The challenges facing today's river basin managers - seeking to implement the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) - require just-in-time information and management tools. European funded research projects have produced a wide range of documents, guideline and computer based tools, that are relevant for water managers seeking to establish the highest quality management plans based on the best available knowledge in Europe.

At this conference, water managers and their supporting technical staff will be informed about documents, guidelines and tools originating from European research, and how these are available for direct use in their actual situation. Senior water managers will present experiences and applications and will be supported by practical implementers such as consultants. Researchers and technology providers will be active and available for direct consultation and explanation as well as to listen to questions and demands to be resolved in the near future.

The final Harmoni-CA conference consists of three days with varying content and focus:

Day 1, September 25th, 2007
The first day addresses the importance of using European research results for river basin management planning and practice with a focus on the WFD, illustrated by examples. Water managers will be informed about the best available knowledge and technologies from European, national and river-basin-wide points of view.

Day 2, September 26th, 2007
On the second day, it will be shown how support from European research is made available now and in the future for actual as well as future needs in river basin management. Presentations include examples and experiences of research input applied in river basin management. Overviews of existing knowledge networks will be presented together with supporting web-based tools. At the end of the day, several views will be given on European supported research and on how this support will evolve in the future.

Day 3, September 27th, 2007
The third day will focus on the actual transfer of knowledge, practical demonstrations, explanation of guidelines, tools and technologies developed within European research projects specifically in support of current tasks to be accomplished for the WFD.

At the first day, all presentations are in a plenary meeting. Between the official opening and closure sessions, three blocks with three to five presentations are winded up in facilitated discussions. In the morning, the presentations will be have a more policy and decision making background. In the afternoon, overall views will be presented with a background from the practice of stakeholders, consultants, developers and scientist.

The second day, two sessions with parallel workshops are embedded in two plenary meetings. The plenary opening session is the warming-up, the final session brings the attention back to future plans at EC level. Visitors are invited to chose two of the four workshops per session. A session lasts one hour and contains two workshops of 30 minutes with overview presentations that are equal in both workshops.

Day three contains four sessions with parallel workshops for exchange of knowledge, experiences on presently available synthesis reports, technologies, guidelines and tools. The visitor can chose three out of six workshops per session. A session lasts 90 minutes and contains three workshops of 30 minutes in which a single presentation is repeated twice.