Title Participants "Study related to the realization of the Water Framework Directive intercalibration for the Belgian coastal waters, to design the descriptive elements 1 and 6 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the nature objectives of the Habitat Directive for" "Gert Van Hoey, Jan Vanaverbeke, Steven Degraer" "The use of benthic indicators in Europe: From the Water Framework Directive to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive" "Gert Van Hoey, Angel Borja, Silvana Birchenough, Steven Degraer, D. Fleischer, Francis Kerckhof, Paolo Magni, Inigo Muxika, Henning Reiss, Alexander Schroeder" "The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) are the European umbrella regulations for water systems. It is a challenge for the scientific community to translate the principles of these directives into realistic and accurate approaches. The aim of this paper, conducted by the Benthos Ecology Working Group of ICES, is to describe how the principles have been translated, which were the challenges and best way forward. We have tackled the following principles: the ecosystem-based approach, the development of benthic indicators, the definition of `pristine' or sustainable conditions, the detection of pressures and the development of monitoring programs. We concluded that testing and integrating the different approaches was facilitated during the WFD process, which led to further insights and improvements, which the MSFD can rely upon. Expert involvement in the entire implementation process proved to be of vital importance. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved." "Typology of the Flandrian transitional waters for the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)" "Erika Van den Bergh" "Evaluating the usefulness of dynamic pollutant fate models for implementing the EU Water Framework Directive" "Veerle Gevaert, Frederik Verdonck, Lorenzo Benedetti, Webbey De Keyser, Bernard De Baets" "The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims at achieving a good ecological and chemical status of surface waters in river basins by 2015. The chemical status is considered good if the Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs) are met for all substances listed on the priority list and eight additional specific emerging substances. To check compliance with these standards, the WFD requires the establishment of monitoring programmes. The minimum measuring frequency for priority substances is currently set at once per month. This can result in non-representative sampling and increased probability of misinterpretation of the surface water quality status. To assist in the classification of the water body, the combined use of monitoring data and pollutant fate models is recommended. More specifically, dynamic models are suggested, as possible exceedance of the quality standards can be predicted by such models. In the presented work, four realistic scenarios are designed and discussed to illustrate the usefulness of dynamic pollutant fate models for implementing the WFD. They comprise a combination of two priority substances and two rivers, representative for Western Europe." "The wicked problem the water framework directive cannot solve. The governance approach in dealing with pollution of nutrients in surface water in the Netherlands, Flanders, Lower Saxony, Denmark and Ireland" "Marc Wiering, Duncan Liefferink, Daan Boezeman, Maria Kaufmann, Ann Crabbé, Nanda Kurstjens, Mark Wiering" "The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is typically a framework directive that tries to encourage integration of policies for water quality and agriculture. Nutrients (nitrates, phosphates) from agricultural sources remain a ‘wicked problem’ in realizing the aims of the WFD, partly because the directive has to rely on other, neighboring policies to tackle to problem pressure of nutrients; it seems to lack instruments and measures to directly intervene in relevant agricultural policies. This contribution describes the different governance approaches of five member states and regions (The Netherlands, Flanders in Belgium, Lower Saxony- in Germany, Denmark and Ireland) to the nutrients problem and specifically focuses on the relationship between the nature of governance and the nature of measures taken. On the one hand, countries can vary in terms of a more consensual or antagonistic approach to dealing with water quality and diffuse pollution by agriculture, and emphasize more integration or separation in organization and programs. On the other hand, they can vary in the ‘outcomes’ in terms of more source-based measures or effect-based measures and the emphasis in policy instruments used. This article is based on the screening of policy documents, 44 interviews and several (international) feedback workshops. We found a great variety in governance approaches, while the nature of measures, in terms of source-based and effect-based, is only slightly different. On closer inspection, there are interesting differences in the consensual or antagonist discourses and differences in the use of more mandatory instruments or area-based policies. In many countries, the major challenge is to strike a balance between taking source-based measures, where necessary, and accommodating the difficult situations farmers very often find themselves in, as the reduction of nutrients (as a source-based measure) use can lead to lower yields and higher costs for manure disposal." "The Water Framework Directive" "Deals with new EC legislation – the Water Framework Directive; the main driver within Europe for groundwater monitoring which addresses integrated water resource management across 27 different countriesProvides comprehensive approach and guidance on the theoretical and practical aspects for implementing the directiveEdited by EC representatives involved in the setting up of the framework, along with colleagues in various water institutions who have the task of implementing the legislationPart of the Water Quality Measurement Series" "The influence of supply and sewerage area characteristics on water and sewerage companies responses to the Water Framework Directive" "Marc Spiller, B. S. McIntosh, R. A. F. Seaton" "Using the example of raw water quality this paper examines the relationship between different spatial characteristics (geographical and physical properties) of Water and Sewerage Companies (WaSCs) supply and sewage areas and response to the Water Framework Directive. Results were obtained from thematic analysis and content analysis of 14 interviews with WaSCs representatives. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis of 51 WaSCs business function characteristics was employed to derive groups of similar WaSCs. Results indicate that there is difference in how WaSCs approach raw water quality issues. It appears that small WaSCs with relatively large agricultural areas in their supply catchments are more likely to seek managerial solutions to raw water quality problems." "How can models help implementing the Water Framework Directive?" "Patrick Willems" "The Water Framework Directive" "Proceedings of a conference on ""Integrated River Basin Management under the Water Framework Directive"", held at Le Nouveau SiÞcle, Lille, France on 26th-28th April 2010. The book reviews technical challenges faced by EU Member States, stakeholder organisations and scientists while developing the first River Basin Management Plan under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). It focusses on aspects of multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary integration and how emerging issues such as adaptation to climate change will be considered in the future." "Adaptation of EU water framework directive principles for integrated management of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin" "S. Barua, Philippe Quevauviller, A.w.m. Ng" "no abstract"