The Natural Countryside Programme focuses on physical measures, thus creating  a robust Nature Network Netherlands (NNN), with Natura 2000 restoration measures, agricultural nature management and Water Framework Directive (WFD). If necessary, additional initiatives are taken for specific species and partner initiatives  at local and regional level are encouraged.

Because of the interaction between the NNN,  water and environmental conditions and natural values in the area, it is important that there is more cohesion within and outside the NNN. Agricultural nature management is an instrument that contributes to the international obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives and the WFD, as well as to the attractiveness and living environment in rural areas. Together with the waterboards, the Province of Drenthe is looking for maximum synergy between the Natural Countryside Programme, the WFD, the Future-Oriented Agriculture Programme and the revised National Environment and Planning Act.

The recreation sector is one of the economic pillars of rural Drenthe. Nature is a valuable asset in this respect. Recreation  is possible as long as nature objectives are not compromised. Sustainably strengthening the natural environment  contributes to climate objectives. For example, Drenthe retains water in stream valleys such as the river Hunze. Where possible,  climate strategy principles are part of the design of nature reserves.

In 2020 the provincial authority addressed the climate emergency, which  demands acting with transformative measures and adaptation to climate change, with environmental policies and environmental criteria in local municipal policies. This gave birth to the REACCIONA (REACT) Strategy, a funding programme by Diputació de Valencia created by Presidential Decree in 2020 to contribute to municipal projects under several streams in climate change mitigation, adaptation and education. The focus in RIWET is on one of these REACT Fund streams addressing river and floodplain restoration activities.

One of the most important actions of the strategy is the conservation and management of natural areas, especially with regards to rivers and floodplains. The Valencia Provincial Council's REACCIONA strategy has funded a total of 17 municipal river restoration projects in 2021 with a total investment of EUR 600,000. In 2022 a total of 16 new municipalities participated, meaning and investement of  EUR 606,000.  Municipalities use the funds for riverbank and floodplain restoration, as well as habitat improvement.

The REACCIONA strategy focuses on supporting the municipalities in Valencia, especially the smaller ones since these lack the expertise both to plan and to carry out the restoration activities. Which is why public-private partnerships can support and enhance the activities. LIMNE is one of the civic organizations assisting municipalities in river restoration.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to ensure a good status for all waters by 2027. According to the WFD, polluted waters should become clean again and remain so. River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) are the key instrument for the implementation of EU WFD requirements in Latvia. RBMPs analyse the past environmental situation and define necessary programmes of measures (including responsibilities and funding) - all to be carried out and evaluated in a six-year cycle.

The WFD has direct links with numerous EU Directives, meaning that collaboration must take place not only between various countries but also between various stakeholders and disciplines. This policy instrument will be analysed  to create synergy with the recently revised EU Drinking Water Directive that by 2023 must be transposed into national legislation by 2023. None of the EU countries have  done that as yet. Drinking water is a basic necessity for citizens and industry and it is expected that the main discussion points between stakeholders - research institutions, policy makers, private sector and water users will be:

• Lack of multidisciplinary knowledge base
• Different interpretation of new requirements
• Identification of responsibility areas

Moreover, great efforts will be dedicated to increasing  stakeholder involvement in the development of RBMPs by co-creating common water management solutions.

The new General Urban Plan is the main territorial planning tool of the Municipality of Cesena (approved with Council Resolution n.23 on 07/04/2022) and is the result of a rich participatory process that involved economic stakeholders, social actors and citizens to define the strategy for the urban and ecological environmental quality of the city. The Plan is organised into 5 Thematic Axes, divided into 18 objectives linked to the needs of local development. These are set down in in the Municipal Mandate Plan and are a response to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030 and  the missions of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (within Next Generation EU).

The first Thematic Axis identified by the Plan is "Safe and Sustainable City", with a strategic objective to strengthen  the relationship between the city and the Savio River and the restoration of the floodplain. This recognizes that the ecological and social value of the river axis is a driver for local development. The Plan provides for the creation of a natural park along the entire course of the river inside the municipal territory, thus enhancing its ecological role as a blue corridor within the urban area and developing the river landscape to increase its liveability and daily use. Within the Plan, the Savio River represents the starting point for creating green ecological corridors and developing ecosystem services  with a climate resilience perspective.

The 1st FFMP was developed jointly by FRIS and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MKGP) in cooperation with the Fisheries Association of Slovenia (RZS) and the Institute for Nature Conservation of Slovenia (ZRSVN), endorsed by the government in 2010. The Freshwater Fisheries Act forms the legal basis for the FFMP, putting fish management under national responsibility and establishing FRIS as the responsible public service organisation.

The FFMP :

• Includes an analysis of the current status and trends
• Sets the goals and guidance for protection and sustainable use of fish
• Proposes tasks and measures for achieving fish management objectives
• Defines measures for conservation of favourable status of threatened fish as per nature conservation legislation
• Identifies the numerous  organisations responsible and the indicators.

The specific objectives and measures of the FFMP targeted by RIWET are:

1. The fish management planning (Obj. 6.10) as part of the FRIS public service (section A)
2. Conservation of threatened species & achieving good ecological status (Obj. 6.11) 
3. Reducing Water Infrastructure Impacts (6.14.

To enable river restoration, the lack of integration between fish (ZZRS), nature conservation (ZRSVN), water infrastructure planning and management, participation and cooperation between different sectors will be developed. This will increase implementation of the many specific measures under the listed FFMP objectives.

The CAP 2023-2027 Strategic Plan of Greece aims to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture by contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation via a more efficient management of natural resources and protection of biodiversity. Farmers’ income payments comply with a set of statutory management requirements (i.e. Water Framework Directive, Habitats and Birds Directives) and standards for Good Agriculture and Environmental Conditions (GAECs), called ‘conditionalities’.

For the first time, one of them, GAEC 2, protects wetlands and peatlands, introducing bans on the conversion or drainage of littoral zones of water bodies (mainly lakes) as well as on reed and peatland burning. And introducing  thematic studies on agricultural measures within Natura 2000 sites. Two more GAECs, No 4 and 8, are relevant to wetlands: establishment of buffer strips along water courses and retention of landscape features (including ponds and small lakes, ditches etc), respectively.

The Plan supports ecological programmes, called eco-schemes and agri-environmental and climate change measures. Objectives and measures relevant to the protection, conservation or restoration of wetland ecosystems cross the three axes of the Strategic Plan (conditionality for payments, eco-scheme programs, agro-environmental and climate mitigation/adaptation measures) providing a new multi-level and multi-dimensional framework for concrete action that will help halt and reverse wetland deterioration and loss.

European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze 2021-2027 (EFKP 2021-2027) is a regional programme which is the basic instrument for implementing the objectives of the regional development strategy, prepared on the basis of socio-economic analyses of the region and the resulting development challenges.
The goal of the EFKP is to make the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region a competitive and innovative area in Europe and to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. The Regional Programme is co-funded by the ERDF and the ESF. The managing authority of the programme is the Management Board of KPV (Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship).

The planned activities fall within the scope of Priority 2 (European Funds for Clean Energy and Protection of the Region's Environmental Resources) and specific objective 2.4 (Supporting Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Prevention and Resilience, Including Ecosystem Approach) of the EFKP 2021-2027. The support embraces development of infrastructure, including the construction or renovation of water retention facilities, the restoration of the retention capacity of wetlands, the increase of mid-field afforestation and the restoration of ponds or drainage ditches in agriculturally used areas. In addition, support is expected to be given to the expansion of green spaces in towns and cities to enable water retention and the effective and efficient management of rainwater.

Water Framework directive has been implemented in Finland through the Act on Water Resources Management (No 1299/2004). The environmental goal of water resources management is to prevent the worsening of the status of waters and to reach a god status. According to this Act, a river basin district management plan (RBDMP) as well as a programme of measures for achieving the plan’s goals is prepared for regional river basin districts in Finland, where the ELY Centres (Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment) are the responsible authorities.

ELY Centre for South Ostrobothnia coordinates the work in the river basin district of the river Kokemäenjoki-Archipelago Sea-Bothnian Sea in western Finland. The ELY Centre monitors the status of the surface waters and groundwaters and draws up the classifications of the ecological status of water bodies. The ELY Centre also prepares the programme of measures for river basin management and promotes and follows the implementation.

The RBDMP and programmes of measures are drawn at regular intervals. The most recent plan and programme covers the period from 2022 to 2027. The measures include among others water retention, the use of amendments like gypsum and structure liming to reduce nutrient emissions from agriculture to waters, promoting water restoration projects, and reducing the emissions of harmful substances to waters close to cities and built-up areas. The government supports implementation by funding.

The European Commission is working with Ireland to help achieve common climate change ambitions and has been instrumental in supporting and encouraging the Irish Government to take actions, such as protecting Irish peat bog habitats. Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23) is part of Ireland’s Climate Action and Environment Policy. CAP23 is the first plan to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. The plan implements the carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings and sets out a roadmap for taking decisive action to halve Ireland’s emissions by 2030 and reach net zero no later than 2050, as committed to in the Programme for Government. CAP23 sets out how Ireland can accelerate the actions in response to the climate crisis, putting climate solutions at the centre of Ireland’s social and economic development. CAP23 identified actions for 6 vital high-impact areas, including peatland rehabilitation in the ‘changing our land use’ category. Peatland rehabilitation has also the co-benefits of improving water quality of receiving waters such as rivers and prevention of further biodiversity loss.