Lack of coherence between policies implementation and transition to the local level in individual states

• Policy implementation and transition to the local level has a clear and unified set of rules, not just recommendations and a set of examples.
• The bottom-up, inclusive processes should be stimulated in the field of water resource protection.
• Farmers should be more involved in the process of awareness-raising and communication about practical outcomes of policies.
• Take into account socio-cultural differences when thinking about implementation.
• Involve science to improve knowledge of stakeholders on good agricultural and environmental conditions in relation to cross-compliance of farming practices. Improve knowledge on EU policies and reasons for implementation (environmental and economic).

• Strengthen the science and policy interface.
• All policy decision should have science-based study. However, we cannot avoid populistic driven and economically driven decisions.
• Involve the public in determining prioritizing issues that will be investigated by science. Science presents results to the public on the current status. Information's are used in the democratic policy-making process.
• Set clear objectives by which specific results have to be achieved. More binding rules with a list of compulsory measures to limit various interpretations.

• States have to improve the national system and introduce solutions for enhancing scientific support in the policy-making interface.
• Relevant scientific knowledge must be available translated into information's and languages that stakeholders at the local level can use in practice.
• Strengthen trust among concerned actors, inter alliance, thought non-concerned databases on various levels (easily accessible).

• Support proper implementation of directives in member states. Avoid prioritizing policy measures by political line.
• Build awareness (science)of links between policy objectives and required actions by farmers.
• The agricultural sector should directly participate in setting goals and pathways of policies by giving choices of future farm development.
• Science should be involved in supporting policy makers by knowledge sharing.

FORMULATION OF PREFERRED OPTION SET DESIRABLE FEATURE OF NEW POLICY
(specify precise characteristics/options of the new policy, adjustments of stakeholders)

• Design goal-oriented clusters consisting of expert representatives from different sectors qualified to design optimal pathways and reach a compromise.
• All policies should have action plans and a policy evaluation process.
• This will help us understand previous accomplishments and serve as a base for the design of the next plan. Science and research should take a central role in this process. Prepare program on improvement of education and communication skills of policy members. This will improve the relationship between science and policy and buffer populistic and economically driven decisions.

• Regular reviews of WFD of CAP RDP are processes that allow the opportunity to enhance the role of science in policy making and set a new attitude for policy makers and administrators regarding the current status, needs, or upcoming changes due to technological, practical or environmental changes in all connected sectors.
• Establish project clusters (science, policy, stakeholders, and citizens) aimed at longer-term approaches/teams and the use of gatekeepers in the relationship/communication flows.
• Separate Pesticides and Nitrates in communications as these are two different expert field and environmental impact.  

• Synchronization of different instruments planning cycles. The WFD RBMP and CAP RDP are out of sync. One ends when the other starts.
• Interpretation of roles of a specific directive in relation to another should be addressed at the EU level.
• All directives should specify the objective by which specific results have to be achieved.
• Awareness of links between policy objectives and required actions (by farmers).
• Work on communication and synchronization of languages between scientists and policy makers

• Increase the number of the workforce at EC institution to lower staff workload to increase science-policy interactions.
• Improve communication between staff at different DG (DG Environment, DG Agriculture) on designing policies at harmonized time frames of implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Engage scientist with broad knowledge on integrated river basin management, designing policy objectives, and on roles, certain stakeholder has to play-out for successful policy implementation EU wide.

• Professionalize communication from RIA projects.
• Make use of new technologies, for example, the use of data platforms and data mining. These technologies and information from other fields and departments can be used as a "feedback loop", where one does something, gets feedback, and can then adjust decision-based on the new input.
• Support Independent research, Silo-breaking of closed groups hiding knowledge and Multi-Actor Platform Involvement to establish a balance among policies.

• Reduce the time lag between research, policy change, action (measures) and results (water quality).
• Site-specific aspects of the identification of best measures are crucial to observe the best results. While some measures may in certain regions return a poor result, may in other be perfect.

• The debureaucratization mechanisms needed in science and research project dissemination.
• There is not enough emphasis on real practical work and experiences; the agriculture sector (production, processing, trade, science) represents a small share of GDP and farmers' small population share. So, decisions are slow, gradual and economically driven.
• Not enough scientists can tackle the complexity of the problem; in comparison to other sectors that have weak financial support.

• Many of the current instruments and mechanisms need to adapt and evolve. Implemented measures must constantly evolve (not on six years) based on obtained monitoring information and studies.
• Better time alignment between research and innovation projects and policy development (more interactions and complementary).  

• Secure steady financial resources to monitor data on measures efficiency by science at farm level, river basin or consumers field scale. More site-specific data can broaden the knowledge of policy makers to accept better decisions.
• Set out a comprehensive approach to monitor all polluters at the same level.
• Secure financial means for good advisory services and control bodies to check what is happening or should be happening on farms.
• Involve science and build capacity in advisory services to implement measures and regulatory bodies on monitoring measures efficiency and water quality.

• Make all data and deliverables reports obtained in science-research projects and service contracts publicly available on the CORDIS web platform. Public servants in EC and MS involved in policy making would have access to all information's provided by science.
• Set EU unified indicators for monitoring and evaluation of the results.

• Digitize the processes; with machine learning and data mining, a real-time picture of what is happening must be obtained (for example, with water quality in Europe).
• The monitoring system and measure adapting must be done in real-time to provide more value for the public money spent. The entire relationship between data, information and decision making needs to change and speed up.
• Support and promote pushing for data reuse and open data.  

• Support target studies with a clear aim to be resolved instead of broad general studies with general solutions.
• Secure new financial sources, out of agriculture, to apply certain measures from the water/environmental sector.
• Eliminate/reduce financial barriers that limit science, agriculture sector, farmers, water sector and consumers involvement.

• Science -policy relationship could be improved; we can see both populistic driven and economically driven decisions.
• Design special program on educating the general public. To better understand the role of policy making, science, agriculture and water sector in protecting drinking water.
• Design special program to support integrated river basin exchange programs for scientists that will tackle the complexity of the drinking water protection problem. In comparison to other sectors, agri-water scientists have weak financial support.

• Civil servants of the commission must have regular involvement in projects, such as H2020 projects, to obtain new knowledge throughout the project.
• Support solutions that enhance the role of local science level in the case of agricultural impacts on drinking water quality. Funds should be secured at the national or regional level. WFD, ND, DWD and other directives allow member state politicians to prepare tailor-made measures in cooperation with science and sufficient funding, contributing to clean surface and groundwater drinking water resources.