During the EUROLakes consortium meeting in Radolfzell, Germany, partners held a workshop to explore how the project’s findings can contribute to European policy development. The overarching aim of EUROLakes’ task related to policies, plans and strategies is to support policy makers in upscaling the 4 Returns Framework, best practices and innovative measures, in order to improve the ecological health of European lakes. To achieve that, EUROLakes is developing four sets of policy recommendations that will feed into the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, Nature Restoration Law and EU Biodiversity Strategy.
This workshop provided a platform to reflect on these policy frameworks and identify opportunities to better align lake restoration with broader initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the Water Resilience Strategy. Discussions among project partners also highlighted the importance of integrating scientific knowledge with innovative economic and financing tools.
The central part of the workshop was the analysis of a survey previously completed by the consortium members, which provided valuable insight into the policy landscape across case studies countries. Partners identified relevant decision-makers, and reflected on these three main opportunities and challenges:
- Partners could identify both “champions” and “villains” in policy implementation, underlining the need for targeted engagement strategies.
- While political awareness of restoration obligations is increasing, timelines for implementation vary across countries.
- The need to bridge the gap between science and policy was emphasised. The partners called for clearer communication to translate EUROLakes findings into actionable recommendations.
The survey outcomes will inform the forthcoming set of recommendations due later in 2025 and help define strategies for engaging decision-makers at local, national and EU levels.
This first workshop confirmed the importance of EUROLakes project in shaping evidence-based policy recommendations to support lake restoration across Europe. By combining science, policy analysis and stakeholder engagement, EUROLakes will actively contribute to the delivery of the European Green Deal, and safeguarding of Europe’s freshwater ecosystems.
Contributor: WIE