Vistula River basin programme A new programme will test public participation techniques in upper Vistula pilot catchment area in south-eastern Poland. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management-Office of Local Government Collaboration, together with the Regional Water Management Board in Krakow, has launched a new program to test public participation according to EU WFD requirements in upper Vistula River basin in Zywiec County. In June 2005, the programme started with a public opinion survey targeting three main stakeholder groups - local government officials, citizens and school children. Aim of the survey among citizens is to obtain information about perception of local environmental problems, in particular problems concerning water: causes and sources of risks and influence of various types of users on the quality and use of river water. The survey will also help to assess which of the problems is the most urgently in need of a solution. The survey among representatives of local government will examine water problems, summarise experiences in the area of public participation, and identify local stakeholders for the next stage of the programme. In addition, the survey for school children has an educational character. It assesses usage of water in everyday life and makes young people and their parents aware of how much water they use in their households. Along with the survey, the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Regional Water Management Board in Krakow will organise a series of workshops to present and discuss identified water management problems and their solution. The draft report concerning major water management problems in the Upper Vistula pilot catchment area will be available for comments during local stakeholders meetings, on Regional Water Management Board web page and in public places in the pilot area. The comments and suggestions will be collected through a special questionnaire. The programme implementers will prepare the final report with inputs from public consultation process in the first quarter of 2006. Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Practical will use experiences from the testing exercise to prepare guidelines for effective public participation methods at different planning levels, in particular regional and local. For more information, please contact Ms. Renata Bogdanska-Warmuz, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, at renata.warmuz@imgw.pl.