6. Discussion
According to experts interviewed in the context of the ESPREssO project, procedural and legal frameworks on flood management have substantially improved within the last 15 years in particular in terms of flood warning, where clear regulations and agreements are in place in most of the regions. The Floods Directive and the Water Framework Directive were decisive for improved transboundary management of natural hazards. As a legal act, mandatory for EU members, the directive has been a crucial step towards cooperation and joint objective-setting across national borders. This is why most initiatives mentioned by experts as best practices in transboundary disaster management were related to riverine and coastal risks, such as the ICPR.
Every border region is different, however, and in many ways unique, in terms of how best to bring actors together in compromise and in planning for potential disasters or “tests” to the system of their shared resources, be that an alpine lake, trans-boundary river or otherwise. This will depend largely on the historical interactions between the regions and their governments, and can either provide many avenues for mutual benefit and positive opportunities, or it can become strained, if for example, communication is not readily upheld on both sides, and supported by a twoway flow of information (top-down and bottom-up).
