Thomas Dworak

Thomas Dworak

Thomas Dworak is the head of Fresh Thoughts Consulting GmbH. His current work Focuses on environmental protection with a main focus on inland and marine water, agriculture and climate change. He has worked on these issues in several EU countries, including Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Romania, The Netherlands, Denmark, Slovakia, Cyprus and Sweden as well as the Baltic- and the Danube region. Mr Dworak has also been working at the international level like in the Mekong Area, China, India and Iran. He has a long-standing record as a consultant to the European Commission (DG Environment, DG Research and DG Climate).

He is quite familiar with the support and coordination of various strategies such as the first EU adaptation strategy (2013), the adaptation strategies for LU (2018/19), SK and CY (2023-2025), the Drina Basin (2022), the German water strategy (2017-2021) and the LU water use strategy (2024/25).

Mr Dworak has managed more than 100 projects ranging from small-scale with a very short intervention period to large-scale research projects. In the past years he has been involved in the following key topics:

 

Climate Change: Mr Dworak was the project leader for the German Research project “Time to Adapt” which was followed by a major conference under the German presidency in 2007. Since then, he has supported the EU Commission, the European Environmental Agency and the national government in developing this policy area further. For the European Commission he supported the development of the European Adaptation Strategy. Thomas Dworak is also one of the co-authors of various guidance documents such as ”River Basin Management in a changing climate – a Guidance document”, “Sharing of Best Practices on Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in a Context of Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas”, “Guidelines for regional adaptation strategies” and “Climate Change Adaptation in the German tourism sector”. Mr Dworak also supported the development of the Adaptation Support Tool and the Urban Adaptation Support Tool available on the EU adaptation platform Climate Adapt. He is a member of the European Topic Centre on Climate Change Adaptation.

Implementation of EU Freshwater Policies: In particular the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. Since 2006, Mr. Dworak has been working as a principle expert to the Commission at the EU level, providing technical support to various Working Groups under the WFD/FD Common Implementation Strategy. He was a permanent member of the expert group on Water and Agriculture. In the past, his work has covered the development of technical guidance for exemptions, climate change and water-friendly agriculture as well as specific assessments of EU River Basin Management Plans and possible infringements of the WFD. At the national level, he has supported the different stages of WFD implementation (e.g. defining exemptions, selecting cost-effective measures, strategic environmental assessment) in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, the UK, Denmark and Sweden but also the overall coordination of the development of a river basin management plan (for Luxemburg, India).

Implementation of Marine Policies: Since 2012, Mr Dworak has expanded his focus  from inland waters to the marine environment. He supported the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in Germany, Romania and Bulgaria and also coordinated the Support contract for activities related to the EU Policy on Integrated Coastal Management and Maritime Spatial Planning.

Thomas Dworak worked at the Ecologic Institute in Berlin from January 2003 to May 2007. After returning to Vienna in 2007, he opened the Ecologic office in Austria there and was its director from June 2007 to September 2010. During this time, he developed the office into a fully fledged SME with five employees.

Before joining the Ecologic Institute, Thomas Dworak worked at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in the research group “Eco-Efficiency & Sustainable Enterprises” and the Department for Climate Policy.

From 1994 to 2000, Thomas Dworak studied landscape architecture at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (Austria) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp, Sweden. His studies focused on waste management and water protection. During this time, he worked as an intern for various companies in the United States. He additionally holds a certificate as a Waste Management Adviser under Austrian law.

associated projects

5th Danube Summit, Conference & Exhibition
Adaptation and mitigation in the Stanzertal region
Adaptation to Climate Change in the Mekong Region I
Adaptation to Climate Change in the Pyrenees
Agriculture in the Baltic Sea
Assessing Water Framework Directive Pressures and Measures
Assessment CAP 2020+
Assessment of Options to Use Financial Instruments through LIFE Climate Action Sub-Programme 2014-2020
Assessment of the Sava River Basin Management Plan
Assessment of the study “Potential of multi-purpose-use of the hydropower reservoirs of the Drin cascade in Albania”
Baseline study for the implementation of lighthouses of Mission ‘Restore our ocean and waters by 2030’
Benefit assessment for the German implementation of the MSFD
Benefits in policy making
Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources
BOOST-IN
C3-Alps: Capitalising climate change knowledge for adaption in the Alpine Space
Climate Adaptation Strategy for Luxembourg
Climate change adaptation in planning
Climate change adaptation in the tourism sector in Lower Saxony
Climate Change Adaptation, coastal and marine issues
Climate Change and Infrastructure
Climate change and tourism in Germany
Climate Change policy update
Climate proofing of EU policies
Climate Sensitive Flood Management in the Lower Mekong Basin
Conceptual design and content support for the BMUV Agricultural Congresses 2024-2026
Conference on water, climate change, and adaptation
Conference: Water Management and Agriculture 2.0
Cost Effectiveness Analysis within the Water Framework Directive
Development of a Guidance Implementing Art 4.7 WFD in Luxembourg
Development of an Annotated Outline of a Climate Adaptation Strategy of the Drina River Basin
Development of the Luxembourg River Basin Management Plan I
Development of the Luxembourg River Basin Management Plan II
Dialogue Forum on Sustainable Sport 2023
Dialogue on Water and Agriculture
Diffuse Pollution Bulgaria
DRYing rivER networks (DRYvER)
EU Taxonomy Public consultation support
EU Water pricing for agriculture
EU-Iran environment and climate change exchanges
European Drought Observatory
European Topic Centre on Climate change Adaptation (2022-2026)
European Topic Centre on Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and Adaptation (2019-2021)
European Topic Centre on Climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation 2014-2018
Evaluation of the use of e-scooters in St. Anton am Arlberg
Floods Directive and Water Framework Directive Compliance check
Framework contract for services related to coordination between the different marine regions in implementing the ecosystem approach
Framework Contract for Services: Technical Assistance for OEZA Projects in the Water and Sanitation Sector
Framework contract for the Support to the Implementation of the Water Industry Directives
Framework Contract on Evaluation, Review and Development of EU Water Policy
Framework contract to support development and implementation of EU freshwater policies
Framework Contract to support the implementation of the MSFD
Framework Contract to Support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive
Framework on Climate Change Policy
Framework Partnership Agreement concerning the European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems 2023-2026
Gap analysis of the EU policy on water scarcity & droughts
Good Cases of Water Framework Directive Implementation in Europe
Implementation of the urban adaptation initiative within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors II
Independent Review of Water Projects
Innovative tools and solutions for governing the water-energy-food-ecosystems NEXUS under global change (GoNEXUS)
Instruments for sustainable development in tourism
Internal WWF-DCP Briefing Document Implementation and Shortcomings regarding the European WFD in RO, BG, HU and AT
International Ocean Governance Stakeholders Forum
International Roundtable on Water and Energy Nexus in transboundary basins in Southeastern Europe
Interview on the consequences of climate change for tourism in Baden-Württemberg
JustFair
Keynote speech – Potsdam Tourism Forum
Legal and technical assessments of Member States’ compliance with the applicable EU environmental legislation
Linking environmental planning tools with funding mechanisms
Mainstreaming of CCA at the local level: Launch of a Climate Change Adaptation Initiative for Cities within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors
MARCLAIMED
Marine Litter Conference 2012
Marine Strategy Framework Directive – Bulgaria
Mekong river Basin Development Plan (BDP) Programme – Study visit to the Danube River Basin
MIP4ADAPT – Building the Implementation Platform for the Climate Adaptation Mission
Mission ocean, seas and waters implementation support platform
Moderation Forum water/wastewater IFAT 2018
Mongolia: Improvement of Guideline on River Basin Council establishment
More sustainable events in St. Anton am Arlberg
NAPSEA: N AND P – SOURCE TO SEA
Natural Water Retention Measures in the Danube region
Nexus Assessment in South East Europe
Oasis Innovation Hub for Catastrophe and Climate Extremes Risk Assessment
Online publication consultation for the EU adaptation strategy on climate change
Online talk: Climate change adaptation in urban tourism
Policy insight Report – nutrient and organic Pollution in 8 river basins from Europe, North America and Africa
Potential of multi-purpose-use of the Hydropower Reservoirs of the Drin Cascade in Albania
Preparation of the “Nexus Assessment Reports in six South East Europe Economies”
Public participation in the National Water Strategy
Resilience Strategies for Regions (REGILIENCE)
Review of existing flood management policies and enabling environments, conducting institutional capacity assessment with gap analyses and develop basin FRM polices – Drin
Revision and update of the national strategy on adaptation to climate change in Cyprus and Slovakia
Sava adaptation strategy
Screening tool for the climate proofing of River Basin Management Plans
Second Evaluation of the DAS – Methodological development and implementation of a policy analysis for the evaluation of the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (DAS)
Sharing best practices on ICZM, in a context of Adaptation to climate Change in coastal areas
Significant Pressures from diffuse pollution in BG
Sport Austrian Summit
State of Play and Flood risk in the EU
Status of the Water Framework Directive implementation process in EU Member States
Strategic Environmental Assessment for the first Flood Risk Management Plan in Austria
Strategic environmental assessment for the second Austrian flood risk management plan
Streamlining water into Rural development Programmes
Strengthening European networking for climate adaptation
Study on Integrating an Ecosystem-based Approach into Maritime Spatial Planning
Support for Sportunion Austria regarding environmental funding for sport clubs
Support for the climate check of the programme of measures and for the economic analysis within the framework of the 3rd implementation cycle for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Support of the European Innovation Partnership on Water
Support services within the framework of the sports-club survey: “Sport and sustainability!”
Support the Commission in the implementation of international water cooperation
Support to Activities related to the EU Policy on Integrated Coastal Management and Maritime Spatial Planning
Support to ECOSTAT Nutrients Workshop
Support to the development of inland and coastal water project evaluation criteria and preparation of calls for proposals (Bulgaria)
Support to the development of the EU strategy for Climate Change Adaptation
Support to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive – Part 1
Support to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive – Part 2
Support to the India-EU Water Partnership
Support to the International Conference on Watershed Management
Support to the Luxembourg Presidency in 2015
Supporting the World Bank by producing a training kit on Flood Risk Management in the European Union
Sustainable Hydropower Use and Integration in China and EU
Sustainable Integrated Management FOR the NEXUS of water-land-food-energy-climate for a resource-efficient Europe (SIM4NEXUS)
Technical assessments on Member States’ compliance with the applicable European Union environmental legislation
TMN Climate Workshop
Tourism Monitoring In Antarctica
Towards Sustainable Finance
UNECE Workshops Transboundary Flood Risk Management II
UNECE-Water convention
Value of ecosystem services
VisitBerlin Online conference – Consequences of climate change for Berlin
Water for the Green Deal
Water Framework Directive & municipal enterprises
Water Framework Directive and Hydropower
Water Stewardship in Spain
Water Strategy Germany
Water use conflicts in Germany
WFD-NO Comp check
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Position:

Director
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