desalination plants. Andreas Manolis has over 30 years' experience in the water sector and is currently the Acting Director of the Water Development Department. He is a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece and the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus.

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Martina Mlinaric, Senior Policy Officer, Biodiversity & Water, WWF (Panellist)

Martina Mlinaric is a Senior Policy Officer at WWF European Policy Office (EPO) in Brussels working on water and biodiversity. WWF EPO leads the WWF network to shape EU policies impacting on the European and global environment to achieve WWF’s global mission to stop the degradation of the planet and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Prior to joining WWF, Martina had worked for 6 years for the Slovenian government, initially at the Environment Ministry focusing on international biodiversity issues, and then for 4 years as environment attaché at the Slovenian Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, where she was responsible for negotiations on vast array of environmental issues, including water, biodiversity, soil protection, chemicals, industrial pollution and GMOs. Martina also briefly worked for another Brussels based NGO, the European Environmental Bureau. She holds an LL.M. in Environmental Law from the University of Nottingham and started her career as an intern in the Legal Unit of Greenpeace International.

Sven Schulz, Head of the Department for Management and Maintenance, Landesbetrieb für Hochwasserschutz und Wasserwirtschaft of the Federal State of Saxony Anhalt (Speaker)

Currently, Sven Schulz is head of the department Operation and Water Management at the Saxony-Anhalt State Agency of Flood Protection and Water Management (LHW).

Between 1991 and 1996 he studied Water Management with a specialisation in waste water management at the Dresden University of Technology. He completed his studies with a degree as engineer and qualified as an “Assessor” for water management in the “higher” civil service during 1996 and 1998.

Sven Schulz was employed for several positions by the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment and was involved in projects for the management of the remediation of contaminated sites, strategies for soil protection and was also responsible for the implementation process of the WFD in Saxony-Anhalt.

During 2004 and 2013 he was general manager in the liaison office for the River Basin Community Elbe (FGG-Elbe) and was responsible for the implementation process of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the German part of the Elbe river basin in which ten federal states have shares. After 2007 he was also responsible for implementing the Flood Directive.

Philip Weller, Danube Water Program Coordinator, IAWD (Chair)

Philip Weller is an environmental planner by training and has since July 2013 has served as the Danube Water Program Coordinator for the International Association of Danube Water Companies (IAWD) administering and managing a joint project together with the World Bank aimed at improving and supporting the efficiency of Danube region water supply and waste water companies.

Mr Weller previously served for 10 years as the Executive Secretary of the (ICPDR) International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River. The ICPDR is the forum for the 14 major Danube countries and the European Commission to implement the commitments they have made under the Danube River Protection Convention.

Mr Weller has worked for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as Danube Carpathian Program Director and has also managed successful consulting businesses in both Canada and Austria and has done numerous assignments for governments and international organizations.

Mr Weller is author of three books on environmental topics including ‘Freshwater Seas’ an environmental history of the Great Lakes of North America.

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Sven Verbeke, Flemish Environment Agency, Belgium (Speaker)

Sven Verbeke (°1974) is a senior engineer in water and environmental related topics, and started his career at an engineering consulting firm. In the working area of integrated water resources management he developed hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and advised agencies in a multidisciplinary approach for the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of the environment. In 2003 he started as a hydrologist in the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) where he was responsible for hydrologic advice, project management, and the developing and management of flood forecasting systems. In compliance with a growing interest in policy matters, he joined the Coordination Committee on Integrated Water Policy (CIW) in 2012. The CIW is a cooperation platform that plays a key role in the coordination of the integrated water policy in Flanders. The CIW is composed of the different administrations competent for or involved in the water management. The CIW has a threefold mission: 1/ to prepare, plan and control integrated water policy, 2/ to guarantee a uniform approach of integrated water policy in the sub-basins, 3/ to execute the decisions of Flemish government related to integrated water policy. As co-chairman of the CIW working group Water Quantity Sven Verbeke is responsible for the technical and intrinsic preparation of the Flood Directive in Flanders. He takes care of the compliance of the obligations by decree and makes sure that the appropriate and sustainable measures are taken to diminish the flood risk in Flanders through the so-called multilayer water safety.

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Albert Vermuë, Secretary General of EUWMA (Speaker) Managing Director @ Dutch Water Authorities June 2010 – present

Secretary General @ EUWMA September 2014 - present

Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) /Unie van Waterschappen:

In general DWA aims to promote the interests of Dutch Regional Water Authorities (‘waterschappen’) at a national and international level. All 23 Regional Water Authorities are member of our association. The main purpose of DWA is the safeguarding of interests with regard to third parties, more particularly the national government and parliament. This role becomes apparent, for example, in consultations with the ministries and Members of Parliament, in comments on policy documents and memorandums, in the participation of advisory and consultative bodies, and so forth. Increased European legislation entails an increased international focus.In addition to external promotion of interests, DWA also supports Regional Water Authorities for instance in legal affairs. Our association is member of the following European organisations: EUREAU, EUWMA, CEEP, WssTP and EWA.

EUWMA:

EUWMA (European Union Water Management Association) contributes to more efficient collaboration in water management at the regional and local level in the European Union.

The objective of the EUWMA is

• To increase cooperation in the field of water management between the European Water Management Associations so as to provide relevant information, views, position papers and policy documents to National Governments, the European Commission, the European Parliament and other relevant institutions.

• To exchange knowledge, experiences and views between the members.

EUWMA members are (Umbrella)organizations in nine EU member states representing organizations based on public law responsible for regional and local water management (flood protection, land drainage, water level management, irrigation). At present, organizations from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom are members of EUWMA.

Director for Fisheries @ Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, June 2005 – May 2010

Deputy Director International Affairs @ Ministry of Agriculture, August 1999 – June 2005

Head of Section @ Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, August 1997 – August 1999

Staff Member @ Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, May 1992 – July 1997

Journalist @ OOGST, 1990 – 1992

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Session V

Antoine Badinier, Deputy Director, Engineering and Hydropower Division, EDF (Panellist)

Antoine Badinier, aged 56, is Vice-President of EDF Hydro Generation and Engineering Division since Junee 2014. He was previously Synergies Coordination VP at the Corporate Finances of EDF Group in charge of coordinating the synergies and operational excellence aspects of the Transformation Plan 2011 – 2015 based on lean 6 sigma methods.

Until mid 2010, he was Strategy & Business Lines VP at the International Division of EDF covering a wide range of aspects such as strategy, synergies, internal control and audit, governance policy of the affiliated companies out of France (except UK) and contributed to several development or acquisition projects.

Antoine joined EDF Group in early 2002 as Deputy to the Executive VP of Corporate Strategy Division after having managed a local gas and electricity distribution unit in France (500 staffs) conducting several changes: unbundling of major functions, renewing the network concession contracts, separating gas and electricity operations, preparing common support entities for several distribution units..).

He has 33 years of experience in the energy sector in different countries, mainly in gas (4 years on a production field in Algeria, 4 years in Gaz de France R&D, 5 years in Gaz Metropolitain - Canada,) electricity (local distribution) and international joint projects development. He spent the early part of his carreer in Venezuela (oil industry) after graduated as an engineer in Ecole Centrale de Paris.

Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director EEA (Speaker/Panellist)

Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, since 1 June, 2013.

In 1996 Dr Bruyninckx completed a PhD in international environmental politics at Colorado State University.

From 2010 until his appointment at the EEA, he was head of the HIVA Research Institute in Leuven, Belgium, a policy-oriented research institute associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he was also head of the Political Science department from 2007 to 2010.

Over the last 20 years, he has conducted research in more than a dozen countries, in areas including environmental politics, climate change, and sustainable development. He has taught on global environmental politics and global environmental governance in relation to the European Union (EU), publishing extensively on EU environmental policies and its role as an actor in global environmental governance.

Throughout his career Dr Bruyninckx has worked with governmental agencies, civil society and businesses, often in an advisory role.

Simon Buckle, Head of Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, OECD (Panellist/Speaker)

Simon joined the OECD in November 2014 as Head of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Water Division in its Environment Directorate following more than seven years as Climate Policy Director at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London as well as (part-time) Pro Rector for International Affairs and a member of the College’s Management Board between 2011-13. While at Imperial, Simon played a key role in the creation of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology’s Climate KIC and was a member of its Governing Board from 2011-14. Before joining Imperial, Simon was a senior British diplomat and served in a variety of roles both in London and overseas, having joined the FCO in 1986. He also worked at the Bank of England on financial stability issues between 1998-2002, at the UK MoD (1988-1991) and, before that, as a postdoctoral researcher in quantum optics at Imperial (1985-86).

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Bernard Guirkinger, Suez Environnement (Panellist)

Bernard Guirkinger was born in 1952 and holds an engineering degree from the Ecole Centrale de Paris. He has dedicated most of his career to the water industry, of which he has extensive knowledge.

After serving in various positions at several Lyonnaise des Eaux operations in France, Mr. Guirkinger was appointed Regional Director of the Southern Paris center in the early 1990's.

In 1995, he pursued his career abroad, heading up the operating subsidiaries in Germany, Central Europe and Northern Europe.

Leveraging this international experience, Mr. Guirkinger was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lyonnaise des Eaux in 1996, then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2002 to 2009.

From September 2009 to June 2013, Mr. Guirkinger was Senior Executive Vice-President of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT in charge of coordinating Water activities, R&D and Sustainable Development. He was also responsible for Institutional Relations.

He acts now as Senior Advisor to the CEO of Suez Environnement.

Since November 2010, Mr. Guirkinger has been a member of the Economic, Social and Environment Council of France (Conseil Economique, Social et Environnemental), Vice-President of the European and International Affairs Section.

He is also Vice-chairman of the Institut Pasteur since 2008.

Bernard Guirkinger chaired the Association of the French federation of water operation from 2003 to 2008.

Steven Tebbe, Managing Director, CDP Europe (Panellist/Speaker)

An expert on environmental, mobility and security issues, Mr. Tebbe has over the years held various senior management positions at Daimler, Airbus Group and most recently served as the Vice President for Environmental Affairs at the Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary NetJets.

In 2010 Steven Tebbe joined Antural Partners, a boutique consulting and interim management firm specialized in delivering risk management solutions for clients facing complex sustainability challenges.

Since 2011 he is the Managing Director of CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) in Europe. He leads all activities of the NGO that holds the largest collection globally of primary climate change, water and forest-risk information and puts these insights at the heart of strategic business, investment and policy decisions.

In his various roles, Mr. Tebbe has contributed to shaping the world’s largest investor initiative on natural capitals, the European Unions’ ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme), REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and Air Traffic Management.

Mr. Tebbe holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as a Masters degree from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management in Belgium.

He is a Trustee of the Geneva based Live Forum TV Foundation, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) with the Institute of British Geographers and a long-time member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

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Jeremy Wates, Secretary General, EEB (Chair)

Jeremy Wates is the Secretary General of the European Environmental Bureau, Europe’s largest federation of environmental organizations comprising over 140 member organizations from more than 30 European countries with a combined membership of around fifteen million environmentally concerned citizens.

Prior to taking up his present post in May 2011, Jeremy served for more than a decade as Secretary to the Aarhus Convention with the Geneva-based United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The Aarhus Convention is the world’s most far-reaching international treaty on access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters.

During the 1990s, Jeremy led the campaign by the European ECO Forum, an NGO coalition, to persuade governments to start work on a treaty on environmental democracy and then coordinated the input from civil society organizations into the official negotiations over the text of what was to become the Aarhus Convention.

In the 1980s, Jeremy founded the Irish environmental organization Earthwatch, the Irish member of Friends of the Earth International, and led the organization for more than a decade.

Jeremy holds an MA Honours Degree in Philosophy and Social & Political Sciences from Cambridge University, UK. His permanent home is in West Cork in the south-west of Ireland where in the ‘80s and ‘90s he combined his environmental activism with small-scale organic farming and where he and his wife brought up their four children in their early years.

In 2011, Jeremy was awarded the David Brower Lifetime Achievement Award.

Marianne Wenning, Director Quality of Life, Water and Air, DG Environment (Panellist)

Marianne Wenning is currently Director for 'Quality of Life, Water & Air' in DG Environment of the European Commission. In this capacity she is overseeing the implementation and enforcement of an extensive body of environmental legislation with regard to air quality, industrial emissions, water & marine issues and industrial accidents and works towards the further integration of environmental and sustainability aspects into other Community policies.

Ms. Wenning has been working for the European Commission since 1992. She was a Head of Unit in Europe Aid (Asia) and in DG Environment (industrial emissions & air quality) before she become Director for 'Legal Affairs & Cohesion' in DG Environment from 2011 to 2013. Her experience in developing and implementing environmental policies, cutting across also areas such as transport, agriculture, regional, industrial, research and development policies includes the economic aspects of environmental policy, programme-management in Asia as well as negotiations at European and international/UNECE level in particular with regard to the Kyoto, the Montreal and the Gothenburg Protocols.

4th European Water Conferenceec.europa.eu/environment/water/2015conference/pdf/report.pdf ·...

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Transcript of 4th European Water Conferenceec.europa.eu/environment/water/2015conference/pdf/report.pdf ·...