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On behalf of the European Commission, DG Environment, Ecologic Fellow Thomas Dworak participated in a workshop on the WFD and Agriculture and gave a presentation on EU agricultural policies and water management. The workshop was held in Malinska, Croatia on 25-26 April 2006 and organised by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) together with the UNDP-GEF Danube Regional Project.

The agricultural sector is one of the key polluters of the Danube River Basin (DRB). To successfully achieve the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives by 2015, the river basin management plans (RBMP) of DRB countries therefore need to encompass measures aiming at the reduction and/or prevention of agricultural pressures on water bodies. To select these measures, many national water and agriculture authorities of the DRB require support from the ICPDR and UNDP-GEF.

Against this background, the main objectives of the workshop were to:

• Identify measures that can be used to support the WFD implementation in the DRB, especially rural development measures under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); 
• Create a better understanding and co-ordination between the authorities planning rural development and authorities responsible for river basin management plans in the DRB; and 
• Support the exchange of experiences between representatives from countries, international organisations and consultants in the field of WFD and agriculture.

As part of the introduction session, Thomas Dworak’s presentation focussed on the linkages between EU agricultural policies and water management, including in particular the activities of the Strategic Steering Group (SSG) on WFD and Agriculture. A mission report describing the main findings and outcomes of the workshop was then delivered to the European Commission.

The presentation of Thomas Dworak is available for download [pdf, 467 KB, English].