Participants:

  • Voies Navigables de France – Véronique Vergès
  • Voies Navigables de France – Philip Maugé
  • Voies Navigables de France – Pierre-Antoine Troubot
  • Voies Navigables de France – Pascal Vinet
  • Voies Navigables de France – Nathalie Augereau
  • Canal & River Trust – Andrew Stumpf
  • Canal & River Trust – Tony Harvey
  • Karlstad Municipality  – Nina Höjdefors Värmland County Administrative Board, Katarina Nordmark Navigli Lombardi, Claudio Repossi
  • The inland waterway of Randers Fjord – Anne-Mette Knattrup The inland waterway of the Gudenaa River, Tina Degn
  • Tourist Board Bremerhaven – Helmut Berends
  • Vereniging Regio Water – Manita Koop
  • EU Liaison – Hen Gerritse
  • Stichting Recreatietoervaart Nederland – Manon van Meer Stichting Recreatietoervaart Nederland, Bianca Diebels

Reasons for setting up this European Network are:

  • Creating awareness, inland waterways are not well represented in EU policy
  • Emphasize economic potential and recreational use of waterways, facts and figures waterway investments
  • Establish a certain position in order to influence decision makers in Europe
  • Better access to funding, scanning EU grant schemes and subsidies for the next 7 years
  • Exchange of knowledge
  • Promotion of the Network itself
  • Potential in number of memberships is huge
  • Calls are in June 2014, so no delay allowed!

Remarks on the draft Business Plan/Handout of David Lamont

It’s important to have an independent legal status, so that there will be no conflict of interests and credibility in EU discussions are maintained. Minimum of 10 members is required. The Network needs a formal status to act as partner or lead partner of EU projects.

General

  • The Network needs to have a legal status
  • Stronger formulation on why this Network is a benefit to its members and a better explanation on what it is we do
  • Focus on inland waterways, lakes and cultural heritage (UNESCO)
  • Join existing networks
  • Prioritize goals in order to have more phases (growth model) and determine goals on short terms
  • Change the 3 pillars of the mission of the Business Plan

Members

  • Elaborate different kinds of memberships/status, different fees and elaborate benefits for members (‘What’s in it for me!’)
  • Involvement of private sector. Both private and public partners can join and vote or support the Network
  • A member can have different roles (p.e. advice, lead partner in marketing)
  • Non EU members can join the Network

Funding

  • Help with EU projects and funding

Best practice exchange

  • Exchange knowledge/experiences
  • Boost new ideas (innovate products and sell them in Europe)
  • Assemble facts and figures (base for policy): economic weight of the sector, benefits on an EU level

Promotion

  • Promotion of the inland Network and the potential of it
  • Start common communication, there is a need for a stronger voice

Finances

  • SRN was asked to be the initiator
  • Start small (small contribution fees/reduce goals), after two years increasing goals and fees
  • Contribution may be money or offer help with p.e. a website, promotion, provide an office

Actions

  • All: the working title of the Network is: ‘European Network for Inland Waterways and Lakes’. Other suggestions for the name (and abbreviation are welcome).
  • Nico: prepare a paper on legal status, (Andrew, Alceste, Hen and Helmut have suggestions)
  • Nico, Manon, Bianca: send a new proposal with planning scheme for the first phase, including a budget
  • Hen: adjust the Business Plan, involve the presentation about financing/David Lamont
  • All: next meeting will be in Toulouse on 19 September 2013, just after the World Canals Conference
  • All: each member finds at least two new organizations willing to join the Network
  • Nico: coordinate the actions now needed
  • All: aim is the launch of the Network in September, then agree to the next phase
  • Claudio, Tony/Andrew, Véronique/Philip: offered SRN to help with the preparations in order to advance faster
  • Initiative welcome!: make an attractive flyer for organizations to join the Network
  • Nico: contact “Civita dell’Acqua” and UNESCO Venice Office.; Historic canals and related institutions are an important aspect of our Network.