Danny Brennan, the Chair of the Network of Inland Waterways Europe (NIWE) represented Green WIN and RIVER at the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) 2019 in Brussels recently.
Danny is helping develop the Greener Waterways Network https://waterwayseurope.com/green-win through NIWE and to support Green WIN partners efforts to target industry, waterways managers, environmental groups and politicians at events over the next two years. He is also supporting Canal & River Trust to develop and promote RIVER’s Oxyfuel – Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Network https://waterwayseurope.com/river
Asked for his observations about funding for ‘greener technologies’ in the 2021-28 period, Danny said;
“It was clear in the sustainable urban development plenary, as well as a number of the various “AGORA” market place workshop sessions, that the EU institutions (and individual cities and regions) are focusing more and more on carbon emission reduction and the various means to this end. A number of the workshops run by EU officials and others made this clear, not least the DG Regio presentation on the future of the cohesion funds, with its strong focus on “modern investment”, starting with the “transition to a smart, low carbon economy”
Asked about funding for carbon savings from ‘greener propulsion systems’ in the 2021-28 period, he replied;
“.. there were several workshops and exhibitors referencing the development and promotion of the Circular Economy, with this concept’s direct relevance to greener propulsion systems as an integral part of circular management of critical raw materials in the manufacture and lifecycle of renewable energy technologies, the role of low-carbon energy and bioenergy in the circular economy and the overall impact of a sustainable energy system on carbon emissions. This is promising for well thought through proposals that demonstrate the potential for carbon savings from greener propulsion systems. A good example of this was one of the workshops, a session called “The turn of the tide: why marine energy is tomorrow’s renewable energy”, led by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Limited (UK)”
The EWRC https://europa.eu/regions-and-cities was from 7-10 October 2019 and is an annual event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance.
