DIRECTIVESDIRECTIVE 2007/60/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCILof 23 October 2007on the assessment and management of flood risks(Text with EEA relevance)THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THEEUROPEAN UNION,Having regard to the Treaty establishing the EuropeanCommunity, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof,Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic andSocial Committee (1),Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article251 of the Treaty (2),Whereas:(1) Floods have the potential to cause fatalities, displacementof people and damage to the environment, to severelycompromise economic development and to underminethe economic activities of the Community.(2) Floods are natural phenomena which cannot beprevented. However, some human activities (such asincreasing human settlements and economic assets infloodplains and the reduction of the natural waterretention by land use) and climate change contr...