The participation requirements (§14) of the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) launched, for the first time, a broader discussion about participatory approaches in water management. Still, the demand for policies, which are oriented toward the public and public participation, is nothing new. Many forms of participation have been known and tested since the 70s and 80s. Most of them emerged from city and regional planning projects and discussions. In this book, the INTERREG III B project "RhineNet" presents its experiences based on its own as well as external case studies regarding the participation requirements of the WFD in the Rhine basin area.

This final report regarding public participation within the WFD consists of:

• An introduction to the issue of "public participation",
• Summaries of case studies,
• Reports on multipartner projects,
• Model projects beyond the RhineNet project scope,
• Presentation of the jointly reached conclusions regarding the WFD’s participation requirements.

It summarises the results of the project RhineNet – Participatory management of the Rhine river basin.