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Between 1998 and 2004, Europe suffered over a hundred major floods.

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They caused some 700 deaths, the displacement of half a million people,

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and at least 25 billion euros in insured economic losses.

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Once again this year, the Elbe flooded, and the Danube literally smashed its record,

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reaching levels never before seen in Budapest.

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Increasingly often, the danger of flooding originates in the mountains,

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when torrential rains provoke flash floods, which are extremely destructive,

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mainly in the semi-arid zones of the Mediterranean basin.

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Floods are closely linked with climate change and therefore with pollution.

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Scientists agree that because of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere,

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the temperature is rising, and rising temperatures mean significant evaporations.

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It's true that with climate change we expect the rain to become increasingly intense,

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because as it gets warmer, there's more water vapor in the air,

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and if conditions are such that it rains, the rain will become more intense.

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So if the rain becomes more intense and the ground can't absorb it all,

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the risk of flooding increases.

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In addition to the risk presented by flooding rivers,

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we know that the sea levels are rising because of the higher temperatures brought about by pollution.

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More seriously, according to climatic models, even if CO2 emissions are greatly reduced,

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the sea levels will continue to rise.

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It will probably increase by 20 centimeters to 1 meter during the 21st century,

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because of water dilation, and because the glaciers are all melting now.

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And so the rise in sea levels increases the risk of flooding in all the coastal zones,

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and a large part of Europe is surrounded by coastline.

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In concrete terms, this part of the English Channel,

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bordering the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom, for example,

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is an area which would be inundated by water if the sea rises just 1 meter and no modifications are made.

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Floods pose a major threat to Europe and its citizens,

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and a threat that does not in any way respect borders.

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Flood risk to citizens, their property, infrastructure, but also the environment, does not know any boundaries.

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Therefore it is a reason that Europe jointly acts against floods and prevents further damage.

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The European Union has adopted a directive on the assessment and management of floods,

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legislation which imposes three-step measures on member states.

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First the authorities must identify flood risk areas,

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then they must establish flood risk maps,

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and then define flood risk management plans centered on prevention, preparation and protection.

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Top of the list of zones at risk is the Danube.

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From Germany to Moldavia, its flood plain covers 18 European countries

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and an area of 810,000 square kilometers.

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In terms of flood prevention, the stretch of river between Vienna and Bratislava could serve as a model.

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Here, last century, man wanted to tame the river

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and constructed dikes along its main branch with these rocks.

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As a result, the river is too narrow and has become dangerous with a very strong current.

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The other smaller branches of the river were stopped up,

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and this explains why there is no current and deep erosion.

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If it rains heavily, the river regularly floods.

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Those are the two highest flood peaks we had here in Austria in the last 100 years.

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That one was concerning the whole area upstream from here.

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The flood of the year 2002 had just its origin in the northern parts of Austria

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and was limited more or less to the Austrian stretch of the Danube.

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The frequency of flooding from the river justifies the studies

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which have already been undertaken on the Danube and its tributaries.

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Maps of zones at risk exist already and are similar to those drawn up by the European Commission.

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You see here the going up of the flood discharge.

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Here we have 100 cubic meters per second,

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now reaching 200 cubic meters per second,

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and the flood extent is going to its utmost extent.

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Flooding here, houses in the neighborhood of the river,

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here some industries in the neighborhood of the river.

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This map, for example, allows a line to be drawn

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showing the limits that should not be exceeded for building works.

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Risk maps like this, prescribed in the European Directive on the Evaluation and Management of Floods,

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will allow the necessary land management measures to be undertaken.

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Another example of what needs to be done already exists on the Danube.

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Along 40 kilometers of its banks upstream from Vienna,

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a natural park serves as an absorption zone in case of flooding.

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The park is accessible to tourists who explore its well-marked paths

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which are constructed from durable materials,

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allowing them to be submerged by the waters.

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There are information centers, maps and brochures.

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The threat of flooding has been transformed into an advantage for the region.

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But that's not all.

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To tame the river, projects to modify the banks have also been undertaken,

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jointly with the authorities of the Danube, the National Park and the Austrian government.

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The idea of the project is quite simple.

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The idea is to remove the hard structures on the embankment.

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We started in October 2005 to remove all the big stones on this side of the Danube.

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And the goal of the project is to give the river the chance for large-scale dynamic processes.

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So in case of flood, the river has the possibility to widen and to flood large areas of the flood plain.

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The project, which is co-financed by the European Union,

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exploits the powerful currents in the river and does not interfere with navigation.

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By simply removing the stones of the old banks,

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the river quite naturally reconquers its previous territories by erosion.

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These new banks are natural habitats for many vegetable and animal species

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and at the same time the river gets a spectacular increase in capacity.

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As you can see from the green sticks which are situated in the old embankment,

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two flood events were enough that the Danube is now 20 meters broader than it was before.

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At the same time, some old branches of the river have been opened up

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and can once again meander through the wetlands.

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In this way, the load on the main artery of the river is lightened,

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which is the objective if flooding is to be prevented.

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Here, the new Danube is taking on the look of the jungle that's bursting with life forms

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which are a major attraction in the park.

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The beaver, which disappeared about 100 years ago, was reintroduced in 1967.

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Since then, it's reoccupied its territory and there are about 1200 of them in the park.

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Here we have a clear trace of the beaver's teeth marks as it tried to fell this tree.

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He wants to chop it down to allow him to access the juicy branches and the leaves.

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A survey of the number of birds of prey is underway throughout the park

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as they're an indication of the quality of the environment.

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The icing on the cake is that the Danube National Park has a complete section dedicated to education.

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Like the Danube, all Europe's major rivers flow through several countries,

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which is why the new directive on the management of flood risks

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obliges member states to work together to exchange information on floods

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and coordinate their prevention efforts.

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What's more, the directive intends to make this information accessible to all Europe's citizens.