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6 Prospects: Approaches of Integrated Management
solidarity: not passing on problems to upstream or downstream regions and preferably
contributing to reduction of flood risks in upstream and downstream regions.
To cope with the variety in flood events and impacts throughout Europe detailed objectives and deadlines for managing flood risks, for example, setting a Community-wide
common level of protection which has to be achieved everywhere and within a certain time
frame is not prescribed in the FRMD. This are at the responsibility of the Member States.
The appropriate level of protection may vary from river basin to river basin and even
within each river basin (see Sect. 6.1.4). As flood risks may change over time due to climate
change and changes in land use, it would be important to regularly review and, where
necessary, update the three main elements of the FRMD.
Links to the Water Framework Directive
The FRMD includes a number of links to the WFD to ensure close coordination in the
implementation processes. It is important to assure that there is no overlap of procedures
and institutions and to generate synergies in the timetables for implementation.
For the implementation of the FRMD the Commission proposes that
the administrative units shall be the same for the two Directives, i.e. the FRMD should be
implemented on the level of the river basin districts (which includes not just river basins and
sub-basins but also associated coastal areas) identified in the WFD Article 3 and the competent
authority responsible for the WFD should also be responsible for the flood risk management
actions. Furthermore, the implementation cycles and reporting mechanisms should be synchronized as regards the timetables, and it is envisaged that the Member States can choose to
include the flood risk management plans in the river basin managements plans required under
the WFD.
Implementation
Chapter II of the FRMD deals with the preliminary assessment of flood risk. In Article
4 a detailed description of the contents of the flood risk assessment process is provided.
For example, it shall include a map of the river basin district including the borders of the
river basis, sub-basins and where appropriate associated coastal zones showing topography
and land use. A description of the flooding process and their sensitivity to change and
a description of development plans is also required. Article 5 defines the categories the
river basins, sub-basins or coastal zone should be assigned to: (a) for which no potential
significant flood risk exist or are considered to be acceptably low or (b) for which it is
concluded that potential significant flood risk exist or might reasonably be considered
likely to occur. The assessment has to be done at latest 3 years after the date of entry into
force, and the review shall be done at latest until 2018 and every 6 years thereafter.
Chapter III deals with the preparation of flood hazard and flood risk maps (Article
6–8). The categories covered in Article 6(3): (a) floods with high probability (once every
10 years), (b) floods with medium probability (once every hundred years) and (c) flood
with low probability (extreme events). For these categories necessary information should
be given as follows: projected water depth, the flow velocity, where appropriate, and the
6 Prospects: Approaches of Integrated Management
solidarity: not passing on problems to upstream or downstream regions and preferably
contributing to reduction of flood risks in upstream and downstream regions.
To cope with the variety in flood events and impacts throughout Europe detailed objectives and deadlines for managing flood risks, for example, setting a Community-wide
common level of protection which has to be achieved everywhere and within a certain time
frame is not prescribed in the FRMD. This are at the responsibility of the Member States.
The appropriate level of protection may vary from river basin to river basin and even
within each river basin (see Sect. 6.1.4). As flood risks may change over time due to climate
change and changes in land use, it would be important to regularly review and, where
necessary, update the three main elements of the FRMD.
Links to the Water Framework Directive
The FRMD includes a number of links to the WFD to ensure close coordination in the
implementation processes. It is important to assure that there is no overlap of procedures
and institutions and to generate synergies in the timetables for implementation.
For the implementation of the FRMD the Commission proposes that
the administrative units shall be the same for the two Directives, i.e. the FRMD should be
implemented on the level of the river basin districts (which includes not just river basins and
sub-basins but also associated coastal areas) identified in the WFD Article 3 and the competent
authority responsible for the WFD should also be responsible for the flood risk management
actions. Furthermore, the implementation cycles and reporting mechanisms should be synchronized as regards the timetables, and it is envisaged that the Member States can choose to
include the flood risk management plans in the river basin managements plans required under
the WFD.
Implementation
Chapter II of the FRMD deals with the preliminary assessment of flood risk. In Article
4 a detailed description of the contents of the flood risk assessment process is provided.
For example, it shall include a map of the river basin district including the borders of the
river basis, sub-basins and where appropriate associated coastal zones showing topography
and land use. A description of the flooding process and their sensitivity to change and
a description of development plans is also required. Article 5 defines the categories the
river basins, sub-basins or coastal zone should be assigned to: (a) for which no potential
significant flood risk exist or are considered to be acceptably low or (b) for which it is
concluded that potential significant flood risk exist or might reasonably be considered
likely to occur. The assessment has to be done at latest 3 years after the date of entry into
force, and the review shall be done at latest until 2018 and every 6 years thereafter.
Chapter III deals with the preparation of flood hazard and flood risk maps (Article
6–8). The categories covered in Article 6(3): (a) floods with high probability (once every
10 years), (b) floods with medium probability (once every hundred years) and (c) flood
with low probability (extreme events). For these categories necessary information should
be given as follows: projected water depth, the flow velocity, where appropriate, and the