A crucial factor for improving water management is the use of economic approaches and instruments. Eduard Interwies, Senior Fellow at Ecologic, illustrated the possible use of European experiences in the Mediterranean region.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is one of the first environmental policy directives of the European Community that explicitly integrates economic considerations for achieving its objectives. The integration of such considerations into integrated water management can improve decision making, not only in EU countries but also in Mediterranean countries in general.

As part of the Advanced Study Course SUSTAINIS: Sustainable Use of Water on Mediterranean Islands: Conditions, Obstacles and Perspectives, that took place in October 2003 in Cyprus, Eduard Interwies presented the possible use of these European experiences under the title:"Integrating economic approaches in IRBM in Mediterranean countries: what does the WFD teach us?".