Italian and international river basin authorities compared

From 19 to 23 May, Parma was International Water Capital 2025 because of the rich calendar of official events scheduled within Euro-INBO 2025, the twenty-second edition of the travelling event. This year it was organised in Italy thanks to the direct commitment of the Po River Basin District Authority (ADBPO) in synergy with the Parma City Council Administration and the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) in partnership with the French Republic, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The annual event brings together top international experts on the subject of water resources, and to which hundreds of experts have come to the capital of Emilia from all over the world to discuss the present and future of water on the planet and in the European Union from multiple perspectives.

Representatives of EU Member States, national, regional and local water directorates and administrations, river basin district authorities and organisations, and more generally stakeholders involved in river basin management, exchanged experiences on implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD), its “Daughter Directives”, and other related policies, directives and regulations. The conference was also open to delegates from EU candidate countries, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as neighbouring countries interested in EU policies, tools and methodologies for planning integrated water resources management (IWRM) at the river basin level. Given the centrality of the water resource in social economic and environmental balances, this event had the fundamental aim of creating a mutual exchange and fruitful discussion capable of integrating global perspectives and knowledge with repercussions, including local ones.

5 main topics were addressed during the event:

1. Towards a more efficient water resource use in agriculture, for greater resilience to support food security.
2. Climate change adaptation: how to improve flood risk prevention and management?
3. Climate change adaptation: how to prevent and improve drought management?
4. Towards good ecological status of water: combating emerging pollutants and innovative solutions.
5. Restoring rivers for people and biodiversity. Synergies with DQA.

The event opened at 3 p.m. on 19 May, at the Governor's Palace, Piazza Garibaldi, with the full immersion work of the first introductory session. The Italian Basin Authorities and INBO discussed the following topics:

• Best Practices in different countries for planning and implementing the EU directives;
• Implementing the EU Water Frameweork Directive (WFD) at the national and cross-border basin level: benefits of integrated water, energy, food and ecosystem management.

 The host Alessandro Bratti, Secretary General of ADBPO, opened the focus with a speech on the fundamental role water resources play in the social, economic and environmental balance of community life, and in particular in the Po River district.

The following speakers, moderated by journalist Andrea Gavazzoli, were: INBO Secretary General Eric Tardieu, who reported on the current resource management context in Europe, illustrating updates and common perspectives; for the MASE, Angiolo Martinelli, who detailed the topic of applying EU directives, while Silvano Pecora presented the SIM project, a sophisticated and useful innovative monitoring programme implemented with PNRR funds.

This was followed by a round table moderated by journalist Andrea Gavazzoli, at which, in addition to INBO representatives, Italian and international Basin Authorities spoke: Costantino Azzena, Director General of the Regional Agency of the Hydrographic District of Sardinia; Gaia Checcucci, Secretary General of the Northern Apennines District Basin Authority; Donato Sollitto, Technical Officer of the Southern Apennines District Basin Authority; Miguel Polo Cebellán, President of MENBO (Mediterranean Network of Basin Organisations).

The meeting was also attended by entrepreneur Guido Bernardi, Chairman of CAE S.p.A., a leading company in developing advanced systems for monitoring climatic weather events, and a partner in the event, who spoke on the potential technology offers in preventing phenomena.

In closing, the speech by Francesco Tornatore, ADBPO manager, who illustrated Life Climax Po, a project that promotes climate change adaptation through intelligent water resource management in the Po River basin district by implementing the measures of the national climate change adaptation strategy, adapted to local characteristics and climatic peculiarities on a district scale.

At the end of the three-day "Euro-INBO” with more than 300 participants in total, Alessandro Bratti was appointed the new Coordinator General of the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO). He will leave his role as Secretary General of the Po River Basin District Authority (MASE) to take over as leader of the international organisation that promotes and supports implementation of integrated water resource management in national and cross-border river basins, lakes and aquifers. We congratulate Dr Bratti on this important milestone and wish him all the best in his work!

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