Good policy emerges in part from the engagement of scientists and people representing the views of different stakeholders and publics. However for people wishing to engage with the policy process it can be difficult to know where to start or invest effort: the policy landscape can seem opaque, complex and the domain of insiders. Here we offer a “rough guide” to the EU freshwater policy landscape to help scientists, NGOs, and indeed anyone else wanting to become more actively engaged in the policies that affect freshwater biodiversity and ecosystems.

To get you started we have listed three essential reference books.

Anthony Teasdale and Timothy Bainbridge (2012): The Penguin Companion to European Union. Forth Edition. London: Penguin Books. A to Z entries that provide clear, definitive and accessible accounts of the history, role, powers and decision-making processes of the European Union.

John Peterson and Michael Shakleton (2012): The Institutions of the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press. A key text for anyone wishing to understand the functions, powers, and composition of the EU's institutions – The Parliament, Council of Ministers, Commission, European Central Bank and others – and how they interact.

Albert Weale et al. (2000): Environmental Governance in Europe: An Ever Closer Ecological Union? Oxford: Oxford University Press. Provides a comprehensive account of the processes and practices of European environmental policy-making.