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The purpose of this paper is to examine the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive. It seeks first to determine whether its provisions align with modern thinking on integrated river basin management and second to assess the degree to which it has the potential to achieve legislative and inter‐agency integration throughout the Union.

This is a desktop study. The paper draws upon theories and definitions of integrated river basin management and internal integration in existing literature and then proceeds to examine the provisions of the Water Framework Directive in the light of the models identified.

The framework for river basin management in the Water Framework Directive does not fully match the modern approach to integrated river basin management. The directive is limited by its primary focus upon the single medium of water, and its consequent failure to fully address wider land use planning issues. It, therefore, also fails to achieve integration between all relevant legislative instruments. It provides a framework for stakeholder involvement that could potentially serve the goal of inter‐agency integration. However, due to the high level of discretion in the hands of member states, there is likely to be a substantial divergence of practice across the EU.

In assessing the Water Framework Directive against modern notions of river basin management and the directive's stated integrative aspirations, the paper informs implementation and practice in member states.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the prospects of integrated planning and management of the environment in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and river basin planning.

The paper analyses the legal framework of the WFD and other related water and environmental legislation as well as the provisions for integrative practice in the WFD. Moreover it analyses the potential for integration with issues that are not provided for in the WFD, such as land use. The procedural elements of the WFD and other EU legislation are analysed for identifying common elements within a modern consensus and efficiency based planning mode.

Three aspects of the integrated management framework for water and other environmental resources are highlighted. The first concerns the need for interaction between spatial land use planning and the integrated river basin management plans of the WFD, in order to ensure that land‐use plans do not contradict water goals and that water planning also takes into account broader landscape related aspects. This demands the establishment of platforms for institutional interplay. The second is the need to integrate water goals into sectoral policies. This may be ensured by activating the impact assessment procedures for projects, plans and programmes which may have an impact on water resources and quality. The third concerns elements and procedures which are common to several pieces of legislations (e.g. management plans, monitoring, public participation), and which could benefit from the establishment of common databases, spatial information systems, and methods of communication.

The paper aims to identify key issues related to integration of the WFD with other environmental EU legislation, the associated challenges posed to water management and other environmental management institutions and procedures, and the information systems and methods which may facilitate the integration.

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the challenges for public participation in river basin management and planning and to develop a set of guidelines for a successful public consultation.

The current paper describes and analyses the requirements and expectations regarding public participation in river basin planning and identifies some obstacles and recommendations for the process.

The research carried out identified a wide range of challenges for the practical implementation of the public involvement in river basin planning as stated in the Water Framework Directive. The involvement of the public is critical for a successful implementation of the Water Framework Directive. Hence, public participation is greatly emphasised in the Directive. Article 14 of the Water Framework Directive requires that Member States encourage involvement of all stakeholders into the implementation process, especially into the River Basin Management Planning.

The paper may assist river basin managers to design, perform and evaluate the public consultation of river basin management plans.

The paper analyses the obstacles for the public consultation as part of the Water Framework Directive implementation. Based on the analysis the paper defines a range of guidelines and recommendations for the practical consultation design. This work is original, as no such analysis has been carried out before.

In the USA and Europe, agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution continues to be among the chief impediments to achieving water quality standards. While the implementation of technology-based water pollution control tools has resulted in evident point source pollution abatement, NPSs continue to threaten surface water and groundwater. The purpose of this paper is to draw from environmental policy literature to identify regulatory tools and management approaches that specifically target agricultural NPS pollution and the factors that drive or impede their implementation and enforcement. This paper utilizes the policy tool framework to help characterize the widespread policy problem, distinguishing its unique set of hurdles from other environmental problems.

Discussion of agricultural NPS pollution management approaches is based on a thorough review of relevant environmental policy and environmental economic literature as well as case studies from the USA and Europe. Analysis is based on the policy tool framework.

This study finds that controlling numerous diffuse sources of agricultural pollution requires an integrated approach that utilizes river basin management and a mix of policy instruments. Additionally, findings suggest that transitioning from voluntary mechanisms to more effective instruments based on measurable water quality performance relies predominantly on three factors: first, more robust quality monitoring data and models; second, local participation; and third, political will.

This research provides important information for regional and national policymakers in areas where there is increasing pollution and regulatory mandates. Identifying conditions of effective water quality policy is applicable and will be of direct use to agencies charged with pollution control.

The requirement of full cost recovery for water services including environmental and resource costs in accordance with the polluter pays principle in Art. 9 EU-Water Framework Directive is a unique provision in the history of the European environmental law. The wording of the provision is a compromise between the Council's and the Parliament's versions that mirrors different conceptual ideas on how to internalize environmental and resource costs. Art. 9 now contains a two-step concept for the achievement of the aim. The uniform implementation of the full cost-recovery calls for common accounting standards for the calculation of financial cost and a common methodology for the estimation of environmental and resource costs on the European level. In Germany, the requirements of the first step are partly fulfilled, but necessities of the second step are not being met at the moment.

Water protection is one of the primary objectives of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. The paper aims to identify suitable indices for water quality and specifically for water used for irrigation in the Fratta‐Gorzone river basin (Northern Italy) affected by discharges from the largest tannery district in Italy.

The DPSIR framework is proposed here for the development of a water quality monitoring and control system. A set of indices is applied as a comprehensive environmental management system in order to: assess the degree of achievement of water quality objectives; identify measures to be applied to pressure sources; verify the extent of application of local measures.

The highest values measured in the river Fratta‐Gorzone refer to the following parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorides, sulphates, chromium, E. coli and, in some cases, other parameters. At basin level, the objectives set by the WFD and by local regulations must be achieved by applying appropriate discharge limit values. Water quality for irrigation use and the impact of the tannery district is critically presented and discussed according to available data, and refers to the monitoring project which was developed as a result.

The inflow from an irrigation channel, which conducts freshwater from the Adige river to the Fratta‐Gorzone river and empties just beyond the discharge point for effluent from the tannery district, favoured a general improvement in river water quality, as a result of dilution, particularly for irrigation purposes.

An environmental management system is outlined, with a proposal for a specific set of indices to be used as part of the monitoring and control activities for the integrated management of river basins, especially those affected by industrial tannery discharges.

The purpose of this paper is to set out the policy guidelines and recommendations to harmonise the Serbian water legislation with European Union standards in the area of water system management as impacted by climate change.

The EU Water Framework Directive is analysed in the context of implementation of the integrated water management policy presented in the Serbian Water Law (2010), as well as the National Water Management Strategy (2016). It has been found that the water management legislation that deals with the impact of climate change on water resources is incomplete. Although there are numerous challenges related to research of climate change and water systems, water policy and legal aspects cannot be neglected. The so-called soft law instruments represented in a form of strategy documents could be a valuable response in terms of an adaptive and integrated water policy approach.

The research is applied to a case study of the Velika Morava River Basin, at Ljubicevski Most hydrological station. Long-term projections suggest a decrease in annual precipitation levels and annual flows up to the year 2100 for climatic scenarios A1B and A2, accompanied by a rapid increase in air temperatures.

This study proposes a water management policy and provides recommendations for the Velika Morava River Basin as impacted by climate change, according to the European Union legislation.

The purpose of this paper is first, to gain insight into how the European member states have addressed the concept of sustainability in their building regulatory frameworks; and second, to gain insight in the effects of harmonization attempts of these frameworks by the European Commission (EC).

Data on the member states' building regulatory regimes were gathered using a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire addressed over 60 different aspects of sustainable construction that may, in various ways, be regulated by the member states.

The data obtained show mixed results. Some aspects of sustainable construction show far‐reaching homogeneity, whilst others do not. It appears that current EC directives have a positive effect on homogeneity of sustainable construction regulation throughout Europe. However, this does not provide a firm base to advise more directives, as these often appear a too resource‐intensive tool to achieve sustainable construction in a timely fashion. Additional and complementary approaches to such directives are proposed.

The paper presents an overview of how European member states have addressed various aspects of sustainable construction in their construction regulatory frameworks. This provides valuable insights for further studies on regulatory change, regulatory convergence and divergence, and policy outcomes related to sustainable construction in the European Union. Also, the study presents a number of approaches to achieve homogeneity that may complement earlier approaches taken by the EC.

The tannery industry impacts strongly on water bodies due to the presence of chemical substances, such as chlorides, sulphates, chromium and other pollutants. This study has been carried out with a view to enhance the environmental compatibility of the Arzignano tannery district (northern Italy) which is the largest in Italy, by improving the quality of the Fratta-Gorzone River. Sediment quality, according to the driving forces-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) scheme, has been developed as a significant impact indicator to be applied at basin level. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the above issues.

Data were produced during institutional monitoring and control activities carried out by ARPAV (Veneto Region Environmental Prevention and Protection Agency) according to official methods. To define the environmental impacts on the river basin, a statistical assessment was performed on water and sediment quality data to establish the degree of correlation for the main pollutants along the river stem.

In the basin considered, sediment quality presents high levels of contamination from heavy metals – in particular chromium (Cr) (III) – as well as organic pollutants. Investigation of the pressure sources revealed that the discharge from the Arzignano tannery district is the main source of Cr (III), according to background studies performed in the same area.

The quality of river sediments must be improved in order to avoid the re-suspension/solubility of pollutants; dredged materials with high polluting substances must be managed with specific precautions in order to safeguard the environment.

The river studied is currently the only significant water body in which sediment monitoring has been performed in the Veneto Region (Italy) since 2002. This study presents issues linked to the characterization of river sediment and the correlation between sediment quality and water pollution and prior and current pressure sources.

Given that the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) calls for the management of water resources at the river basin level, the German water sector, which has historically been dominated by the federal states and has been organized along administrative borders, is now challenged to be reorganized. The article introduces the German water sector, reviews past experiences with river basin management such as North Rhine–Westphalia's water associations, the river basin organizations of the former German Democratic Republic, and international river commissions, and addresses current challenges in connection with the implementation of WFD.