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Introduction

The implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands compliance with tight deadlines. Many of the tasks, such as elaboration of criteria for the IMPRESS analysis and typology or the development of assessment systems have not previously been addressed to water authorities. The directive therefore cannot be directly applied in the Danube river basin without serious preparation activities. In May 2004 Hungary became, together with three other Danube Basin Countries, a member of the European Union. As a consequence, the country must fulfil all the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive, which - unlike e.g. the Urban Wastewater Directive - does not allow a generous timeframe for implementation. While the "old Member States" had enough time to get familiar with the new Directive during the 1996-2000 conciliation period, the former Accession Countries did not enjoy the same privilege and had to face a particularly challenging timeframe.

Movie about the Twinning project in Hungary (*)

To remedy the situation, Hungary asked for assistance in the implementation of the WFD by publishing a tender for a EU Twinning Project in the beginning of 2002. Germany was authorized to contribute to the implementation process. The overall objective of the Twinning Project, which started in November 2002, was to assist Hungary in aligning the national law, rules and procedures in order to give effect to the WFD, as well as to ensure full institutional capacity in fulfilling the planning, regulation, reporting and information requirements under the Directive. The Hungarian Ministry of Environment and Water and subsequent authorities are supported in the enforcement and implementation.
For more than a year an international team of experts led by Stephan von Keitz has been assisting Hungary to prepare cost-effective systems for the implementation of the Directive in the field of River Basin Management. In spite of Hungary's long tradition and experience in water management, there was still a need to adapt the existing approaches to the new European water legislation to get a multifunctional, flexible and cost-efficient water protection. The project also provided assistance in institutional capacity building and the fulfilment of reporting requirements.

The list of activities included for example:

• assistance in the development of a typology for Hungarian surface waters,
• definition of reference conditions and reference sites,
• delineation of surface and groundwater bodies,
• identification of surface and groundwater bodies, which are at risk to fail the objectives (IMPRESS),
• assistance in the legal implementation and
• development of procedures for surface and groundwater assessment systems including the biological assessment.

All activities have been executed in close cooperation with the Hungarian administration and the ICPDR Secretariat. Originally scheduled for only one year, the project was extended after encouraging support from the Hungarian side as well as the EU-Commission. The project received an additional financial input from EU PHARE funds. Within the prolongation period the focus was on the finalization of the reporting requirements for the roof report of the ICDPR and the national report to Brussels, due March 2005.

Please find the Final Report of the Twinning Project for download here (PDF - 137kb)

Related documents

• Article 1 of the Water Framework Directive : Purpose
• European commission’s brochure: “Water Framework directive : Tap into it !”(PDF – 215kb)
• WFD in the Danube river basin : “What every journalist should know about WFD” (PDF – 1277kb)
• "Important timeframe in the WFD"
• First analysis under the WFD and its link to the environmental objectives - March 2004

Presentations (Powerpoint)

• Introduction to the Implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive (361kb)
• Water Framework Directive and sustainable development by Stephan von Keitz (172kb)