EU directive on flood risk management comes into force

Reducing the risks and adverse consequences of floods in the European Union is the aim of the new directive on flood risk management coming into force today.

The directive requires flood risk management to be negotiated across national borders and contains important commitments to increase transparency and involve citizens.

Member States are now obliged 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."

Implementation in the Member States will be done in three stages, beginning with a preliminary assessment of river basin's flood risk 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.

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.

Under the directive Member States are obliged to coordinate their activities in shared river basins with other Member States or non-EU countries.