The Implementation of EU water-related policies through cross-sectoral collaborative approaches: a comparative institutional analysis between Finland and Sweden

Collaborative governance approaches are increasingly applied in the quest to achieve policy goals across sectors and levels. Despite previous research showing the significant role legal frameworks play in achieving collaboration, few empirical studies focus on them. Given the discretion EU member states have when implementing EU Directives in national policy, this study aims at developing collaborative governance theory through an institutional analysis of how Finland and Sweden have implemented cross-sectoral collaborative governance principles stipulated by two EU water-related directives. The two directives prescribe, albeit vaguely, key aspects for achieving cross-sectoral collaboration. Our analysis of national legislation implementing the directives, as well as of the national marine strategies, and the river basin management plans and programmes of measures for all management cycles in three river basin districts points to important differences in implementation. While Finland enacted regulation mandating cross-sectoral collaboration with a much higher level of detail, in Sweden the provisions remain vague and general. These differences in implementation provide varying governance contexts that condition the adverse results member states have in attaining policy goals. They underline the importance of further investigation of the impact of differentiated implementation on the achievement of cross-sectoral collaboration in practice.