The second official transnational meeting of the URBANFLOODS project was held in Rijeka, on 8 April 2025, in the RiHub space, organized by the Rijeka Development Agency PORIN. The meeting brought together a total of 38 participants – 23 physically present and 15 online – from eleven partner organisations dedicated to strengthening climate resilience in the Adriatic region.
Following the welcome speeches by the hosts, the lead partner – the University of Western Macedonia (Greece) – presented an overview of the current status and financial management of the project.
Project partners – Hydrowater-Albania (Albania), Kozani Municipal Water and Drainage Company (Greece), Associated Partner Ministry of Environment and Energy (Greece), Sveti Ćirilo i Metod University in Skopje (North Macedonia), SVI.MED. The Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Sustainable Development (Italy), the Bačka Regional Development Agency (Serbia), the Sarajevo Hydrotechnical Institute (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Municipality of Macerata (Italy), the Knowledge Management Centre (North Macedonia) and the host, RRA PORIN – exchanged data on their pilot areas, presented national regulations relevant to flood prevention and actively participated in planning future activities and strengthening regional cooperation.
On the second day, 9 April 2025, JU Priroda, associate partner of RRA PORIN, gave a presentation presenting the biodiversity of the Rječina River – the pilot area of the City of Rijeka – and its importance for the local ecosystem. Further discussions led to an agreement on communication strategies, important dates and deadlines for the completion of the activities. After the meeting of the Management Board, the participants took part in the on-site visit ’Walk & Talk“ along the river Rječina, visiting the source Zvir and the newly built Sinergan incubator – a symbol of the innovation potential and green transition of Rijeka.
The event marked another important milestone in the implementation of the URBANFLOODS project, confirming the joint commitment to strengthening flood resilience through smart data management systems, environmental protection and transnational cooperation.
Project URBANFLOODS It was co-financed under the first call of the IPA ADRION programme 2021-2027, with the aim of supporting a greener and more climate-resilient Adriatic-Ionian region. It focuses on climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention through ecosystem-based approaches. The project runs from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2027, with a total budget of EUR 1,747,583.17, of which EUR 1,485,445.68 is co-financed from Interreg funds.
