Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘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: 2005-02-23
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: action programme, environmental risk prevention, flood

5.7.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 164/1

II

(Preparatory Acts)

COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

58th PLENARY SESSION OF 23 AND 24 FEBRUARY 2005

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the
Council,
the European Economic and Social committee and the
Committee of the Regions — Flood risk management — Flood prevention, protection and mitiga-
tion’

the European Parliament,

(2005/C 164/01)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

Having regard to the 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 (COM(2004) 472 final);

Having regard to the decision of the European Commission of 12 July 2004 to consult it on this subject,
under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

Having regard to its President's decision of 26 May 2004 to instruct the Commission for Sustainable
Development to draw up an opinion on this subject;

Having regard to the Council Conclusions on Flood risk management adopted on 14 October 2004;

Having regard to its opinion on the Commission Proposal for a Council Directive establishing a frame-
work for Community action in the field of water policy (COM(1997) 49 final — CdR 171/97 fin (1));

Having regard to its opinion on the Commission Communication on the sixth environment action
programme of the European Community ‘Environment 2010: our future, our choice — the Sixth Environ-
ment Action Programme’, and the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council
on the Community Environment Action Programme 2001–2010 (COM(2001) 31 final — CdR 36/2001
fin (2));

Having regard to its resolution on the recent flood disasters in Europe and the establishment of the Euro-
pean Union Solidarity Fund (CdR 294/2002 fin (3));

Having regard to its own-initiative opinion on Management and consequences of natural disasters: the
role of European structural policy (CdR 104/2003 fin (4));

Having regard to its opinion on the Commission proposal for a regulation establishing a European
grouping of cross-border cooperation (COM(2004)496 final — CdR 62/2004 fin);

(1) OJ C 180, 11.6.1998, p. 38
(2) OJ C 357, 14.12.2001, p. 44
(3) OJ C 66, 19.3.2003, p. 26
(4) OJ C 256, 24.10.2003, p. 74

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Official Journal of the European Union

5.7.2005

Having regard to its opinion on the Communication from the European Commission ‘Building our
common Future — Policy challenges and Budgetary means of
the Enlarged Union 2007-2013’
(COM(2004) 101 final — CdR 162/2004 fin);

Having regard to its opinion (CdR 299/2004 rev.1) adopted on 9 December 2004 by its Commission for
sustainable development (rapporteur: Mr Aalderink, Member of the Executive Board of the Province of
Gelderland (NL/ALDE));

WHEREAS

1)

2)

3)

Flood risk management is an important issue for European regions and municipalities. Many
regional and local authorities have to deal with the risks of flooding from either rivers or the sea to
protect and preserve the quality of life for their citizens.

Different types of floods can be identified due to their different regional characteristics. Diverse
measures are required to reduce the likelihood and impact of floods. A regional approach towards
flood risk management is therefore necessary.

Rivers and seas do not respect boundaries. It is therefore necessary to strive for cross-border coop-
eration between inhabitants and administrators in coastal areas and in entire catchment areas of
rivers. It is essential to create solidarity between people who are not directly threatened by floods
and those who live on banks or shores which are threatened by flooding.

adopted the following opinion at its 58th plenary session of 23 and 24 February 2005 (meeting of
23 February):

1. The Committee of the Regions' views

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

features in the Commission
1.1 welcomes the essential
Communication and in particular
concerted action
programme on flood protection and underlines that seas and
rivers are dynamic systems which can not be controlled by
simple or sectorial measures;

the

appreciates that

1.5
the Council on 14 October 2004
concluded that in the context of the regular meetings of the EU
Water Directors the action programme on flood protection
should be prepared in cooperation with other stakeholders and
relevant parties and emphasises that European regional and
local authorities should participate in this preparation;

1.6
encourages and would like to take active part in stimu-
lating regional and local authorities to develop plans before
2007 that fit, in advance, within the new EU possibilities for
financing, taken into account that using EU financial support,
means that national, regional and local financial participation is
required.

appreciates that

flood protection measures

in one
1.2
region may affect flooding in other upstream or downstream
regions. It is therefore important that the effects of measures
are determined for
this
approach should not lead to prescribed models, standardised
plans or further bureaucracy as regional and local authorities
know that they are bound in diversity and not in uniformity;

the entire river basin. However,

realises, however,

that determining the effects of
1.3
measures on an entire river basin requires a minimum number
of standard indicators. These indicators offer the possibility to
fine-tune and coordinate actions on an international, national,
level. To assure flexibility it should be
regional and local
possible to alter the number of standard indicators depending
on the circumstances;

2. Committee of the Regions' recommendations

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

2.1
considers that the threat of flooding is a communal
problem and that it should be addressed on the level of the
entire river basin catchment area. The overall aim should be to
create a common responsibility and solidarity within the river
basin area so that the entire area would be considered when
looking for effective measures to fight the threat of flooding in
a small area of the basin;

1.4
underlines that the citizens should be made aware of
the importance of taking preventive measures when there is no
perceived threat. Commitment of the citizens is very important,
as citizens are the actual standard bearers of the principle of
solidarity. This is particularly important for those citizens who
live in river basin areas that face no acute or potential danger
of flooding, but which parts may in particular be sensible to
create runoff;

2.2
considers that it is essential to raise awareness among
all stakeholders in a river basin and certainly to upstream areas
that are not, or to a lesser extent, prone to flooding but who
contribute by their land use to create runoff and recommends
that all regional and local authorities in a river basin should be
obligated to active participation in the process of planning for
preventative measures;

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2.3
supports the river basin approach as an integrated way
of working, without any sectorial exceptions. This method will
have to be practised when applying the principle of solidarity,
which is also supported by it;

2.4
believes that the European Commission's Monitoring
and Information Centre for Civil Protection could play an
important role in addition to the spreading of information to
national, regional and local authorities and recommends that
the Centre introduce activities aimed at increasing awareness
also among stakeholders, both for the general public and for
industry; to enhance river basin wide solidarity, recommends
that the Centre establishes flood partnership initiatives;

2.5
believes that only a wide integrated approach, which
encompasses several policy sectors, could lead to the desired
effect in the longer term, therefore suggests that the action
programme on flood protection actively addresses the multidis-
ciplinary range of soil bounded policies;

2.6
underlines the importance of the implementation of
the principle of solidarity in a strategy with three steps,
namely, retaining, storing and draining water. A proper land
use and water management system may reduce floods in large
rivers and especially in smaller rivers. An example of this is to
use the water storage capacity of the soil, small water systems
and small basins as the storage of rain in these elements may
reduce peak discharges in the rivers;

2.7
advises the Commission to lay down the activities
required to reduce the impact or likelihood of floods in an
action programme involving cooperation at all administrative
levels concerned. The development of flood risk management

Brussels, 23 February 2005.

plans should not be hindered by a noncommittal attitude of
any Member State;

suggests that when devising and fine tuning the
2.8
measures for flood protection, the working methods and the
principles of the Water Framework Directive should be used,
without striving to amend the Directive;

believes that in the long-term the action programme on
2.9
flood protection should be attuned to all measures that are the
result of the Water Framework Directive;

2.10
takes a positive view of an action programme on
flood protection with short-term and long-term objectives. In
the short term it is absolutely imperative that existing initia-
tives, especially those aimed at the implementation of structural
measures, will be continued. Regional and local authorities
need to make every effort to realise concrete actions in the
the action
flood prevention in anticipation of
range of
programme;

takes

the success of

the view that

2.11
the action
programme on flood protection is closely linked to satisfactory
financing. This view is reflected in the proposed Financial
Perspectives for the period 2007-2013 and in the proposals for
Regional Development Fund, the EU Social Fund, and the EU
Cohesion Fund;

strongly supports the Commission's proposed method
2.12
for pinpointing, disseminating and promoting best practice. To
this end, regional and local authorities and any stakeholders in
the various regions who could make a useful contribution
should be involved, alongside the Member States.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB