The committee adopted the report by Richard SEEBER (EPP-ED, AT) modifying - under the 2nd reading of the codecision procedure - the Council's common position on the proposed directive on the assessment and management of flood risks. The committee reinstated, sometimes in slightly modified form, many of the amendments adopted by Parliament at 1st reading which had not been taken up by the Council:
- preliminary flood risk assessments should take account of studies on long-term developments, in particular climate change, and the role that floodplains play as natural retention areas. They should also include, if need be, an assessment of the effectiveness of existing man-made flood defence infrastructures, taking into account their real capacity to prevent damage as well as their economic and environmental effectiveness;
- Member States should complete the preliminary flood risk assessment by 22 December 2010 rather than 2012 as originally proposed;
- flood risk maps and management plans should include floodplains and other natural areas that can serve as a retention or buffer area at present or in the future. Human uses of floodplains should be adapted to the identified flood risks. Flood risk management plans should include "measures that work with natural processes such as maintenance and/or restoration of floodplains in order to give back space to rivers wherever possible and promote appropriate land use and agricultural and forestry practices throughout the river basin";
- to strengthen the principle of solidarity between Member States, management plans should take account of measures in upstream or downstream areas;
- when drawing up its periodic reports to Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the directive, the Commission should take account of the impact of climate change;
- flood risk management plans should also seek to protect natural habitats, wild birds and wild fauna and flora;
- new provisions aimed to flesh out the detail of these plans so that they protect wetlands more, prevent the construction of new buildings in flood zones and require prior authorisation or registration for permanent activities in floodplains such as industrial development.