Coastal protection

Regional Planning Act. § 2 (Principles of spatial planning) underlines that preventive flood protection on the coast and inland must be ensured. It defines rules for the establishment of regional spatial plans which must take those elements into consideration.

Water Management Act. This Act refers to the Directive 2007/60/EC (Flood Directive) and applies to coastal waters. The management of coastal waters is covered by Section 3. It aims among other to keep coastal waters clean and the good status of marine waters. Section 5 covers water development, dyke, dam and coastal protection structures. Section 6 establishes a legal framework on flood protection (assessment of flood risks, risk management plans...).

Federal Nature Conservation Act. One of its main objective is "to protect marine and inland waters from impairment and to maintain their natural self-cleaning ability and dynamism; this applies in particular to natural and semi-natural waters including their banks, floodplains and other retention areas; Flood protection must also take place through natural or near-natural measures; preventive groundwater protection and a balanced rainfall-runoff budget must also be ensured through nature conservation and landscape management measures" (§ 1.3.3). It also protects specific coastal habitats.

Executive Order on conservation and game reserves in the Wadden Sea. It promotes the sustainable management of the Wadden Sea. It covers the coastal protection and coastal defence projects and dike works.

Executive Order on the Wadden Sea National Park. Creates the National Park Vadehavet and defines the rules and principles applying to it including regarding fisheries

Executive Order on assessment and risk management for floods from the sea, fjords or other parts of the maritime territory.

Law of environmental conservation. It aims the protection of coastal zones but does not include specific regulations for coastal protection and coastal flood defence.

Water Planning Act. It aims among others to mitigate the effects of floods.

Infrastructure Fund Decision. It covers the infrastructures for improvement and maintenance (facilities at sand extraction sites for coastal replenishment) and all facilities necessary for the above infrastucture to function (equipment for the construction and maintenance of flood defences, implementation of coastline maintenance and flood control) and primary infrastructure (primary flood defences)

Executive Order on the Environmental Objectives etc. Act for International Nature Conservation Areas (Environmental Objectives Act).

Environmental Impact Assessment Decree. The decree covers "the construction, modification or extension of coastal works to combat erosion, of maritime works that can modify the coast through the construction of, among other things, dikes, piers, jetties and other coastal defense works, with the exception of the maintenance or repair of these works" (Part D on the activities, plans and decisions to which the procedure as referred to in Articles 7.16 to 7.20 of the Act) applies.

The Wadden Sea Plan 2010 relates to some extent to the danger of floods and measures to be taken in order to protect the land and its inhabitants (Points 7.1 and 7.2). It also aims the protection of the coastal environment.

The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy aims to preserve the environment in the Wadden Sea. This includes the evaluation of the effects of coastal risk management on natural dynamics. It anticipates sea level rise and develops a long-term approach including regarding coastal defence.