Experts from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the ICPDR supported the Twinning Team in Budapest with more than 400 days of input.

Bringing together knowledge and support.
The German-Hungarian Twinning Project on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) started in Hungary in 2002. The project aimed to assist the Hungarian environmental administration in the implementation of the new European Water Protection policy in a timely manner. Originally scheduled for only one year, the project was extended after encouraging support from the Hungarian side as well as the EU Commission. Experts from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the ICPDR supported the Twinning Team located in Budapest with roundabout 400 days of input.

Building on practical experiences gathered from Member States and the results of research projects dealing with technical issues of WFD implementation, all agreed objectives could be reached effectively. "The international experts of the Twinning Team managed to create a technically sound river and lake typology within months, and compiled criteria lists for risk assessment tailor-made for Hungarian requirements," says German project leader Stephan von Keitz delegated from the Hessian Ministry for Environment. He adds that "since gaps in the availability of biological data would have bottlenecked the pressure and impact analysis of the more than 1,000 surface water bodies, project means have been allocated to collect scattered information, for example in the field of biological data".

Successful cooperation.
The success of the project is clear. Hungarian project leader Zsuzsa Steindl of the Ministry of Environment and Water believes that, "with the help of the Twinning Project, the Hungarian WFD implementation approach is fully in line with other Danubian upstream countries". She adds that as a result of this cooperation, "Hungary is well prepared to hand in its National Report to Brussels". The report constitutes a first major milestone for all countries implementing the WFD. It is an ecological and economical assessment of all the water bodies. It is due in March 2005.

For detailed results, presentations and project reports, see www.eu-wfd.info.

THE TWINNING PROJECT

Accession countries are assisted through several EU instruments, including the PHARE programme. Originally designed for Poland and Hungary, but later extended to other accession countries, the programme assists extensive reorganisations with regard to society, economy and the political systems and highlights the necessity of a sound preparation of the accession countries. Within the PHARE programme, 'Twinning' projects have been conducted in order to build close partnerships between administrations of comparable competencies between Member States and Accession Countries.

The twinning process provides countries with the technical and administrative knowledge they need to implement the legislative and regulatory texts already passed and applied by the 15 current Member States. Cooperation methods include long-term and full-time secondment of civil servants, called Pre-Accession Advisors, from Member States to the candidate countries, as well as shorter assignments carried out by specialists in each Directive in the countries concerned.

For information on specific programmes, please visit: www.oieau.fr/anglais/international/twinning.htm

Nike Sommerwerk
is a Limnologist and former Twinning Team member currently working
as a WFD expert in the EU-Phare project 'Ecological Survey of Surface Waters, Hungary'.