Hands-on nutrient management: barriers and opportunities in EU & regional legislation and economic strategies

This workshop showcased the latest developments of NENUPHAR, an EU-funded project focused on nutrient pollution and management in different regions of Europe, and gathered feedback from attendees about their experiences concerning the applicable EU and Regional Legislation, and economic incentives and strategies available in their countries.The session started with a brief presentation of this innovative project, focusing on the assessment of regulatory and economic instruments related to nutrient management and nutrient pollution (nitrogen and phosphorous). During the session, the results of the project study were shown, including:• European policies and legislation• National and regional regulations studied in the following sites:o Ebro River Basin (Spain)o Lielupe River Basin (Latvia/Lithuania)o Danube River Basin (Slovakia/Hungary)o Island of Cypruso Island of Bornholm (Denmark)The results presented set the basis for the subsequent practical workshop. During this workshop, participants engaged in small-group discussions focused on the presented findings, examined gaps and needs, identified available economic instruments, and compared their applicability in their respective countries. Different topics were discussed per group, with the aim to identify additional information to the project findings, based on personal experiences and background of the audience. This activity was dynamic, with each group being moderated by a representative of the NENUPHAR consortium, who was in charge of collecting the information and results of the discussions in each group, and presenting the conclusions in a final round of results.