Invitation

The Ministry of the Environment and Forests (MoEF) of Romania is pleased to invite you, or delegates on your behalf, to the WG F Thematic Workshop on Implementation of the Directive 2007/60/EC “Stakeholder involvement in flood risk management” to be held in Bucharest on 17-18th April, 2012.

Details of the workshop and registration are outlined below. Your attention is drawn to the need to register and reserve accommodation as early as possible.

Workshop Background

As part of a series of workshops looking at the implementation of Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risks, the ‘Floods’ Directive, Working Group F will organize a two day thematic workshop in Bucharest, Romania during April 2012 on the subject of “Stakeholders involvement in flood risk management”. The event will be hosted by the Romanian Government with support from the ICPDR and Danube Floodrisk Project Management Team and Steering Committee.

The two main aims of WG F are:

a) To support the implementation of the Floods Directive
b) To improve information exchange related to the Floods Directive.

The objectives of WG F are to:

a) Provide the means for the implementation of the Floods Directive

b) Create a platform for coordination with the Water Framework Directive

c) Enable links with other CIS activities

d) Provide a platform for information exchange on:

- Best Practices among Member States

- National and EU flood related research programmes

- Best use of EU funding for flood related activities

- Other flood related EU policies within DG Environment’s remit.

Reaching the WG F objectives, different representative projects are called to bring their experince, and in this case, the Danube Floodrisk Project was invited in co-organizing the event.

About the EU DANUBE Floodrisk project, and its relevance for the proposed workshop

The EU DANUBE Floodrisk Project was launched to support activities implementing the Floods Directive in the region. The project is closely linked to the ICPDR Flood Protection Expert group, providing solutions for method integration and stakeholder involvement at a large transnational basin scale as Danube.

In previous WG F Thematic workshops, the role of stakeholder involvement has been raised on a number of occasions as a topic for which EU level information exchange on good practices needs to be further developed.

The public and stakeholders, through constructive engagement, can help inform the development of the flood maps and FRMPs, as well as benefit from the outcomes. Relevant stakeholders include a wide range of interests, including national, regional and local ministries and authorities, international river commissions, civil protection and emergency response services, land use planners, the insurance industry, the scientific community as well as flood risk managers and the general population.

In relation to flood maps, stakeholders and members of the public can help provide local information to enhance the accuracy of the maps and provide input in relation to the formats to ensure that the maps provide optimum benefit to end-users for purposes such as awareness raising of risk, public and institutional preparedness and planning for flood events (including flash floods), enhanced resilience, and the promotion of sustainable development and land use planning. Similarly, the public and stakeholders have important roles to play in the preparation of the FRMPs, particularly in relation to:

-       Setting flood risk management objectives

-       Identifying important local issues that should be considered when assessing appropriate measures

-       The decision-making process for the selection of measures (MCA, benefits and costs)

-       The criteria for prioritisation of measures

When considering public and stakeholder engagement, as well as the dissemination of information, it is important to consider:

-       The objectives and target audience of the engagement or dissemination (i.e., who the stakeholders are),

-       The most appropriate and effective timing of the consultation for different stakeholders

-       The scale and scope of the engagement, taking into account the need for information exchange and / or cooperation between local, regional, national and international authorities

-       The mechanism or media by which the engagement or dissemination might be undertaken (e.g., web-based publication or consultation, such as internet-based flood mapping portals, publicity campaigns, public exhibitions, public meetings, community group liaison, workshops, etc.)

-       The format, content and tools for implementing the engagement or applying in dissemination

The awareness and understanding of members of the public and stakeholders of the risk of flooding, and how they should respond in the event of a flood is also essential for effective emergency response and community resilience.

The workshop will examine each of the above issues thematically when considering flood maps and FRMPs, with consideration of the differences between public and institutional stakeholder engagement.

Workshop Format

The Stakeholders Workshop will consist of a two day meeting (17^th – 18^th April), bringing together experts of the WG F, of projects implemented for flood risk mapping and flood risk management plans, together with representatives of stakeholders and end users. The workshop will be followed by a one day meeting for WG F 11 on 19^th April 2012. The event will be held in the Parliament House of Romania, Nicolae Balcescu Conference Hall.

The Workshop is organized in sessions chaired by designated officials, and following with introductory presentations and panel discussions on the respective topic. The panellists will present brief initial thoughts and then lead discussion sessions so that participants can gain greater depth in one or other of the topics.

A brief questionnaire and call for papers is distributed together with this invitation.

The full documents of the workshop are available on the folowing sites: danube-floodrisk.eu and www.hidro.ro, as well as from the Scientific Committee and Organizing Committee.

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