Territorial cohesion and water management in Europe: the spatial perspective

This report considers the links between water
management in the EU — especially the
implementation of the Water Framework Directive
(WFD) — and territorial cohesion (1), in the
perspective of spatial analysis (2) and spatial
planning (3). It looks at the role of spatial analysis
and planning for the implementation of the Directive
as well as related provisions such as the Floods Directive and the development and implementation
of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). It
considers links between Regional Policy (4) and
water management in the EU, including the
lessons from a spatial perspective. It further looks
at cross‑country cooperation, a key element of
both the WFD and territorial cohesion and finally
considers future challenges for implementation of
the Directive and the development of RBMPs, in
particular considering the spatial context.