The aim of this project is to support the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube (ICPDR) and its member countries in conducting in the Danube River Basin the economic analysis according to the Water Framework Directive. A synthesis report of national scoping studies provides an assessment of the current capacities within the Danube River Basin to carry out the economic analysis and identifies preliminary measures for closing priority gaps.

Background

The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a challenge to all Member States of the European Union, especially in those cases where River Basins transcend national boundaries and necessitate a close co-operation with non-EU Member States. On the Danube, 18 countries are situated within the River Basin, rendering the implementation of the WFD and its accompanying guidance documents particularly challenging. Under the auspices of the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project, eleven countries of the Danube River Basin co-operate to develop and implement policy guidelines for river basin and water resource management and, as a part of this, to apply the EU WFD to the Danube Basin.

Project Objectives

The aim of this project is to assist the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and its member countries in the implementation of common approaches, methodologies and guidelines for the economic analysis as required by the year 2004 under the EU Water Framework Directive. The overriding objective of this subproject is the facilitation of capacity building: it is intended to assist the DRB countries in the development of common tools and in the implementation of common approaches, methodologies and guidelines for the economic analysis as required by the year 2004 under the EU WFD.

To this end, national consultants conduct national scoping studies (NSS) that assess the current capacities in the participating Danube River Basin countries to carry out specific tasks of the economic analysis. Ecologic supports these national consultants in their work, both through capacity building workshops and assistance during the entire drafting process of the NSS. Furthermore, Ecologic prepares a comparative cross-country analysis of all national scoping studies, which provides a first assessment of the capacities within the Danube River Basin to carry out the economic analysis. This synthesis report identifies priority gaps (data and capacity) and proposes preliminary measures for closing these gaps, with a particular focus on possibilities for Danube-wide co-operation.

Further project related information as well as the project's inception report can be found at the web-site of the Danube Regional Project.