Flood solutions: a peer review for Hauts de France
In 2023, storms battered the Hauts-de-France Region in France and the Aa river delta was flooded. It revealed how vulnerable this low-lying region was to climate change. The institutions in charge turned to Interreg Europe to seek flood solutions through a peer review. They wanted to recover and also to forge a future in which upstream and downstream areas work together and build resilience against both floods and droughts.
The Regional Council of Hauts-de-France and the Institution Intercommunale des Wateringues asked Interreg Europe to find experts and peers with relevant flood solutions. They were interested in learning from experiences in other parts of Europe and similar challenges linked to the climate change.
As a result, in September 2024, 10 peers from Belgium, Estonia, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom came to France for a peer review, to meet the local decision makers. Between 24-26 September, they went to Lille, Calais and Dunkerque to see the flooded region and talk to the local stakeholders.
Marie Croissant, Geographic Rapporteur for Hauts-de-France Region at DG REGIO, took part in the peer review and expressed the European Commission’s commitment to flood resilience.
From the outset, the Region and the Institution Intercommunale des Wateringues emphasised the specific nature of the region - the Aa is the only inhabited polder in France, with almost 450,000 inhabitants - and exchanged views with the peers.
The peer review also included a study visit along the banks of the Aa river and to a water pumping station. Water management was at the core of the peer review, in a region where exceptional floods affected thousands of homes in the Aa polder and caused considerable material damage only a year ago. Csaba Borboly, member of the Committee of the Regions and its ambassador for the Climate Pact, had opened the peer review highlighting the importance of water management.
Water management is affected by a number of factors: urbanisation and land artificialisation, industrialisation, agriculture and, of course, climate change.
Numerous local and regional decision-makers were also present to learn from the peers’ experiences. They discussed the water management governance, the possibility of using nature-based solutions, such as meadow areas and flood plains, and many others. One of the peers, Lucy Sheperd, illustrated these solutions with Essex County's Capital Programme, which implemented attenuation ponds, swales, rain gardens or leaky damns.
The Region Hauts-de-France and the Institution Intercommunale des Wateringues both committed to follow up on the peer review recommendations and see how they could be implemented in the region.
The event was also covered by the regional press, with a conference attended by Bertrand Ringot, Chairman of the Intercommunal Institution of Wateringues, Natacha Bouchart, Mayor of Calais and Regional Councillor for Hauts de France, and Nicolas Singer, Head of Unit at Interreg Europe.
Flood solutions for every policymaker
In recent weeks, other European regions were also hit by major floods. Policymakers from these regions and any other can turn to us at Interreg Europe for solutions:
- Read the peer reviews conclusions
- Ask for a peer review
- Read our policy brief on nature-based solutions for climate adaptation
- Have a look at our projects working on climate change, such as ADAPTO or NBS4LOCAL
- Check out latest story on flood solutions
Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation
Explore EU initiatives and ways to mitigate climate change in this policy brief. You'll also discover a selection of good practices with a high degree of replicability in other municipal contexts.
Flood prevention and damage restoration
As floods are increasing in Europe and affecting a growing part of the population, policy makers need to integrate the risk management in their strategies, together with nature protection and restoration. Examples across Europe already exist.