METEET workshop on environmental legislation requirements and inland waterway navigation projects took place on March 16, 2021

On 16 March 2021, the European Commission (DG MOVE, DG ENV and INEA) and the Danube Commission in cooperation with other stakeholders, organized the online METEET workshop on environmental legislation requirements and inland waterway navigation projects. The workshop was attended by 138 participants from 18 European countries and a large number of institutions. The workshop was moderated by Ms Désirée Oen (DG MOVE). Introductory and concluding words were given by the new coordinator of the Rhine-Danube corridor, Ms Inés Ayala Sender.

The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness of the EU environmental legislation that applies to navigation projects and to identify the key factors for creating win-win solutions for rivers ecosystems and inland navigation.

Various presentations by DG ENV representatives increased the insights into EU policies and the complex legal details in the field of environmental protection and were combined with interactive reflections and clarifications on practical applications.

The benefits of integrative and multi-disciplinary planning were presented with examples from a successful IWT project in Austria and from a cross-border project between France and Belgium, as well as experiences in the implementation of a complex highway project in Romania crossing NATURA 2000 areas.

During the final panel discussion, renowned representatives of the IWT sector concluded that key factors for a successful integration of environmental policies and requirements in inland navigation projects are the following: the coherence of EU legislation between environmental and inland waterway sectors, the capacity and resources available in the public sector to manage, coordinate and implement integrative projects, the importance of the role of the Stakeholders Forum for successful project implementation, and the integration of permitting procedures (infrastructure, environment) in a single procedure (‘one-stop shop’), especially for cross-border projects.

Reports:

• Flash Report on METEET Brussels
• MINUTES of the METEET workshop on environmental legislation requirements and inland waterway navigation projects

Presentations are given at the link:

• Anna LIVIERATOU – Making Implementation Happen
• Catalin COSTACHE – Sibiu – Pitesti Motorway Meeting site specific conservation requirements
• Els SERBRUYNS – Seine-Scheldt Border Lys
• Jeanne BOUGHABA – Requirements of the Water Framework Directive relevant for inland waterways
• Manfred SEITZ – Key factors for a successful integration of environmental policies and requirement in IWT projects Lessons learnt from METEET trainings
• Przemyslaw OGINSKI – Multi-functionality of EU rivers in the context of the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
• Przemyslaw OGINSKI – Nature Directives requirements
• Robert TOGEL – Integrated River Engineering Project Catalogue of Measures for the Danube East of Vienna
• Slavitza DOBREVA DE SCHIETERE – EIA Procedure for Large-scale Transboundary Projects