Recovery from floods represents a critical phase within the broader disaster risk management cycle, bridging immediate emergency response and repairs and longterm development. When properly implemented, it provides an essential opportunity to reduce future vulnerabilities and enhance resilience. However, recent flood events across Europe, most notably in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in 2021, and in the Valencia and Hauts de France regions in 2024, have demonstrated how challenging it remains to balance rapid reconstruction with the ambition to build back better.
Many affected regions continue to face significant recovery challenges. At the same time, important lessons and successful practices have emerged. These experiences offer valuable insights for shaping future disaster recovery strategies across Europe, particularly as extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, intensity and extent.
This workshop will bring together policymakers, practitioners and researchers from Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain and other European countries. Our goal is to share and discuss best practices, identify lessons learned and key success factors from recent flood recovery processes. Together, we aim to develop practical recommendations to support faster, more efficient flood recovery efforts and to strengthen the implementation of building back better principles. Based on the preparatory work and workshop we will develop a short policy brief and plan for a follow-up meeting including more European policymakers in Brussels for wider outreach.
Workshop programme
Day 1 – Tuesday 14 April Day 2 – Wednesday 15 April Day 3 – Thursday 16 April
Day 1 – Tuesday 14 April
Sharing experiences and lessons learned on post-flood recovery and building back better practice in Europe
08:45
Reception and registration
10:00
Opening and welcome to workshop
Welcome speeches by:
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Anne-Catherine Dalcq, Minister of Agriculture and Rural areas of Wallonia, Belgium
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Erwin Manz, State Secretary in Ministry for Climate protection, Environment, Energy and mobility of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (tbc)
- Jaap Slootmaker, Director-General Water and Soil, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands
-
Tom Koeller, Deputy Secretary General of the Benelux Union, Luxembourg
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Annemieke Nijhof, Managing Director Deltares, lead JCAR ATRACE, the Netherlands
EN-FR-DE interpretation available
10:45
Post-flood recovery and building back better practices in Europe (keynote speeches)
Speakers:
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Teodoro Estrela, High official of the Júcar River Basin Authority, Valencia, and former director of Water in Spain
-
Ahr valley (tbc)
-
Marie Evo, Executive Director of European Centre for Flood Risk Prevention (CEPRI), Hauts-de-France, France
-
Katya Ivanova, Programme Manager for ‘Waterveiligheid and Ruimte’ in Limburg, the Netherlands
EN-FR-DE interpretation available
11:45
Short coffee and tea-break
12:00
Panel discussion on experiences and needs for building back quicker and better after floods in Europe 1
Panellists:
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Roger Llanes Ribas, Director for coordination and promotion of implementation of aid measures after DANA, Valencia, Spain
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Sabine Preiser-Marian, former mayor Bad Münstereifel, Germany
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Daan Prevoo, mayor of Valkenburg, the Netherlands
-
Philippe Godin, mayor of Pepinster, Belgium
EN-FR-DE interpretation available
12:45
Lunch (including press booth)
14:00
Panel discussion on experiences and needs for building back quicker and better after floods in Europe 2
-
Marie France Beaufils, president of NPO CEPRI, former mayor and senate member, France
-
Joris Gaens, mayor of Voeren, Flanders, Belgium
-
Jörn Birkmann, director Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning, Unversity of Stuttgart, Germany
-
Other representative (tbc)
EN-FR-DE interpretation available
15:00
Post-flood recovery in the Vesdre Valley incl. field visit
Introduction speakers:
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Thomas Leroy, Staff member DG, SPW TLPE (tbc)
-
Sebastien Gailliez, Director non-navigable waterways, SPW ARNE
19:00
Joint dinner in Hotel Van der Valk, Verviers
Welcome speeches
Anne-Catherine Dalcq
Ministre de l'Agriculture et de la Ruralité, en charge de la Forêt, de la Nature, de la Chasse et de la Pêche, Wallonia, Belgium
Erwin Manz (tbc)
Staatssekretär im Ministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie und Mobilität des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz
Jaap Slootmaker
Director-General Water and Soil, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, The Netherlands
Tom Köller
Deputy Secretary-General of the Benelux Union
Annemieke Nijhof
Managing Director Deltares, Netherlands
Dorien Leyers
Workshop moderator
Keynote speeches
Teodoro Estrela Monreal
Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar, Spain
Marie Evo
Executive Director of CEPRI, France
Katya Ivanova
Program manager Waterveiligheid en Ruimte Limburg, Netherlands
To be confirmed
Representative for Ahr valley
Panellists
Rogelio Llanes Ribas
Director de la Oficina de Coordinación e Impulso de la Ejecución de las Ayudas, Spain
Philippe Godin
Mayor of Pepinster, Wallonia, Belgium
Sabine Preiser-Marian
Former mayor Bad Münstereifel, Germany
Daan Prevoo
Mayor of Valkenburg aan de Geul, Netherlands
Marie-France Beaufils
Président of CEPRI and former mayor and senate member, France
Joris Gaens
Mayor of Voeren, Flanders, Belgium
Jörn Birkmann
Director Institute of Regional Development Planning (IREUS), University of Stuttgart, Germany
To be confirmed
Other representative
Day 2 – Wednesday 15 April
Deeper dive on key topics and best practices in post-flood recovery and building back better in Europe
08:30
Reception and registration
09:00
Opening and welcome to workshop day 2
09:10
Plenary expert presentations
Speakers:
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Jordi Marin Abdilla, on critical infrastructure and recovery efforts, Generalitat Valenciana, Spain
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Nathalie Asselman, on post-flood recovery along the Meuse river, Deltares, Netherlands
-
Jacques Teller, on urban design and spatial planning, Liège Université, Belgium
-
Susanne Bell, on social and cultural aspects of flood disasters, Universität Bonn, Germany
-
Marco Beroš, on sustainable financing models in flood management, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg
-
Wouter Botzen, on insurances, household and business adaptation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
10:45
Coffee break
11:15
Break-out working sessions: Identify best practices
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Critical infrastructure
-
Spatial planning and urban design
-
Household and business adaptation
-
Crisis management and emergency planning
-
Financing and compensation
-
Social vulnerabilities
12:30
Bus transfer to Bad Neuenahr (including lunch on the bus)
14:30
Post-flood recovery in the Ahr valley incl. field visit
Guides: Holger Schüttrumpf, Lisa Burghardt and Lothar Kirschbauer
19:00
Joint dinner in Steigenberger Hotel Bad Neuenahr
Presenters
Jordi Marin Abdilla
Generalitat Valenciana
Nathalie Asselman
Deltares, Netherlands
Jacques Teller
Université de Liège, Belgium
Susanne Bell
University of Bonn, Germany
Marco Beroš
European Investment Bank, Luxembourg
Wouter Botzen
Institute for Environmental Studies VU Amsterdam, Netherlands
Lisa Burghardt
IWW RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Holger Schüttrumpf
IWW RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Lothar Kirschbauer
Hochschule Koblenz, Germany
Day 3 – Thursday 16 April
Drafting policy recommendations on the future of post-flood recovery and building back better in Europe
08:30
Reception and registration
09:00
Opening and welcome to workshop day 3
09:05
Keynote presentations
Speakers:
- Markus Becker, Executive Director Berthold Becker Büro für Ingenieur- und Tiefbau GmbH (tbc)
- Claudia Berchtold, Coordinator Sustainable Transformation and Risk Reduction, Fraunhofer FKIE
- tbd
EN-DE interpretation available
10:15
Break-out working sessions: Draft policy recommendations
11:15
Coffee- and teabreak
11:30
Plenary feedback on both break-out sessions
12:00
Workshop conclusions, follow-up and closure
- Jeroen Aerts, Prof. VU Amsterdam, Chair of JCAR ATRACE Scientific Programme Council
13:00
Bus transfer to Hotel Verviers / Liège CS (including lunch on the bus)
15:00
Arrival at Hotel Verviers / Liège CS
Presenters
Claudia Berchtold
Fraunhofer FKIE, Germany
Markus Becker (tbc)
Berthold Becker Büro für Ingenieur- und Tiefbau GmbH, Germany
Jeroen Aerts
VU Amsterdam, Scientific Programme Council JCAR ATRACE
Venues
All event locations will be easily accessible, with organized bus transfers provided between the hotels and for the field trips to ensure a smooth and comfortable experience for all participants.
Day 1
The workshop will be at Van der Valk Hotel Verviers.
Day 2
The workshop will start at Van der Valk Hotel Verviers. In the afternoon we offer a bus transfer to the Ahr valley and Steigenberger Hotel Bad Neuenahr.
Day 3
The workshop will take place in Steigenberger Hotel Bad Neuenahr. In the afternoon we offer a bus transfer back to Verviers.
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