The dialogues reflected priorities on the national level concerning river basin planning, sustainable sanitation, water governance, and cross sectoral cooperation. The goal of the dialogues was to address national IWRM priorities, strengthen cooperation with major stakeholders and initiate changes in policies and legislation. The dialogues were also an opportunity for country water partnerships to clarify concepts of river basin planning as they are spelled out by the Water Framework Directive and IWRM planning. They also helped to identify gaps to be addressed by GWP.
Despite their common past, the dialogues showed a great deal of diversity among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Different national approaches were taken and the dialogues showed distinct priorities in water management. Also, the different countries had specific attitudes and used different methods for stakeholders’ involvement. This once again show that there is no one-size-fits-all solution as the best way to develop and implement national IWRM plans.
A longer summary and full case study is available at the GWP ToolBox