Basin councils in the water resources management mechanism in Ukraine: on the way to European standards

Abstract

The purpose of the article is the analysis the development of the concept of water resources management according to the basin principle and the role of basin councils in the mechanism for implementing water policy. The legal definition of the basin principle of water resources management in the EU directives is considered, first of all Directive 2000/60/EC of 23.10.2000. It is emphasized that the concept of water resources management according to the basin principle has expanded: from the assessment of the river basin solely as a resource development unit to the inclusion in it of issues of environmental protection, possible consequences of climate change, restoration of aquatic ecosystems damaged by human intervention in the hydrological cycle, which has various designations. The analysis of European national practices in the implementation of water policies testifies to the integration, interaction of concepts of sustainable development and comprehensive water management and urban planning policy (the so-called «territorial» policies for the development and management of water resources).
Comparative analysis of the practice of implementing the requirements of Directive 2000/60/EC and the legal regulation of consultative and advisory bodies - river basin committees, basin councils, which are recognized as important tools for river basin management, gives grounds to state that basin councils in Ukraine do not have the same influence on the implementation of water policy as in the EU member States, which stood at the origins of the creation of the European Community, in particular in France. It is noted that there is a need to draw on the experience of countries developing mechanisms in which basin councils acquire the status of an active, effective tool for water management and are used as a platform for dialogue and a tool for improving it, that envisages various forms of public-private partnership, delegating certain powers to them and monitoring their activities, involving various institutions of civil society. Public participation should be supported in the early stages of the planning process to make it most effective, at the same time it is important to ensure transparency in the decision-making process to stimulate the participation of the largest number of interested actors in decision making.