In the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), public participation (PP) is viewed as a means of improving water management through better planning and more informed decision-making. The active involvement of all interested parties and influencers in the deliberation and decision-making process is generally expected to foster an environment of accessibility, receptiveness and mutual respect that ultimately promotes transparency and trust among participants and can then increase the success rate of policies due to better acceptance by stakeholders. Naturally, this kind of setting is highly desirable, especially when the topic under discussion is a cross-cutting issue involving multiple stakeholders and reflecting numerous interests While the concept of PP is now well established, and commonly plays a part in the environment and sustainability agendas of international organisations and national authorities, its effectiveness in achieving European water-policy goals is still being assessed. This report evaluates whether the provisions for PP included in the WFD actually contribute to achieving the objectives of the directive or at least support the ongoing implementation process by, for example, improving the integration of water management between different actors, incorporating local knowledge and promoting informed decision-making. Common criteria are identified based on key principles of PP, and are tested by analysing eight case studies from across the EU. The report addresses the fundamental question of how PP can improve water-related policies, plans and implementation, especially in the context of river-basin planning and the WFD.