A European Flood Action programme
 Internet
consultation on a proposal for a Floods Directive -Reducing
the risks of floods in Europe
See also :
A proposed Directive on flood risk
management
“Reducing the risks of floods in Europe ”
See also :
A proposed Directive
on flood risk management
Results of the consultation
This consultation was closed on 14 September 2005 .
We are very grateful for the replies received which will feed
into the decision to be taken by the Commission concerning
the proposal for a Floods Directive.
An evaluation
of this consultation (pdf~ 105 kb) revealed a general
support for the approach taken by the Commission. The
comments received via the questionnaire (pdf~ 85 kb) and
received by separate
email (pdf~ 4.7 Mb) are included in two separate annexes.
Consultation
1. Background and objectives of this internet consultation
The Commission Services are currently developing
an EU Flood Action Programme (also known as the initiative
on flood prevention, protection and mitigation), which is
a 'package' of three distinct but closely interlinked components:
- Research and information : improvement of the
exchange of information and knowledge, sharing experiences
and increasing awareness;
- EU funding tools : targeted approach to the best
use of funding tools; and
- Proposal for a legal instrument : proposal for
a Floods Directive.
The intention is that the EU Flood Action Programme would
build on the Commission Communication of 2004 and the stakeholder
consultations held so far. In the Communication " Flood
risk management: prevention, protection, mitigation"
of 12 July 2004, the Commission set out its initial analysis
and approach to flood events and the threat they pose to human
life, health, infrastructure, public and private property
and, last but not least, to the environment. It reviewed experiences
in particular from flood events in past years and proposed
concerted action at European as well as river basin (catchment)
level. The following stakeholders were invited to participate
in the stakeholder consultation process: the EU Member States
(1), Candidate Countries (2),
EFTA Countries (3), international river
commissions (4) and EU umbrella organisations
(5).
The Communication was welcomed by the Environment Council
and the Commission was requested to come forward with appropriate
proposals. The Committee of the Regions and the European Social
and Economic Committee also welcomed the communication. The
relative documents and information on these consultations
are available here.
Building on the results of experience gained in developing
the Communication and consultation with stakeholders, the
objective of this consultation is to elicit relevant opinions
from stakeholders on the principles and elements being considered
for inclusion into a new EU Floods Directive.
2. Why an EU Flood action programme? In recent years
Europe suffered over 100 major damaging floods, including
the catastrophic floods along the Danu be and Elbe rivers
in 2002. Since 1998, floods have caused some 700 fatalities,
the displacement of about half a million people and at least
25 billion EUR in insured economic losses (European Environment
Agency
"Mapping the impacts of recent natural disasters and
technological accidents in Europe".
The value of assets at risk of flooding can be enormous.
For example, more than 10 million people live in the areas
at risk of extreme floods along the Rhine , and the potential
damage from floods amounts to € 165 billion. Coastal
areas are also at risk of flooding. The total value of economic
assets located within 500 metres of the European coastline,
including beaches, agricultural land and industrial facilities,
is currently estimated at € 500 to 1,000 billion (EUrosion).
In addition to economic and social damage, floods may have
severe environmental consequences, for example when drinking
water caption facilities or waste water treatment plants are
inundated or when factories holding large quantities of toxic
chemicals are affected. Floods may also destroy wetland areas
and reduce biodiversity.
There is a growing awareness of the significance of river
flooding on human health, both physical and psychological.
Substantial health implications can occur for example when
floodwaters carry pollutants, or are mixed with contaminated
water from drains and agricultural land. There will be mental
health consequences as well: in addition to the considerable
stress of extensive damage, the threat of repeated floods,
sometimes coupled with possible withdrawal of insurance cover
can make properties impossible to sell.
Floods are natural phenomena which cannot be prevented.
However, human activity is contributing to an increase in
the likelihood and adverse impacts of extreme flood events,
like clearing of forests in the upper catchment area, straightening
of rivers and suppression of natural flood plains, inadequate
drainage practices.
Two trends point to an increase of flood risk in Europe
. Firstly, the magnitude and frequency of floods are likely
to increase in the future as a result of climate change
(6) (higher intensity of rainfall as well as rising sea
levels). Secondly, there has been a marked increase in the
number of people and economic assets located in flood risk
zones. Hence, the risk of floods will continue to be present
in the European Union and may increase considerably during
the coming decades. The challenge is to anticipate these changes
now and to protect society and the environment from the negative
effects of floods.
Sources as well as impacts of flood events are linked to
river basins or sub-basins, not to administrative or political
borders. Many Member States have already commenced measures
at regional and national level, but also in transboundary
cooperation in large shared river basins such as Danube, Rhine,
Oder and Elbe basin. Concerted and co-ordinated action at
the level of the European Union would bring a considerable
added value and improve the overall level of flood protection.
Given the potential risk to human life, economic assets and
the environment, we cannot afford to do nothing; Europe ’s
commitment to sustainable development including that to competitiveness
and creation of employment could be severely compromised if
we do not take appropriate measures.
Concerted and coordinated actions at EU level will aim at:
- improving co-operation and coordination of flood risk
management objectives and measures at river basin level
and for coastal zones where human health, the environment,
economic activities or the quality of life can be negatively
affected by floods;
- providing information about the areas at risk of flooding
as a tool for planning and communication;
- increasing awareness of citizens, authorities and organisations
through wider stakeholder participation and more effective
communication;
- improving information exchange, sharing of experiences
and the co-ordinated development and promotion of best practices
between Member States , river basins, regions and other
parties involved;
- developing stronger linkages between the research community
and the authorities responsible for water management and
flood protection;
- improving co-ordination between the relevant Community
policies.
The proposed Floods Directive will focus on the first three
items: improving co-operation and coordination, providing
information about the areas at risk of flooding and increasing
awareness. The Research and information component of the Flood
action programme will contribute to the third, fourth and
fifth item. The last item will be covered by the component
on EU funding tools.
3. The proposed Floods Directive
The views submitted via this consultation will feed into
a future decision to be taken by the Commission on a proposal
for a Floods Directive.
The objective of the Floods Directive will be to create
obligations for Member States to manage risks of floods to
people, property and environment by concerted, coordinated
action at river basin level and in coastal zones in order
to reduce the risks of floods to people, property and environment.
It would be developed step-by-step and focus on particular
regional circumstances in order to ensure that local and regional
circumstances are taken into account in:
- the analysis of present and future flood risk through
flood mapping;
- information on flood risk and its effects which should
be made available to citizens, involved parties and relevant
authorities;
- the elaboration and implementation of flood risk management
plans.
Since:
- waters do not respect any administrative or political
borders, and that water quality management and flood risk
management are both parts of integrated river basin management;
- river basins as well as the vast majority of stakeholders
are identical for water quality management and for flood
risk management;
- there are crucial interrelations, but also a wealth of
possible synergies between flood-related measures and water
quality management;
- the new Floods Directive should provide for a pragmatic
link to the
Water Framework Directive, the key and integrating element
of European Union water policy, thus ensuring consistency
and avoid double efforts.
The proposal for a Directive is intended to contain a limited
number of elements, viz.:
- Preliminary flood risk assessment,
- Flood mapping ( = knowing the areas at risk of flooding),
- Flood risk management plans (= plans to reduce flood
risks).
During the discussions with the Council the need for flexibility
in identifying priorities has been underlined. This has been
confirmed during the stakeholder consultation process in 2005.
Further, there is a need for taking into account work already
done in the field of flood risk management. To achieve this
preliminary risk assessments will be carried out to identify
those areas where mapping and plans need to be developed,
and those where there is either no significant risk, or those
where some or all parts of the management cycle under the
Directive are already implemented.
Flood mapping and Flood risk management plans have already
been outlined in the annex of the In the Communication "Flood
risk management: prevention, protection, mitigation"
of 12 July 2004.
Operational Links with Water Framework Directive
By adopting the Water Framework Directive (WFD) the EU has
thoroughly restructured its water protection policy. The directive
requires that integrated management plans be developed for
each river basin in order to achieve good ecological and chemical
status. Whilst the WFD will contribute to mitigating the effects
of floods, this is not one of the principal objectives of
that directive.
The development of river basin management plans under the
Water Framework Directive and of flood risk management plans
are elements of integrated river basin management; the two
processes should therefore use their mutual potential for
synergies. Against this background, it seems crucial that
the two processes of developing river basin management plans
under the WFD and of developing flood risk management plans
under a Floods Directive to be proposed provide for optimal
synergies and avoid duplication. To achieve this objective,
the Commission does not intend to propose an amendment of
the WFD, but to propose a separate Floods Directive whilst
ensuring the necessary linkages by legislative measures (within
the Floods Directive) as well as informal implementation measures
(to be guided by the EU Water Directors).
Contact information
If you have any questions about the EU action programme
on flood risk management, please send us an email to the
Water Mailbox of DG Environment.
(1) Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic,
Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, France,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, the European Commission and
the European Environment Agency
(2) Bulgaria , Romania
(3) Iceland , Norway and Switzerland
. Liechtenstein
(4) International Commission for
Protection of the Rhine, International Commission for Protection
of the Danube River, International Meuse Commission, International
Commission for Protection of the Escaut/Scheldt, International
Commission for Protection of the Elbe, International Commission
for Protection of the Oder River
(5) European Insurance Association
(CEA), European Water Association (EWA), EUREAU, Union of
the Electricity Industry (Eurelectric), COPA-COGECA, Council
of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), European Union
of House Builders and Developers ( UEPC) , Environmental Platform
of Regional Offices (EPRO, Brussels), European Landowners'
Organisation, WWF - European Policy Office, European Environmental
Bureau (EEB)
(6) IPCC (2001): Climate Change:
The Scientific Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the
Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change. Edited by J.T. Houghton et al.
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