Launch of Waterways Forward
The Launch of the Waterways Forward project took place in Den Haag, Netherlands on 11-12 March 2010. As well as meetings and exchanges between project partners, the event featured a 1-day Conference, held at the Provinciehus Zuid Holland on 11th March. This attracted over 50 delegates, including members of partner organisations and others with an interest in the development of Europe’s inland waterways. The keynote speakers were:-
- Karla Peijs, Commissioner of the Queen in Zeeland and European Coordinator for inland waterways. Karla spoke of the need for Europe’s regions to support efficient and sustainable inland navigation networks to deliver wider benefits to society, in terms of transport, the economy, tourism and the environment.
- Derek Cochrane, former Director, British Waterways and Chair of the earlier Interreg IIIC project Voies Navigables d’Europe (VNE) (2005-07). Derek explained how historic inland waterways are being revitalised in the UK and set out some of the challenges and opportunities to realise the full potential of Europe’s inland waterway network.
Presentations and more information from the Launch Event will be available on the WF website shortly.