Legal framework and criteria for effectively coordinating public participation under the Floods Directive and Water Framework Directive: European requirements and German transposition

The paper investigates the legal framework for coordinating public participation in flood risk management and river basin management. It analyses the requirements of the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Directive, and the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive from a comparative perspective and elaborates criteria for effective coordination of consultation procedures. The assessment of European requirements against these criteria reveals leeway for specification in national legal transposition. The extent to which Germany has made use of this leeway for coordination of consultation and participation is examined.