The Commission Communication of 12 July 2004 to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘Flood risk management — Flood prevention, protection and mitigation’ sets out its analysis and approach to managing flood risks at Community level, and states that concerted and coordinated action at Community level would bring considerable added value and improve the overall level of flood protection.

an assessment of the potential adverse consequences of future floods for human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity, taking into account as far as possible issues such as the topography, the position of watercourses and their general hydrological and geo-morphological characteristics, including floodplains as natural retention areas, the effectiveness of existing man-made flood defence infrastructures, the position of populated areas, areas of economic activity and long-term developments including impacts of climate change on the occurrence of floods.

For their part, several Member States have drawn up flood protection plans and strategies and flood risk maps.

In the context of the Rhine Action Plan on Flood Defence, it is estimated that the total investment in flood protection measures during the period 1998 to 2020 will reach EUR 12.3 billion.

Many Member States are already taking flood protection measures but concerted and co-ordinated action at the level of the European Union would bring a considerable added value and improve the overall level of flood protection.

Preparedness and mitigation of flood effects should include warning systems, measures such as building of flood protection structures and creation of storage capacity, and non-structural measures such as land-use planning.