A consortium including Ecologic Institute has been commissioned by the European Commission to provide support in the evaluation of the contribution of Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Floods Directive (FD).

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To assess the degree to which the latest RDPs 2014-2020 can contribute to the implementation of EU water and flood policy objectives, and provide an overview at European level.
2. To develop a proposal on what an exemplary RDP looks like from a water and flood policy implementation perspective.

The implementation of the WFD and FD requires not only a strong cooperation with other environmental legislation but also the implementation of technical, economic and non-technical measures. Both Directives rely on national financing and the use of European funds such as the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development to implement measures.

The need for increased use of these funds to support the implementation of, for example, green infrastructures and natural water retention measures, has been repeatedly highlighted by the Commission, including in the Blueprint for Europe's Water 2012 and the 4th Implementation Report of the Commission on implementation the Programme of Measures to the European Council and Parliament in 2015.

Ecologic Institute leads the preparation of a European overview on RDPs' contribution to the implementation of the WFD and FD. Ecologic Institute also leads the assessment of a selected number of RDPs and contributes to the preparation of guidance to Member States on how to integrate water and flood policy objectives in RDPs.