The impact of EU project funding especially the Community Initiative INTERREG IICIRMA/IIIB on the support of effective flood risk management by spatial planning is discussed.A broad assessmentof completed and current projects funded by these programmes is undertaken in a research project atTechnische Universit?t Darmstadt.Conclusions are drawn to improve the future involvement of spatial planningin transnational project co-operations and the framework provided by the programmes.During the past decade European-wide a consensus has been reached that effective preventive flood riskmanagement can only be achieved by applying catchment-wide approaches including many different disciplinesand levels.This has been widely supported by European Commission Community Initiative INTERREG.Spatial planning has coordinating functions for various concurring spatial demands and is, thereby, called upon tomake important contributions to many actions required by the needs of preventive flood risk management.Formalas well as informal spatial planning instruments exist to conduct the tasks of prevention, regulation, coordinationand moderation.In general, in the EU member states existing instruments provide basically good possibilitiesto fulfil the requirements in the presence of the immense potential of spatial conflicts.However, theexisting formal possibilities are used unsatisfactorily.Informal instruments such as moderation of voluntaryco-operation for flood prevention are currently tested in pilot projects with a view to their practical effectiveness.INTERREG IIC (1994–1999) focused on preventive flood protection with two programmes (INTERREGRhine-Meuse-Activities/IRMA, Flood prevention France/Italy).IRMA, the biggest sub-programme, absorbed35% of INTERREG IIC-funding aiming at the prevention of flood damage.The ex-post evaluation of INTERREGIIC finds only a weak programme-wide participation of spatial planning institutions.Even less involvement ofspatial planning becomes apparent in IRMA.During the current programme period INTERREG IIIB(2000–2006) no considerable progress can be stated concerning the involvement of spatial planning.Interim results of the research at Technische Universit?t Darmstadt permit to conclude that EU-INTERREGprogrammeshave contributed effectively to the horizontal and vertical as well as the spatial integration of actorsfor flood damage prevention with respect to the tasks of spatial planning.Incentives set by these programmescan be considered as effective instruments to contribute to carrying out spatial planning tasks for flood prevention.However, in many situations the framework of spatial planning hinders the efficient use of these incentives.Reasons are, among others, lacking co-financing funds, structures and orientation of spatial planning, missingsense of responsibility for flood issues, planning culture or individual motivation of actors.Possible improvements are being developed in the research project both for the programme and project level.At the programme level proposals, among others, concern the definition of project types requiring involvementof spatial planning.On the applicant and member state level new ways to deal with co-financing funds have tobe explored by spatial planning.
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