Scope and Outline of Policy Document Dr. Jan Cools (MILIEU Ltd) Representing the ‘drafting team’ 26 March 2014, Brussels CIS WG POM - presentation 5.f

NWRM policy document: RATIONALE Water Blueprint: Maximisation of the use of Natural Water Retention Measures (Green Infrastructure) - CIS Guidance by 2014 CIS MANDATE for WG POM: CIS Guidance or other tool on NWRM by 2014 COM Launched NWRM Pilot project for technical tools & documents WG POM Drafting team: Policy document

NWRM policy document: PROCESS To be approved by SCG & Water Directors in Nov-Dec 2014 Drafting team set up (2 meetings already) Feedback to and discussion in WG POM Ensure coherence with tools and documents of the NWRM pilot project

NWRM policy document: AIM A document for policy and decision-makers to explain the policy relevance of NWRM To stimulate the uptake of NWRM as effective tools for achieving water and related policy objectives Complement, link and guide to the use of the more technical tools under development by the NWRM pilot project Policy paper will be complemented by experiences from pilot project Envisaged length of policy document = 10-20p in total

NWRM policy document: OUTLINE Introduction What are NWRM? Benefits of NWRM: contribution to WFD, FD and links to other EU policy Mechanisms to stimulate implementation of NWRM Conclusions / Summary References

NWRM policy document: Section 1: Introduction Aim of the document Structure of the document Audience of this document Benefits of NWRM for water management (and other EU policies)

NWRM policy document: Section 2: What are NWRM? Definition, classification and examples (text boxes) Link to other similar concepts with similar objectives such as Green Infrastructure, Room for the river, Ecosystem-based adaptation, natural flood risk management, … Links to past and ongoing studies NWRM bring multiple benefits for multiple sectors NWRM are not working in all conditions and not always cost-effective NWRM as alternatives and complementary for grey infrastructure/hard engineering; Links to WFD provisions (e.g. Art 4.7 better env. options) and Compare CIS guidance on wetlands (N° 12)

NWRM policy document: Section 3: Benefits to EU policy? Appropriate application of NWRM may contribute to achieving the objectives of several EU policies: WFD, FD, Nature Conservation, Adaptation Strategy, CAP, coastal management Application of NWRM as a means to strengthen synergie/links among EU directives and policies e.g. between WFD (RBMP’s) and FD (FRMP’s) and other EU policies Importance of NWRM for EU society and economy Why to include measures from other sectors in river basin management (e.g. forestry)?

NWRM policy document: Section 4: Stimulate implementation? Lack of financing and limited potential for cost recovery is a major reason for lack of (or delayed) implementation of NWRM; Possible funds: ESIF, CAP Pillar II, LIFE+ and private funds Land use and property rights is another bottleneck Need for improved coordination between sectors on proposed measures and links to NWRM Need for space and the integration of NWRM in spatial planning, especially for large scale measures Need for increased awareness & knowledge base Lessons learned from NWRM pilot project: good practices & what doesn’t work? (may turn to a separate section, but would increase size of paper)

NWRM policy document: OUTLINE Introduction What are NWRM? Benefits of NWRM: contribution to WFD, FD and links to other EU policy Mechanisms to stimulate implementation of NWRM Conclusions / Summary References

Questions? Comments? Scope and outline of NWRM policy document Feedback, discussion & agreement on AIM of the policy document Specific comments to the content of the outline Jan.cools@milieu.be