Flood Risk Laws Taking Effect in Europe

Flood Risk Laws Taking Effect in Europe

November 2007 
 Reducing the risks and 
adverse consequences of floods in the European Union is the aim of the new 
directive, or law, on flood risk management that came into force today. In 
the past 10 years, Europe has suffered more than 100 major floods, lending 
urgency to implementation of the new law. 
The law requires flood risk management to be negotiated across national 
borders and contains commitments to increase transparency and involve 
citizens in the process. 
The 27 EU member states are now required to identify river basins and 
associated coastal areas at risk of flooding and draw up flood risk maps 
and management plans for these areas. 
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, "It is important for member 
states to prevent the advent of floods and to protect areas which are 
likely to be affected by such events. It is also vital to prepare European 
citizens to cope with the potential occurrence of floods." 

"This important new legislation obliges member states to assess flood 
risks, to inform citizens in potentially affected areas and to involve 
them in the planning process," Dimas said. 
Since 1998 Europe has suffered over 100 major floods, including those 
along the Danube and Elbe rivers in the summer of 2002. 
The successive floods of 2005 and 2007 confirmed Europe's increased 
susceptibility to floods and reinforced the need for action. 
Since 1998 floods in Europe have caused more than 700 deaths, have 
displaced more than half a million people and have caused more than €25 
billion of damage. 
Although floods can play a natural role in revitalizing the functioning of 
ecosystems, they can also cause widespread environmental damage. Pollution 
transported via flood waters can spread to areas where drinking water is 
extracted and extreme floods can destroy delicate ecosystems. 
While floods are natural phenomena, human activity such as land 
development and climate change can increase the likelihood of floods 
occurring. With appropriate prevention measures the possibility of floods 
can be reduced and their impact minimised. 
This new directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
October 23, 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks is an 
important addition to the European Union's water legislation. Dimas says 
it has been carefully crafted for compatibility with the Water Framework 
Directive. 
It applies to all types of floods whether they originate from rivers and 
lakes, or occur in urban and coastal areas, or arise as a result of storm 
surges and tsunamis. 
Implementation of the new law in the member states will be done in three 
stages, beginning with a preliminary assessment of river basins' flood 
risks and their associated coastal zones to be carried out by 2011.
 
This is to be followed by the development of flood hazard maps and flood 
risk maps by 2013. The maps are to identify high, medium and low risk 
areas, including those areas where occurrences of floods would be 
considered an extreme event. 
The maps will also need to include details such as expected water depths, 
economic activities that could be affected, the numbers of inhabitants at 
risk and the potential environmental damage. 
At the last stage member states are required to produce flood risk 
management plans by 2015. These plans are to include measures to reduce 
the probability of flooding and its consequences. 
These measures are to focus on preventing unsustainable land use practices 
by discouraging, for example, building in flood-prone areas. 
The plans must also cover how to protect flood prone areas from the 
likelihood of floods and reducing their potential impact by restoring 
flood plains or wetlands. 
Flood risk assessments will be reviewed and adapted in the light of the 
effects of climate change and the intensity and frequency of flooding in 
the long-term, said Dimas. 
Another important aspect of the flood risk management plans is the need to 
prepare the public in the event of flooding. 
Member states are obliged to make preliminary flood risk assessments, maps 
and management plans available to the public. Preparations for flood risk 
management plans are to be carried out in coordination with public 
participation in the Water Framework Directive river basin management 
plans. 
Under the directive Member States are obliged to coordinate their 
activities in shared river basins with other member states or non-EU 
countries and are required to not carry out measures that are likely to 
increase flood risks either upstream or downstream unless such measures 
have been agreed with the affected member state. 

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