Directive 2000/60/EC, also known as the Water Framework Directive, establishes the main legal framework for protecting and managing water resources across the European Union. It aims to prevent the deterioration of rivers, lakes, groundwater, and coastal waters while achieving “good” ecological and chemical status through sustainable water management. The directive requires EU Member States to manage water based on river basin districts, implement monitoring systems, and develop coordinated river basin management plans with public participation.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT & COUNCIL OF THE EU (2000): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/60/oj [Accessed: 21.04.2026]Library
KAYHANIAN, M.; FRUCHTMAN, B.D.; GULLIVER, J.S.; MONTANARO, C.; RANIERI, E. & WUERTZ, S.
(2012):
Review of highway runoff characteristics: comparative analysis and universal implications.
In: Water Research 46, Issue 20, 6609-6624.
URL
[Accessed: 21.04.2026]
EC
(2021):
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives.
Brussels: European Commission (EC). Document 52020DC0380.
URL
[Accessed: 20.04.2026]
Drawing on a survey of 215 stakeholders and 69 case studies worldwide, this report analyses the drivers, obstacles, mechanisms, costs and benefits of stakeholder engagement in the water sector and proposes six principles plus a Checklist for Public Action to guide governments in setting up enabling conditions for inclusive, outcome-oriented engagement.
OECD (2015): Stakeholder Engagement for Inclusive Water Governance. Paris: OECD Studies on Water, OECD Publishing. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). URL [Accessed: 20.04.2026] PDF
US EPA
(2021):
Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) Review Checklist.
Washington: United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).
URL
[Accessed: 20.04.2026]
This Regional Development Paper compiles and analyses 52 evolving water governance practices from cities, regions and basins in OECD and non-OECD countries to support sub-national implementation of the 12 Principles, identifying common pitfalls and lessons from both successful and challenging cases.
OECD (2024): A Handbook of What Works: Solutions for the Local Implementation of the OECD Principles on Water Governance. Paris: OECD Regional Development Papers, No. 72, OECD Publishing OECD Publishing. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). URL [Accessed: 20.04.2026] PDF
Concrete municipal example of a Swiss GEP applied to a dense, cross-border urban area. The document illustrates how condition reports across six thematic areas (waters, infiltration, foreign water, sewer network, danger zones, catchments) feed into a binding drainage concept — a useful worked example of Stage 1 outputs translated into municipal planning decisions.
REGIERUNGSRAT BASEL-STADT (2012): Genereller Entwässerungsplan (GEP) und Entwässerungskonzept. Genereller Entwässerungsplan - Zuständigkeiten – Basel. Basel: Amt für Umwelt und Energie. URL [Accessed: 19.04.2026] PDF
WILLEMS, P.; ARNBJERG-NIELSEN, K.; OLSSON, J.& NGUYEN, V.T.V.
(2012):
Climate change impact assessment on urban rainfall extremes and urban drainage: Methods and shortcomings.
In: Atmospheric Research 103, 106-118.
URL
[Accessed: 19.04.2026]
WAINWRIGHT, J.; TURNBULL, L.; IBRAHIM, T. G.; LEXARTZA ARTZA, I.; THORNTON, S. F., & BRAZIER, R. E.
(2011):
Linking environmental régimes, space and time: Interpretations of structural and functional connectivity.
In: Geomorphology, 126, Isssues 3–4, 387–404.
URL
[Accessed: 19.04.2026]