35th Meeting of the EU Working Group on Floods

It’s been an honor to participate in the 35th Meeting of the EU Common Implementation Strategy’s Working Group on Floods. During two days in Brussels we learned about the recent floods in Europe, gaining insights on what happened and why, and that this occurrence will not be unique in coming years. Europe is fortunate to have overarching legislation, the Floods Directive (adopted 2007), which has motivated a systematic assessment of flood risk across the EU. It’s a great time to learn, as the EU is just coming out of the second cycle of implementation of Floods Directive.

I enjoyed meeting (in person!) our collaborators from the EU-US Knowledge Exchange Webinars, and representatives from many Member States, including my compatriots from Spain. They are busy now managing recovery from the flooding in Valencia and other Mediterranean regions in the country. Thanks to Ioannis Kavvadas, Jean-Marie Stam, and especially Clemens Neuhold -now stepping down as a co-chair of the EU Working Group on Floods- for their warm welcome.
 
I enjoyed the dynamics and the friendly ambiance in the group, and the positive environment for sharing experiences and learning from one another. The EU Working Group on Floods illustrates the value of collaborating to achieve a common goal.
 
I also enjoyed reconnecting with my former colleagues at the European Commission.