European Flooding Directive conference

Conference to brief the UK flood risk management sector on the progress on and implications of the EU Flooding Directive in relation to implementation.

European Flooding Directive: Planning for Implementation conference.

March 28th 2007 SOAS, London.

Work on The European Flooding Directive is progressing steadily and it is timely to explore the implications for the UK flood risk management (FRM) sector not only with regard to implementation in the UK but also from the opportunities arising in the European business perspective.

The aim of this conference is to brief the UK flood risk management sector on the progress on and implications of the EU Flooding Directive in relation to implementation.

Objectives to ensure delegates understand through presentations and discussion sessions:.

* The timing of the Directive, UK legislation and roll-out timetable.

* The content of the Directive re implementation to assess the scale of change required.

* The interactions with other major work streams, Making Space for Water, Shoreline Management plans, Catchment Flood Management Plans, The Water Framework Directive etc.

* The costs, limitations and business opportunities.

Outline and Issues to be covered:.

1.

European process / legal / timetable issues / issues of national v EU perspective.

* Expected final position / text from 2nd reading expected late Feb / early March 2007.

* Difficult Euro parliament amendments - subsidies re flooding.

* 'Flexibilities'.

* Cost.

* Law and FRM - not a permissive power in UK.

* Capacity across Europe to deliver the FRM / risk mapping approach [Business opportunities].

* Devolved perspectives England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

2.

Flood Risk Assessment and Flood Risk Maps.

* Preliminary flood risk assessment - scope.

* Shared assessment of risk - is there a common understanding of risk - yes/no?.

* Maps, maps and more maps?.

* Practical issues - who are the maps for? How will they be used? and links with planning process.

* Mapping other forms of flooding.

* FRM techniques moving into Europe...

Probabilistic v deterministic methods.

* Are Dutch, Germans and French in line with UK?.

3.

Flood risk management plans..

* Size/scale of FRM plans.

* Setting objectives for FRM.

* Measures to meet objectives.

* Joint plans with countries - cross/trans boundary issues.

* Working with others eg NGO input to FRM.

* What happens to existing FRM plans (i.e CFMPs, SMPs and Strategies)?.

4.

Links with the Water Framework Directive, Stakeholder consultation, and reporting.

* Relationship with WFD.

* FRM Directive and WFD - co-ordinating these "sister" directives.

* Competent authorities.

* Links with River Basin Planning and Liaison Panels.

* Consultation arrangements.

* Reporting and Reviews.

To download the full programme for this important conference, together with booking information, please visit the website.

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