River basin management in a changing climate

The Water Directors have adopted the Guidance document ‘River basin management in a changing climate’ at their meeting in Ghent, Belgium on 13-14 June 2024.  The purpose of this guidance is to help water managers to integrate and to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change, such as the increase of intensity and frequency of intensive rainfall, prolonged droughts, and heat waves as well as slow-onset changes like warming, spread of invasive species and sea level rise.  

The former version of this guidance dates to 2009. Since then, much more knowledge to the impacts of climate change, as well as policies and practical approaches has been developed. Therefore the Water Directors had assigned the Ad-hoc task group Water scarcity and droughts with the task to update this guidance no. 24 ‘River basin management in a changing climate’ in close cooperation with the other working groups operating under the Common Implementation Strategy.

The guidance will help water managers to align river basin management planning, with special attention to the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. It gives up to date information on climate change impacts on the water cycle and provide guiding principles and tools, such as long-term monitoring, climate risk assessments, mapping, developing plans and securing funding for measures.

Special attention is given to nature-based solutions, cross-border/transboundary aspects, as well as the climate check of measures. It also refers to the recently published guidelines on Member States’ Adaptation Strategies and Plans as well as the Regional Adaptation Support Tool.