International River Basin Management under the EU Water Framework Directive: An Assessment of Cooperation and Water Quality in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin

Nilsson, S. (2006). International River Basin Management under the EU Water Framework Directive: An Assessment of Cooperation and Water Quality in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin. IIASA Interim Report. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: IR-06-009

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Abstract

This report address issues connected to international river basin management in line with the EU Water Framework Directive. A register, in the form of a GIS data layer, of River Basin Districts established under the directive is presented. The register was created based on official maps of River Basin Districts from EU member states and candidate countries. With the register in place, the number and extent of international River Basin Districts could be determined. The results show that the number and area of international districts are significant. According to the register, 33% of the districts are international, and area-wise the international districts cover 70% of the total area of the districts. Further, a case study elucidating the connections between international cooperation and water quality in 14 international river basins in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin is presented. The case study tries to connect indicators of cooperation with indicators influencing or describing water quality. The results show that the WFD is a push forward for international river basin management in the region. This is especially true for international river basins shared by EU member states, while the WFD in general, and the principle of river basin management in particular, may be hard to implement in river basins shared between EU member states and countries outside the EU. According to the analysis, Vistula, Pregola and Nemunas are the international river basins in the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin with least international cooperation and - at the same time - most severe water quality problems.

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