Consequences of the European Union water framework directive for information management in its interstate river basins

From 2000 onwards, the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) is expected to strongly enhance information management per river basin, especially via standardized monitoring and reporting. The WED contains normative definitions of target situations and gives detailed prescriptions for monitoring, inter-calibration of the monitoring, and evaluation procedures. It is argued that the general approach of the WED and the way information management is planned assures knowledge building on behalf of integrated water management in Europe, but that the development of concepts, which underpin the normative definitions and the exact monitoring approach still lags behind.