The workshop focussed on the aspects that are to be covered in the report 2005 to the European Commission. Approximately 150 German actors of water resource management discussed results, problems and new approaches and the actual state of affairs with regards to the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive.

The Water Framework Directive came into force in December 2000. Until the end of 2003, the Member States have to transpose the Directive into national law. In Germany, the Federal Government as well as the German Federal States are responsible for the transposition and implementation of the Directive. Numerous pilot studies and projects have been initiated by the German Federal Government and by the Federal States in order to test and support the implementation process. The Working Group of the Federal States on water (LAWA) aims at formulating solutions and putting forward recommendations for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in a "LAWA Guidance Document".

On behalf of the LAWA, a first workshop was carried out in February 2001 in order to give an overview of the different pilot studies and projects in the context of the Water Framework Directive. This event was succeeded by a workshop on 22-23 May 2003 which focused on the aspects that are to be covered in the report (outlined in annexes II and III of the Water Framework Directive) that is to be finalised by end 2004 and handed to the European Commission in 2005. The aim of the workshop was to discuss the state of affairs, problems and new approaches with regards to implementing the Water Framework Directive. For this, approximately 150 representatives of the German Federal States and the Ministry and Environment Agency gathered to exchange experiences from different sub-basins.

The thematic focus included the identification of water bodies, the typology, the reference conditions and geomorphology. Also the natural conditions, biological, chemical and hydromorphological pressures, the quantitative status of groundwater and the economic analysis were discussed. The reported experiences and the actual state of affairs were then discussed with the participants from Germany, the European Commission and Austria.

The workshop report is available in German at www.wasserblick.net