3rd Event Science and Policy Interface
In December 2009, the Water Directors of the European Union established an Ad Hoc Activity on Water Science-Policy Interface (SPI-CIS) under the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) of the Water Framework Directive.
The SPI-CIS activity aims to establish working relationships among research projects and WFD implementers. In this perspective, the mandate of the CIS-SPI activity includes 3 tasks for the period 2010-2012:
- Task 1: inventory of research and implementation needs from CIS groups;
- Task 2: identify available research and research gaps;
- Task 3: improve transfer and usability of research outputs.
In 2010, a questionnaire was sent to CIS groups and allowed to identify research and implementation needs induced by WFD implementation. The results of this work were presented and discussed in the “1st SPI event” that was organized by EC DG RTD and ONEMA on 30 September 2010. The full report can be downloaded on: http://circa.europa.eu/Members/irc/env/wfd/library?l=/framework_directive/thematic_documents/relevant_research/cis-spi_2011
The 2nd SPI event co-organised by ONEMA and DG RTD in Brussels on 29-30 September 2011 attracted more than 110 participants from 21 countries. This event was a good opportunity for dialogue between policy makers (46 %), scientists (35 %), water managers (10 %) and representatives of the private sector (9 %).
This event was organised in two main sessions: Part 1 aimed to present and clarify the concept of ecosystem services approach (ESA) and to show their relevance and limitations in relation to the WFD; Parts 2 to 4 consisted of a series of three roundtables to discuss specific case studies where the ecosystem services approach had been tested in relation to water quantity and quality management and hydromorphology.
