Interreg

The climate change that is occurring directly affects the cities in our border region. They are increasingly confronted with flooding, water shortages, poor water quality and heat stress. Extreme precipitation occurred in 2010 (Achterhoek-Borken), 2014 (Münster) and 2017 (Rijssen-Twente). The very hot and dry summer of 2018 is another striking example. These weather extremes have far-reaching economic and social consequences for the inhabitants, businesses and users of the cities and lead to major spatial challenges for the city council. Adaptation to climate change will be one of the most important challenges facing the municipalities and cities in the Euregio in the coming decades. The cities of Zutphen and Hengelo (Ov.), Bocholt and Münster and the Rijn en IJssel water boards and Vechtstromen want to tackle this challenge together. By means of cross-border cooperation they support each other in this and use each other’s strengths to arrive at optimal solutions.

The partners work according to the ‘multi-layered approach’, which consists of:
1] preventing nuisance,
2] limiting nuisance and
3] acting in case of nuisance.

A total of 12 measures are developed and (partly) implemented in 3 work packages. This is done in dual-cooperation so that the partners can optimally support each other and learn from each other. In addition, a regular, joint knowledge exchange takes place, not only between the project partners themselves, but also with all the municipalities and cities in the Euregio. The experience, knowledge and insights from the project are combined in a manual, which is intended for all municipalities and cities in the Euregio and beyond, and thus also contributes to the EUREGIO 2030 Strategy.