Facing the water framework directive challenges: a baseline of stakeholder participation in the European Union

Public participation is a key element of Integrated Water Resources Management and, in the European Union (EU), is a major challenge in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which was adopted in December 2000. When new legislation enters into force it is essential to set a baseline against which to measure the progress towards the established goals at significant milestones of its implementation. This paper presents an assessment of the quality of stakeholder participation at the beginning of the WFD implementation in twenty countries belonging to or with close institutional relationships with the EU. The evaluation was completed by environmental non-governmental organizations and it shows that already in 2003 there were positive examples of stakeholder participation in several countries but that, in general, the WFD implementation will require significant efforts to improve on participatory practices throughout Europe.