"%2.%4#!4#( Network on the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea Catchment BERNET (Baltic Eutrophication Regional Network) is a network cooperation between water managers in seven regions of the Baltic Sea Region. The network was founded in 1999 to help improve the aquatic environment in the BERNET CATCH Executive Summary: Baltic Sea region and of the regional waters in its catchment. Right from the start, BERNET has focused especially on Eutrophication problems. Doing this, the BERNET Partners have wished to contribute to full-fi lling the aim of the Helsinki Declaration in “assuring the ecological restoration of the Baltic Sea”. Regional Implementation of The present BERNET-CATCH project running for the period 2003-2006 focuses primarily on the regional implementation WestWest FinlandFinland of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Through their activities in BERNET CATCH, the partners present and the EU Water Framework evaluate different regional (and national) solutions in order to fulfi ll the objective of achieving at least “good ecological status” of all EU waters before 2015. Viru-PeipsiViru-Peipsi FFynyn LaholmLaholm Directive in the Baltic Sea LaholmLaholm The co-operation involves the actual water managers in the regions, and takes place through face-to-face exchange CCountyounty BayBay of experiences and cross regional comparison of environmental threats to the waters within the Baltic Sea catchment, KaliningradKaliningrad including cause-effect relationships. The main activities of BERNET-CATCH is the provision of Water Management Schleswig-Schleswig- OblastOblastOblast Catchment GdanskGdansk Plans within regional pilot catchments in order to disseminate knowledge and experiences that may serve as good HolsteinHolstein examples to Water Managers and Stakeholders involved in the implementation of the EU-Water Framework Directive. The BERNET Partners: Fyn County, Denmark: Fyn County, Nature Management and Water Environment Division (Lead Partner) West Finland, Finland: West Finland Regional Environmental Center Gdansk Region, Poland: Gdansk Regional Board of Water Management Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia: Department of Federal Supervision Service for Natural Use for Kaliningrad Oblast - Ministery of Natural Resources of Russia and Government of Kaliningrad Oblast Laholm Bay Region, Sweden: Counties of Halland and Scania; Municipalities of Båstad, Laholm, and Halmstad Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: State Agency for Nature and Environment, Schleswig-Holstein Viru-Peipsi, Estonia: Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation (NGO). Reports: The outcome of BERNET CATCH is published in an Executive Summary, one Main Report, two cross-regional Theme Reports and six regional Water Management Plans, all under the same heading, Management Strategies for the Regional Implementation of EU Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea Catchment: BERNET CATCH Executive Summary: Regional Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea Catchment BERNET CATCH Main Report: Water Quality Management in the Baltic Sea Region. Regional Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive BERNET CATCH Theme Report: Public Participation and Water Management in the Baltic Sea Region. Regional Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea Catchment BERNET CATCH Theme Report: How to defi ne, assess and monitor the ecological status of rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Regional Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea Catchment BERNET CATCH Regional Report: Odense Fjord, Water Management Plan BERNET CATCH Regional Report: River Stensåen, Water Management Plan BERNET CATCH Regional Report: River Pasleka , Water Management Plan February 2006 Image provided by GeoEye and NASA Sea WiFs Project BERNET CATCH Regional Report: River Kyronjoki, Water Management Plan BERNET CATCH Regional Report: River Mamonovka, Water Management Plan BERNET CATCH Regional Report: Schwentine River, Water Management Plan. Contact us Project part-fi nanced by This project has received European the European Union Regional Development Funding Visit http://www.bernet.org through the INTERREG III B Community Initiative for further information and up-dated news about BERNET CATCH. From here you may also order previous BERNET reports, including 7 reports on different aspects of Eutrophication Management in the Baltic Sea Region. Title: BERNET CATCH Executive Summary Project Committee: Jørgen Dan Petersen, (Chairman), Chief Executive Director, Fyn County Flemming M. Mouritsen, Head of Div., Fyn County Halina Burakowska, Director, RZGW Gdansk Ingemar Holgersson, Head of Dept., Båstad Municipality Janusz Topilko, Senior Expert, RZGW Gdansk Joachim Voss, Head of Div., Schleswig-Holstein Kristian Wennberg, Head of Div., Scania County Liisa-Maria Rautio, Special Expert, West Finland Regional Environment Centre Maya Kolosentsewa, Intl. Coordinator, Kaliningrad Oblast Mogens Michael Møller, Senior Expert, Fyn County Ole Tyrsted Jørgensen, Project Manager, Fyn County Pertti Sevola, Director, West Finland Regional Environment Centre Stig Eggert Pedersen, Head of Unit, Fyn County Vincent Westberg, Senior Planning Offi cer, West Finland Regional Environment Centre Wolfgang Vogel, Director, Schleswig-Holstein Youry Tsibyn, Head of Dept., Kaliningrad Oblast Editors: Stig Eggert Pedersen, Fyn County (Chief Editor) Jørgen Windolf, Fyn County Morten Sørensen, Fyn County Nanna Rask, Fyn County Ole Tyrsted Jørgensen, Fyn County Peter Wiberg-Larsen, Fyn County Layout & graphics: Birte Vindt, Fyn County Inge Friis Møllegaard, Fyn County Cover photograph: Image provided by GeoEye and NASA Sea WiFs Project Publisher: BERNET c/o Fyn County Ørbækvej 100 DK-5220 Odense, Denmark www.bernet.org Published: February 2006 Printed: Fyns Amts Trykkeri Circulation: 1000 Please cite as: BERNET CATCH (2006): Executive Summary: Regional implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea Catchment ISBN: 87-7343-631-3 Financial Support: The BERNET CATCH was implemented with fi nancial support from the EU Commission´s Regional Develop ment Fund the Interreg IIIB Baltic Sea Region (the participation of West Finland Regional Environment Center (FIN), The Laholm Bay area (S), Schleswig-Holstein (D), and Fyn County (DK)). The project was co-fi nanced by the European Union´s Tacis programme through the Tacis CBC Small Project Facility (the participation of Gdansk (PL) and Kaliningrad (RUS)). Foreword This report presents the overall conclusions and rec- effects of the programme of measures. ommendations of the BERNET CATCH project “Inte- BERNET CATCH is thus a “trail run” of WFD grated Management of Catchments – a Regional implementation, although the necessary national Cooperation on Implementation of the Water Frame- guidelines and administrative tools may not be fully work Directive in the Baltic Sea Region”. The report is developed at this early stage in the implementation an executive summary of the main report “BERNET process. Through the project the BERNET partners CATCH Main Report: Water Quality Management in present and evaluate different regional (and national) the Baltic Sea Region – Regional Implementation of solutions to fulfi lling the WFD environmental objec- the EU Water Framework Directive”, and is aimed at tive of achieving at least “good status” of all EU water politicians and interested members of the public. bodies by 2015. BERNET (Baltic Eutrophication Regional Network) is a network cooperation between water manag- The BERNET Partners: ers in seven regions of the Baltic Sea region. The • Fyn County, Denmark: Fyn County, Nature Man- network was founded in 1999 to help improve the agement and Water Environment Division aquatic environment in the Baltic Sea region. Since (Lead Partner) its inception, BERNET has focused on alleviating • West Finland, Finland: West Finland Regional Envi- eutrophication in order to help fulfi l the aim of the ronmental Center Helsinki Declaration “to assure the ecological resto- • Gdansk Region, Poland: Gdansk Regional Board ration of the Baltic Sea”. of Water Management The present BERNET CATCH project (2003–2006) • Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia: Department of Federal primarily focuses on regional implementation of the Supervision Service for Natural Use for Kaliningrad EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and aims to Oblast - Ministery of Natural Resources of Russia strengthen regional capacity and facilitate integration and Government of Kaliningrad Oblast of the directive’s implementation with statutory phys- • Laholm Bay Region, Sweden: Counties of Halland ical planning, as well as to foster public participation and Scania; Municipalities of Båstad, Laholm, and and stakeholder ownership. With its broad represen- Halmstad tation in the Baltic Sea region, BERNET CATCH high- • Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: State Agency for lights the pan-Baltic perspective and the regional Nature and Environment, Schleswig-Holstein interdependence of aquatic environmental quality • Viru-Peipsi, Estonia: Peipsi Center for Transbound- – especially in the Baltic Sea. One of the project’s ary Cooperation (NGO). main objectives is to prepare a river basin manage- ment plan for a pilot river basin (PRB) in each partner Finally, we wish to thank the many colleagues from region stipulating measures aimed at improving the the BERNET partner regions who contributed their quality of the surface waters and groundwater. Each knowledge and ideas to the project. We hope that river