Transboundary issues in water resources

This chapter provides a general description of transboundary issues related to international watercourses, with a focus on situations involving EU members. The legal and institutional frameworks are briefly described and the historic evolution and current situation reviewed for the Rhine, the Danube, and the main Portuguese-Spanish rivers. There is an established tradition in Europe of bilateral and multilateral agreements and conventions on international water problems. The rapid evolution of environmental management concepts at the international level will have a clear impact on the approach taken by the international community with respect to international rivers. Sustainable development, shared responsibility, hydrodiplomacy, subsidiarity, epistemic communities, and public involvement are some of the key words. This chapter argues that global agreements dealing with all aspects of water resources management should be put under a common general framework, and that the levels of planning, management, and operation should be explicitly addressed in the specific agreements. This is essential to achieve an adequate balance and integration between the social, environmental, technical, legal and institutional dimensions of the existing problems.