Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Flood risk management - Flood prevention, protection and mitigation
Date: 2004-07-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, environmental policy, environmental risk prevention, flood

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 12.07.2004 
COM(2004)472 final 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Flood risk management 

Flood prevention, protection and mitigation 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Between  1998  and  2002,  Europe  suffered  over  100  major  damaging  floods,  including  the 
catastrophic floods along the Danube and Elbe rivers in 2002. Since 1998, floods have caused 
some 700 fatalities, the displacement of about half a million people and at least € 25 billion in 
insured economic losses1.  

The assets at risk of flooding can be enormous. For example, more than 10 million people live 
in the areas at risk of extreme floods along the Rhine, and the potential damage from floods 
amounts  to  €  165  billion.  Coastal  areas  are  also  at  risk  of  flooding.  The  total  value  of 
economic  assets  located  within  500  metres  of  the  European  coastline,  including  beaches, 
agricultural land and industrial facilities, is currently estimated at € 500 to 1,000 billion2. 

In  addition  to  economic  and  social  damage,  floods  may  have  severe  environmental 
consequences  as  for  example  when  waste  water  treatment  plants  are  inundated  or  when 
factories holding large quantities of toxic chemicals are also affected. Floods may also destroy 
wetland areas and reduce biodiversity. 

Floods  are  natural  phenomena  which  cannot  be  prevented.  However,  human  activity  is 
contributing  to  an  increase  in  the  likelihood  and  adverse  impacts  of  extreme  flood  events. 
Many  Member  States  are  already  taking  flood  protection  measures  but  concerted  and  co-
ordinated action at the level of the European Union would bring a considerable added value 
and  improve  the  overall  level  of  flood  protection.  Given  the  potential  risk  to  human  life, 
economic assets and the environment, we cannot afford to do nothing; Europe’s commitment 
to  sustainable  development  could  be  severely  compromised  if  we  do  not  take  appropriate 
measures. 

2. 

DEALING WITH FLOODS 

2.1. 

Diagnosis of the problem 

River floods may occur whenever the capacity of the natural or man made drainage system is 
unable  to  cope  with  the  volume  of  water  generated  by  rainfall  or  when  flood  defences  fail. 
Experience  has  shown  that  local  flood  protection  measures  taken  in  one  place  will  have  a 
knock-on  effect  for  upstream/downstream  areas.  For  example,  if  one  area  implements 
engineering solutions to evacuate the water from its stretch of the river as quickly as possible, 
this simply means that the water arrives faster to their downstream neighbours. Therefore it is 
imperative  that  flood  protection  is  dealt  with  in  a  concerted  and  co-ordinated  manner  along 
the whole length of the river. 

River  floods  vary  considerably  in  size  and  duration.  In  the  case  of  large  rivers  such  as  the 
Danube,  the  Rhine  and  the  Elbe,  floods  can  occur  a  considerable  time  after  the  rainfall  and 
last for days, weeks, or even months. On the other hand, flash floods are usually due to highly 
localised, very intensive rainfall. Flash floods can cause widespread destruction, especially if 
they occur at the same time as other natural events such as landslides/mudslides. Flash floods 

1 
2 

European Environment Agency, Environmental issue report no. 35, 2003. 
EUrosion: http://www.eurosion.org 

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are fairly common in the Mediterranean and in mountain areas; they are a particular danger to 
people since they happen suddenly and with little warning. 

Flooding of coastal areas can result from storms at sea with winds pushing high tides onto the 
land.  In  many  areas,  susceptibility  to  floods  has  increased  due  to  coastal  erosion.  If  marine 
storms  coincide  with  high  waters  in  river  estuaries  then  there  is  the  potential  for  extensive 
damage. 

The  root  causes  of  floods  (rainfall  and  sea  levels)  are  natural  phenomena  and  essentially 
uncontrollable. However, whether or not a given rainfall event, storm or high tide, results in 
flood  damage  is  very  much  influenced  by  human  actions  such  as:  clearing  of  forests  in  the 
upper  catchment  area,  straightening  of  rivers  and  suppression  of  natural  flood  plains, 
inadequate  drainage  practices  and  most  importantly,  extensive  building  in  high  risk,  flood 
areas. 

Two trends point to an increase of flood risk in Europe. Firstly, the magnitude and frequency 
of floods are likely to increase in the future as a result of climate change3 (higher intensity of 
rainfall as well as rising sea levels). Secondly, there has been a marked increase in the number 
of people and economic assets located in flood risk zones. 

There is also a growing awareness of the significance of river flooding on human health, both 
physical  and  psychological.  Substantial  health  implications  can  occur  for  example  when 
floodwaters  carry  pollutants,  or  are  mixed  with  contaminated  water  from  drains  and 
agricultural  land.  There  will  be  mental  health  consequences  as  well:  in  addition  to  the 
considerable  stress  of  extensive  damage,  the  threat  of  repeated  floods,  sometimes  coupled 
with possible withdrawal of insurance cover can make properties impossible to sell. 

The  risk  of  floods  will  continue  to  be  present  in  the  European  Union  and  may  increase 
considerably during the coming decades. The challenge is to anticipate these changes now and 
to protect society and the environment from the negative effects of floods. 

2.2.  Managing the risk of floods  

Flood risk management aims to reduce the likelihood and/or the impact of floods. Experience 
has  shown  that  the  most  effective  approach  is  through  the  development  of  flood  risk 
management programmes incorporating the following elements: 

–  Prevention: preventing damage caused by floods by avoiding construction of houses and 
industries in present and future flood-prone areas; by adapting future developments to the 
risk of flooding; and by promoting appropriate land-use, agricultural and forestry practices; 

–  Protection: taking measures, both structural and non-structural, to reduce the likelihood of 

floods and/or the impact of floods in a specific location; 

–  Preparedness: informing the population about flood risks and what to do in the event of a 

flood; 

–  Emergency response: developing emergency response plans in the case of a flood; 

3 

IPCC  (2001):  Climate  Change:  The  Scientific  Basis.  Contribution  of  Working  Group  I  to  the  Third 
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by J.T. Houghton et al. 

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–  Recovery  and  lessons  learned:  returning  to  normal  conditions  as  soon  as  possible  and 

mitigating both the social and economic impacts on the affected population. 

3. 

WHAT IS ALREADY BEING DONE, FUTURE INITIATIVES AND PERSPECTIVES 

3.1. 

At European level 

3.1.1.  European Research Policy 

The  European  Commission  has  been  supporting  research  on  floods  since  the  early  1980’s 
through  its  successive  Framework  Programmes  (FP)  for  research  and  technological 
development4.  European  research  has  been  successful  in  improving  our  understanding  of 
floods and their consequences as well as our capacity to estimate the likelihood and extent of 
floods in given areas.  

Research results have also highlighted the limits to technical methods of flood prevention and 
the  need  for  providing  opportunities  for  restoration  and  protection  of  highly  valuable  eco-
systems. 

Appropriate methods and tools for forecasting and managing floods and their associated risks 
have also been developed. Some of these tools and techniques are already being used in catch-
ments throughout Europe. The new € 10 million Research Project FLOODsite has just been 
launched  and  contributes  to  the  improvement  of  integrated  flood  risk  analysis  and 
management methodologies5. 

Flood forecasting6, flood risk mapping and scenario modelling are important components of 
the envisaged contribution of the Joint Research Centre in the field of floods. Future research 
will be adapted to climate change impact analysis, mitigation and adaptation strategies.  

There is a clear need to continue research activities directed towards flood protection. Instead 
of  considering  flood  management  in  river  basins  in  isolation,  it  is  necessary  to  see  flood 
protection  as  part  of  an  integrated  and  comprehensive  approach  to  river  basin  management. 
Future  environmental  research7  will  inter  alia  address  issues  such  as  quantifying  and 
forecasting environmental changes (e.g. on climate), assessing the full range of their impacts 
and  supporting  the  assessment,  prevention  and  mitigation  of  natural  and  industrial  risks.  In 
this context, flood protection will clearly have a high priority. 

3.1.2.  Regional Policy and floods  

The  Structural  Funds8,  in  particular  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund9,  and  the 
Cohesion  Fund  can  fund  preventive  (infrastructure)  investments  including  for  flood 
protection.  The  European  Regional  Development  Fund  can  also  contribute  to  financing 
infrastructure related research and technological development.  

4 
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http://www.eu-medin.org/floods-rtd-projects.php 
http://www.floodsite.net 
http://natural-hazards.jrc.it/floods/Preparedness/ 
COM(2004)101, final 
OJ L 161 of 26.6.1999. 
OJ L 213 of 13.8.1999. 

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The  INTERREG  initiative  under  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund,  has  supported 
improved  cross-border  cooperation  on  flood  protection.  The  IRMA  project  (‘INTERREG 
Rhine-Meuse  Activities’)  is  a  successful  example  of  cross-border  cooperation  and  an 
integrated approach to combating floods. The devastation caused by the floods of the Rhine 
and Meuse rivers in 1993 and 1995 prompted the establishment of a trans-national prevention 
programme  between  the  Netherlands,  Belgium,  France,  Luxembourg,  Germany  and 
Switzerland.  IRMA  has  a  total  budget  of  €  419  million,  a  third  of  which  comes  from 
INTERREG. 

The SCALDIT project, another INTERREG initiative, was launched in 2003 and concerns the 
Scheldt/Escaut  river  basin.  It  involves  France,  the  Netherlands  and  the  Belgian  regions  and 
tackles the issues of river basin planning and flood protection. 

In  its  recently  published  Third  report  on  economic  and  social  cohesion,  the  Commission 
proposes  that  actions  supported  by  cohesion  policy  should  focus  on  investment  in  a  limited 
number of priority themes, reflecting the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas, where Community 
intervention can be expected to bring about a leverage effect and significant added value. The 
theme  of  “environment  and  risk  prevention”  is  one  of  the  core  issues  identified  for  future 
cohesion policy action. The future objective “European territorial cooperation” will preserve 
and  strengthen  required  trans-national  cooperation  activities  and  build  on  achievements  of 
INTERREG in this field. 

3.1.3.  European Union Solidarity Fund 

Following  the  2002  flood  events  in  central  Europe,  the  EU  created  the  European  Union 
Solidarity Fund10 (EUSF) as a specific financial instrument to grant rapid financial assistance 
in the event of a major disaster (defined as direct damage in excess of € 3 billion or 0.6% of 
Gross  National  Income)  to  help  the  affected  areas  return  to  living  conditions  that  are  as 
normal as possible. 

The  EUSF  may  only  intervene  for  emergency  operations.  It  was  not  set  up  with  the  aim  of 
meeting all the costs linked to natural disasters and the EUSF does not compensate for private 
losses  or  damage  covered  by  insurance.  Long-term  action  –  reconstruction,  economic 
redevelopment,  prevention  –  can  qualify  for  aid  under  other  instruments,  most  notably  the 
Structural Funds. 

3.1.4.  Agricultural Policy and floods  

The  way  agricultural  and  forestry  areas  are  used,  is  important  for  flood  prevention  and 
protection; it is decisive for the capacity of soil and plants to retain water. The CAP-reform of 
2003  will  contribute  positively  to  flood  protection  through  the  mechanisms  of  de-coupling 
and  cross  compliance;  for  example  by  promoting  soil  protection  and  the  maintenance  of 
permanent pastures and thereby improving the capacity of soils for water retention.  

The reformed Common Agricultural Policy can also contribute to reducing the likelihood of 
floods by addressing Climate Change. Measures which involve e.g. the promotion of biomass 
for  growing  energy  crops,  or  the  reduction  of  GHG-emissions  by  promoting  less  intensive 
stocking rates, will have direct benefits for flood protection. 

10 

OJ L 311 of 14.11.2002. 

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In  the  reform  of  the  CAP,  an  additional  €  1.2  billion  is  estimated  to  be  made  available  for 
Rural  Development  in  2007.  Besides  improving  the  use  of  agricultural  and  forestry  areas, 
these measures can also contribute to mitigating floods by giving aid for restoring agricultural 
and  forestry  production  damaged  by  natural  disasters  (including  floods)  and  introducing 
appropriate prevention instruments. 

3.1.5.  Environmental Policy and floods  

By  adopting  the  Water  Framework  Directive  (WFD)  the  EU  has  thoroughly  restructured  its 
water  protection  policy.  The  directive  requires  that  integrated  management  plans  be 
developed for each river basin in order to achieve good ecological and chemical status. Whilst 
the  WFD  will  contribute  to  mitigating  the  effects  of  floods,  this  is  not  one  of  the  principal 
objectives of the directive. 

In  order  to  promote  the  coherent  implementation  of  the  WFD  across  the  EU,  the  Water 
Directors from the 25 Member States11 and the European Commission meet regularly to work 
on  a  common  implementation  strategy.  In  response  to  the  flood  events  of  summer/autumn 
2002,  the  water  directors  and  the  Commission  started  an  action  on  flood  protection  which 
gave  rise  to  a  manual  of  best  practice  which  was  agreed  in  June  2003.  The  group  of  water 
directors has expressed its interest in continuing to work on the flood protection issue.  

To improve the preparedness of the national civil protection authorities in relation to disasters, 
the  Commission  has  developed  a  series  of  monitoring  instruments,  which  provide  for 
forecasting and monitoring floods at pan-European level. In the case of a possible flood event, 
the results will be delivered to the competent national authorities and civil protection services, 
as  well  as  to  the  Commission’s  Monitoring  and  Information  Centre12,13.  This  centre 
coordinates mutual assistance interventions whenever such help is requested. In addition the 
Commission organises training courses for national intervention teams and major exercises. 

The  Commission  will  continue  to  promote  concerted  approaches  to  the  reduction  of  risks 
associated with catastrophes such as floods, fires and major industrial accidents. One of the 
tools which will be common to dealing with all such challenges is risk mapping. Risk maps 
provide essential information to the public but are also important tools for planning authorities 
and the insurance industry. The development of risk maps will be closely linked to related EU 
initiatives for the collection, storage and exchange of environmental data14. 

3.2. 

Activities by Member States 

The  character  of  floods  and  the  degree  of  flood  risks  vary  throughout  Europe.  In  some 
Member  States  such  as  Hungary,  Austria,  Czech  Republic  and  Slovakia  flooding  is 
exclusively from rivers. Other Member States such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the 
Netherlands face both river and coastal flooding. 

11 

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14 

Bulgaria,  Romania,  Iceland,  Liechtenstein,  Norway  and  Switzerland  also  participate  in  meetings  of 
the Water Directors. 
Established under Council Decision 2001/792/EC. 
OJ L 297 of 15.11.2001, p. 7. 
Global  Monitoring  of  Environment  and  Security  (GMES),  Infrastructure  for  Spatial  Information  in 
Europe (INSPIRE) and GALILEO. 

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To deal with flood risks, several Member States e.g. Austria, Finland, Spain, Ireland and the 
Netherlands  have  defined  levels  of  protection  against  floods  in  official  guidelines  or  legal 
texts. In general, the levels of protection are based on the number of people and the economic 
and cultural values in flood risk areas. In other Member States, the authorities responsible for 
flood  protection  have  extensive  powers  to  undertake  the  works  necessary  for  flood 
management. However, there are no statutory rights to a particular level of protection.  

Recent flood events have encouraged Member States to develop plans or strategies for flood 
protection. In the United Kingdom, plans are being developed in order to encourage a holistic 
and  sustainable  approach  to  flood  risk  management.  Funding  in  the  UK  to  support 
construction  and  maintenance  of  defences  and  improvements  in  flood  warning  systems  is 
currently  in  the  region  of  £  500  million  per  annum:  the  development  of  Catchment  Flood 
Management  Plans  in  the  UK  is  estimated  to  cost  about  €  45-55  million.  Hungary  recently 
launched a sustainable flood management and regional development programme for the Tisza 
Valley. 

In  addition,  many  Member  States  have  developed,  or  are  developing,  flood  risk  maps.  The 
objectives  and  structure/character  of  these  maps  vary,  but  in  general  they  are  used  to  raise 
awareness of the areas at risk and for spatial planning. In France, through an amendment of 
the  law  in  1995,  the  Zoning  Risk  Exposure  Maps  have  been  improved  by  establishing 
‘preventive plans for foreseeable risk’. 

The examples given above are not exhaustive but serve to illustrate the variety of initiatives 
currently being undertaken at the national level. 

3.3. 

International Co-operation in transboundary rivers 

In  the  past,  flood  protection  was  addressed  largely  at  a  local  level,  without  upstream-
downstream  co-ordination,  frequently  just  shifting  the  problem  from  one  area  to  another. 
However,  in  river  basins such as the Rhine, Oder, Meuse,  Danube, Saar, Moselle  and  Elbe, 
the countries bordering these rivers have established bodies to ensure a co-ordinated approach 
to  river  basin  management.  In  many  of  these  river  basins  flood  protection  plans  have  been 
developed, or are being developed.  

In  the  context  of  the  Rhine  Action  Plan  on  Flood  Defence,  it  is  estimated  that  the  total 
investment  in  flood  protection  measures  during  the  period  1998  to  2020  will  reach  €  12.3 
billion. In addition, to draw the attention of the inhabitants of the Rhine valley to the risk of 
flooding,  a  Rhine  atlas  has  been  developed.  The  atlas  includes  maps  which  represent  the 
danger of flooding (basic maps) and visualise the flood danger for man and material assets in 
cases of extreme floods. The costs for developing the atlas amounted to around € 270,000. 

4. 

A CONCERTED EU ACTION PROGRAMME FOR FLOOD PROTECTION 

4.1. 

EU action programme 

Flood  events  have  the  potential  to  undermine  the  EU’s  drive  towards  sustainable 
development. Moreover, the frequency and severity of severe flood events is likely to increase 
significantly  in  the  future  due  to  global  warming.  The  problem  can  only  be  tackled 
comprehensively through concerted action in each affected river basin and coastal area. The 
transboundary  nature  of  many  of  Europe’s  most  important  river  basins,  means  that  co-

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operation  at  EU  level  can  bring  important  added  value  to  the  efforts  of  individual  Member 
States. 

It is therefore proposed that the Member States and the Commission work together to develop 
and implement a co-ordinated flood prevention, protection and mitigation action programme. 

The essential features of this action programme would include: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

the  development  and 
improving  co-operation  and  coordination 
implementation of flood risk management plans for each river basin and coastal zone 
where human health, the environment, economic activities or the quality of life can 
be negatively affected by floods; 

through 

developing  and  implementing  flood  risk  maps  as  a  tool  for  planning  and 
communication;  

improving  information  exchange,  sharing  of  experiences  and  the  co-ordinated 
development and promotion of best practices; 

developing  stronger  linkages  between  the  research  community  and  the  authorities 
responsible for water management and flood protection; 

improving co-ordination between the relevant Community policies;  

increasing awareness of flood risks through wider stakeholder participation and more 
effective communication. 

4.2. 

How  the  Member  States,  the  Commission  and  other  stakeholders  can  work 
together 

To  develop  and  implement  such  an  action  programme  would  require  actions  at  different 
levels: 

Member  States  working  through  the  relevant  river  basin,  national,  regional  and  local 
authorities, will be responsible for the flood risk management plans and the development of 
the flood risk maps. The essential features of these plans and maps are set out in the Annex.  

The Commission will facilitate co-ordination and information exchange on flood protection 
and  the  promotion  of  best  practice.  The  Commission  will  also  ensure  that  all  relevant  EU 
policies contribute, where appropriate, to flood protection. Under the Framework Programmes 
for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration, the Commission will carry out 
direct and indirect research on flood related issues. 

The  Member  States  and  the  Commission  together,  will,  in  the  context  of  the  regular 
meetings of the water directors and the representatives of the Commission, be responsible for 
the overall co-ordination of the action programme.  

Other  stakeholders  will  be  fully  involved  in  the  development  and  implementation  of  the 
flood risk management plans and any technical discussion organized by the Commission. 

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4.3. 

The costs and the expected benefits of concerted EU action 

It  is  difficult  to  quantify  in  monetary  terms  the  added  value/additional  benefits  of  the 
concerted actions proposed in this Communication. In qualitative terms the added value of EU 
action will include: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

5. 

more cost-effective and sustainable flood risk management measures through better 
co-ordination of actions across the EU;  

a comprehensive approach to reducing the risks to Europe’s sustainable development 
associated with flood damage; 

improved levels of protection resulting from sharing of experiences and information 
and the joint development of best practice; 

a  better  focusing  of  research  actions  and  a  stronger  interface  between  the  research 
community and policy makers; 

a  coherent  approach  towards  the  development  of  flood  risk  management  plans  and 
their linkages to EU funding programmes; 

a greater awareness and involvement of the public in flood protection issues. 

CONCLUSION 

The Commission invites the Member States to: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

support the assessment made by the Commission concerning the importance of flood 
protection; 

take  note  of  the  actions  ongoing,  or  planned,  at  EU,  national,  regional  and 
international level; 

support  the  need  for  a  concerted  EU  action  on  flood  prevention,  protection  and 
mitigation; 

endorse  the  essential  features  of  the  concerted  EU  action  as  presented  by  the 
Commission  and  to  agree  on  the  steps  which  should  be  taken  to  develop  and 
implement such a concerted action. 

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Guidelines for the development and implementation of flood risk management plans and 
flood risk maps 

Annex 

A. 

1. 

B. 

1. 

PRINCIPLES 

The flood risk management plans should be developed on the basis of the following 
general principles: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

Transboundary  rivers:  Member  States  should  agree  to  co-operate  in  the 
development  and  implementation  of  these  plans.  For  river  basins  shared  with 
non-EU countries existing co-ordination mechanisms will be used or new ones 
will be developed,  

Flood  risk  management  plans:  for  rivers,  to  be  fully  integrated  with  the  river 
basin  management  plans  and  programmes  of  measures  developed 
in 
accordance  with 
the  Water  Framework  Directive.  Coastal  flood  risk 
management plans should be developed within the same time frame, 

Long  term  strategic  approach:  developments  need  to  be  included  which  are 
expected in the long term (50 – 100 years), 

Interdisciplinary approach: all relevant aspects of water management, physical 
planning,  land  use,  agriculture,  transport  and  urban  development,  nature 
conservation need to be considered at all levels (national, regional and local), 

Solidarity  principle:  flood  protection  measures  should  not  compromise  the 
ability of other, upstream or downstream regions/Member States to achieve the 
level  of  protection  the  regions/Member  States  themselves  consider  to  be 
appropriate.  The  appropriate  strategy  consists  of  a  three-step  approach: 
retaining, storing and draining, 

f) 

All elements of flood risk management need to be covered: see section 2.2. 

OBJECTIVES 

The overall objectives of flood risk management plans will be: 

–  To reduce the adverse impact of floods and the likelihood of floods,  

–  To promote sustainable flood risk management measures, 

–  To  look  for  opportunities  to  work  with  natural  processes  and  to  deliver  –if  possible- 

multiple benefits from flood risk management,  

–  To inform the public and competent authorities about the flood risk and how to deal with 

it. 

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C. 

1. 

KEY OUTPUTS 

The key outputs from a flood risk management plan should be: 

–  Insight into and understanding of the size, the nature and the distribution of current flood 

risks, and scenarios for future flood risks, 

–  Understanding of flooding processes and its sensitivity to change, 

–  List of cost-effective flood risk management measures which will be taken, 

–  Flood Risk Maps (see section D) 

–  Long-term flood risk management policies that satisfy the objectives of the river basin, 

–  A prioritised set of further actions/studies for the river basin if appropriate. 

D. 

1. 

FLOOD RISK MAPS 

One of the key outputs of the flood risk management plans will be flood risk maps at 
river basin level. 

2. 

The purpose of a flood risk map is to: 

–  increase public awareness of the areas at risk of flooding,  

–  provide  information  of  areas  at  risk  by  defining  flood  risk  zones  to  give  input  to  spatial 

planning,  

–  support  the  processes  of  prioritising,  justifying  and  targeting  investments  in  order  to 

manage and reduce the risk to people, property and the environment. 

3. 

Flood risk maps should: 

–  Be developed through co-ordination at river basin level, 

–  Include both fluvial and flash floods and if appropriate coastal floods, 

–  Provide reliable, sufficient and easily understandable information, 

–  As a minimum distinguish three levels of risk: 

A.  Areas with frequently occurring flood events,  

B.  Areas with less frequently occurring flood events,  

C.  Very rare flood events, including where appropriate dyke failures, 

–  Address both the water/flood depth and the potential damage,  

–  Address both the current situation and scenarios for future flood risks, and 

–  Take other objectives in the river basin into account. 

EN 

11 

   EN