On the 14th and 15th of October 2025 Life Belini co-hosted a LIFE Platform Meeting “LIFE Strategic Integrated Projects implementing River Basin Management Plans practices (focus on water resilience) in Brussels. The event was coordinated by CINEA and supported by a dedicated ELMEN team. The Platform Meeting provided the possibility to discuss challenges to be encountered in the project implementation and enabled discussions on the related policy and technical solutions.
The platform event took place in the Heirman Teirlinck building of the Flanders government on the Tour & Taxis site in Brussels.
- The importance of River Basin Management Plans in Europe – cooperation in the Danube River Basin Birgit Vogel
- LIFE Strategic Integrated Projects: a powerful instrument for implementing the Water Framework Directive Federico De Filippi
- Introduction of the host LIFE IP project – LIFE15 IPE/BE/000014 LIFE BELINI Sophie D’hondt – Lindsay Geerts
- The Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive implementation report: Protect waters and better manage flood risks Anders IVERSEN
- DAY 1 PLENARY Topic A Cleanest Wetest pollution control
- DAY1 Pollution control workshop LIFE Narmena
- DAY1 Pollution control workshop LIFEPOPWAT
- DAY 1 PLENARY Topic B quantitative IRIS_final
- DAY 1 Quantitative workshop LIFE Ebro_Resilience_P1
- DAY 1 Quantitative Water workshop MALTA Michael Schembri
| 08:30 | Registration, arrival |
| 09:00 | Welcome notes
CINEA: Aneta WILLEMS – Head of Department D Natural resources, climate, sustainable blue economy and clean energy Flanders Environment Agency: Bernard DE POTTER – Administrator-General and Chair of the Coordination Committee on Integrated Water Policy (CIW) |
| 09:20 | Keynote Speaker 1 Integration of WFD with other policies: focus on Water Resilience Strategy Mrs. Claudia Olazabal, Head of Unit – Sustainable Freshwater Management, DG ENV |
| 09:40 | Keynote Speaker 2 The importance of River Basin Management Plans in Europe – cooperation in the Danube River Basin Birgit Vogel – Executive Secretary, International Commission of the Protection of the Danube River |
| 10:00 | Keynote Speaker 3
LIFE Strategic Integrated Projects: a powerful instrument for implementing the Water Framework Directive |
| 10:15 | Keynote Speaker 4
Introduction of the host LIFE IP project – LIFE15 IPE/BE/000014 LIFE BELINI |
| 10:30 | Morning tea and networking |
| 11:00
11:20
|
Setting the scene
The Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive implementation report: Protect waters and better manage flood risks Thematic presentations by the invited LIFE projects reflecting on challenges: 3 projects
|
| 12:15 | Questions and answers |
| 12:30 | Introducing workshop leaders and group divisions |
| 12:35 | Group Photo session |
| 12:45
13:45 |
LUNCH and networking
Registration Day 2 |
| 14:00 | Workshop session CHALLENGES (breaking into three groups)
|
| 16:00 | Reporting from workshop sessions and Open Discussion (Plenary) |
| 17.00 | Host presentation of field trip – Technical & organisational aspects |
| 17.15 | Networking walking reception |
| 19.00 | Free evening with recommended diner possibilities |
| MORNING FIELD TRIPS | |
| 8.15 – 12.00 | Site trip BOAT TRIP |
| 9:15 – 12.00 | Site trip WALKING TOUR WATER |
| 12:30 | Lunch and networking at workshop venue |
|
14.00 |
Workshop session SOLUTIONS (breaking into three groups)
Lessons to be learnt, way forward: Future perspectives: how to integrate the Water Resilience Strategy further in current RBMP strategies? |
| 16.00 | Reporting from workshop sessions and lessons to be learnt, way forward
Future perspectives: how to integrate the Water Resilience Strategy further in current RBMP strategies? Enhancing the contribution of LIFE projects: experiences of river restoration works and different Nature-Based Solutions |
| 16.30 | Takeway messages and CLOSING ceremony |