KRW 2027
KRW 2027 is an opportunity if we approach it strategically
Before I started working on coastal infrastructure in the Netherlands, I spent five years restoring coral reefs in Thailand, the Maldives, and Indonesia. That experience shaped how I think about the relationship between engineering and ecology; that they work best when designed together from the start.
When I co-founded Reefy, we brought that integrated thinking to Dutch water management. And as 2027 approaches, I’ve been reflecting on something: the difference between organisations using the KRW deadline as a compliance exercise versus those treating it as a strategic moment.
The EU Water Framework Directive has been with us since 2000. The timeline has shifted from 2015 to 2021 and now to 2027. What interests me isn’t the extensions themselves, but how different organisations have used that time.
Some have maintained steady project pipelines, testing approaches, building vendor
relationships, and refining what works. They’re now in a strong position with validated
methodologies ready to scale.
Others, often for entirely understandable reasons like budget cycles, competing priorities, or waiting for clearer technical guidance, are now working within compressed timelines.
What compressed timelines tend to produce
When time is short, procurement naturally favours speed and certainty. Traditional rock solutions win because they’re proven and can be delivered quickly. Evaluation criteria weigh the initial bid price heavily. Ecology becomes a separate “compensation” item rather than an integrated design element.
This isn’t anyone failing, instead it’s a rational response to pressure. But it does mean opportunities get missed.
The kind of integrated approaches that deliver superior ecological outcomes at lower lifecycle costs require more upfront design time. When that time isn’t available, minimum viable solutions become the default.
Why thinking beyond 2027 matters
Here’s what I find myself discussing with water managers: the value of building infrastructure that’s ready for where regulations are heading, not just where they are today.
Environmental standards have consistently evolved throughout my career. Organisations planning across 30-year asset lifecycles often find compelling economic rationale for integrated approaches, even before considering ecological benefits.
The Rotterdam Harbor Nature Pilot demonstrates that engineered coastal infrastructure can simultaneously provide hydraulic protection and create thriving marine habitats. Monitoring data proves that the approach works.
That kind of evidence base takes time to build. Organisations investing in integrated pilots now are creating the track record that will serve them well through the PAGW timeline extending to 2050.
What actually causes project delays
There’s a common assumption that ecological requirements slow infrastructure projects. My experience suggests the picture is more nuanced. The primary bottlenecks often occur in pre-construction phases, not during implementation.
Multiple approval layers across authorities, separate permits on different timelines, and the challenge of coordinating HWBP funding for flood safety with PAGW funding for ecological restoration, these create real friction. What I’ve noticed is that organizations with unified project leadership, where someone has visibility across both engineering and ecological budgets from the start, tend to move more smoothly.
Integration becomes a design principle rather than an afterthought. It’s not always easy to achieve this kind of coordination. Budget structures and departmental responsibilities developed for good historical reasons. But where I’ve seen it work, the results speak for themselves, better outcomes at lower total cost.
Two approaches to 2027
I think about this as a spectrum rather than a binary choice.
On one end, there’s treating KRW as a compliance milestone—meet the requirements, check the box, move forward. This is a legitimate approach, especially when resources are constrained and other priorities compete for attention.
On the other end, there’s using this moment to build capabilities that compound over time. Investing in interdisciplinary capacity. Piloting integrated approaches. Developing vendor relationships and technical standards that serve you through the entire PAGW timeline to 2050. Most organisations will land somewhere in between, and that’s okay. The question worth asking is: where on this spectrum do you want to be, and what would it take to move in that direction?
What I've learned from organisations taking the strategic approach
The organisations I most enjoy collaborating with share certain characteristics. They’re focused not just on compliance, but on what actually works best for nature, which after all is the primary goal of the KRW in the first place. They bring ecologists into preliminary design phases, not just for post-design environmental assessments.
They structure procurement to reward innovation and lifecycle value, not just lowest initial bid. They invest in monitoring because they genuinely want to understand what delivers ecological outcomes—not just because regulations require it. They build partnerships before tender processes create time pressure. And they connect their KRW work to the longer PAGW timeline, recognising that capabilities built now create value across multiple projects over decades. These organisations aren’t treating 2027 as a finish line but rather, as a foundation.
For those working within tight timelines
If you’re facing compressed schedules, there are still options worth considering.
One of the most impactful changes is how tenders are written. Functional specifications such as describing the outcomes you need rather than prescribing the solution, give the market room to propose innovative approaches. You can explicitly reward innovation in bid evaluation and include additional value to nature as weighted criteria.
What I’m seeing instead, understandably driven by time pressure, is tenders going out with premade designs specifying the easiest or cheapest materials.These may not be the best choice for ecological outcomes, but they’re the safest choice for meeting the deadline without risk. The Landtong Rozenburg project illustrates this tension well. Innovations have been tested at that location since 2013—there’s a solid evidence base for what works. Yet the final tender for KRW compliance came out with a conventional design. Not because the evidence wasn’t there, but because the window for incorporating it had closed. When you’re up against a hard deadline, proven and familiar wins over innovative and better.
That’s not a criticism of anyone involved, it’s simply what happens when timelines compress. But it does highlight why writing tenders functionally, earlier in the process, matters so much.Beyond procurement, hybrid approaches can combine rapid-deployment components for immediate compliance with strategic pilot elements that test approaches for future projects. Focusing innovation efforts on high-impact locations, rather than attempting the same level everywhere, often yields better results.
And whatever timeline you’re working within, documenting lessons learned creates value. Even compressed projects generate insights that improve future cycles.
For those already ahead
If you’re in a strong position, consider sharing what you’ve learned. The sector benefits from more validated examples. Document and publish successful approaches. Develop replicable technical standards that can scale.
And look at emerging biodiversity credit markets as potential additional funding sources while demonstrating quantifiable impact.
Looking ahead
Dutch water management has earned its global reputation through decades of innovation and practical problem-solving. KRW 2027 is another chapter in that story.
The organisations that treat this deadline as an opportunity to build integrated capabilities will be well-positioned for what comes next, not just through 2027, but through the PAGW timeline to 2050 and beyond.
I’m optimistic about where we’re heading. The technical knowledge exists. The economic case for integration is increasingly clear. And I’m consistently impressed by the water managers I work with who are finding ways to do more than the minimum, even within real constraints.
The question isn’t whether integrated approaches work—we have the evidence for that. It’s whether we can create the conditions that allow more organizations to pursue them.
I think we can.
This article reflects insights from Reefy’s team, drawing on our experience delivering nature-inclusive coastal infrastructure projects and collaborating with water managers, researchers, and partners across Dutch waters. It combines practical project learnings with current thinking in nature-based solutions and integrated coastal managementns.
Rewilding the ocean to protect the land.
Delft, The Netherlands
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