The EC water framework directive and transboundary water systems: the case of the Danube basin and the Black Sea region

Costs, benefits, and international financing related to the water sector in the Danube and Black Sea region in the perspective of WFD implementation (by Susanna Paleari) - ABSTRACT: Further to constitute a challenge for many EU15 countries, the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is going to represent the main reference for the process of approximation of water legislation of ‘accession countries’, as well as water policy and legislation of many ‘third countries’ of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In this work we focus on expected investment costs, estimated benefits, and external financing programmes for water policies and WFD implementation in an extensive geographical area, the Black Sea region, which includes the Danube Basin (that is the second largest European water basin after the Volga Basin) and covers industrial and agricultural areas of 22 countries. As we are primarily interested in the economic aspects of water policies and the WFD implementation in the above geographical area, we will develop a joint analysis of: (a) the available estimates on the size of investments in the water sector required to approximate the provisions and/or (depending on single countries) the principles of WFD; (b) the available estimates on the expected benefits from implementing EU water legislation and the WFD.

Susanna Paleari, The EC water framework directive and transboundary water systems: the case of the Danube basin and the Black Sea region in "ECONOMIA DELLE FONTI DI ENERGIA E DELL’AMBIENTE" 1/2006, pp 35-59, DOI: