The European Water Framework Directive — Boon or Bane for Hydraulic Engineering?

Hydraulic engineering with its basic tasks to supply flood protection strategies and tools, to organise policies in the area of conflict of land use regulation, regional planning, agriculture, water and power supply etc. cannot be displaced, i.e. it will be irrecoverable in organising the measures to reach the targets of the European water framework directive. To support the coherent implementation of the European water framework directive observing and transferring the common implementation strategies agreed by the European Commission and the member states both hydraulic engineering and hydrology will keep there important role for a sustainable development of water resources an the whole environment. To manage and to meet the ambitious targets of the European water framework directive all-encompassing steps and visions including the importance of nature related measures are needed to detach from traditional short-term paradigm and to get a sustainable water management.