Interregional Cooperation Forum "Europe let's cooperate"
On 19-20 March 2025, a meeting of the Interregional Cooperation Forum "Europe let's cooperate" took place in Krakow.
The meeting was attended by representatives of public authorities from 36 European countries. Among the participants were also representatives of the RENEWAT project: Rzeszów Regional Development Agency S.A. from Poland and Udhetim i Lire - Liberi di Viaggiare from Albania.
Representatives of the "RENEWAT" project reserved networking table no. 2, which any interested participant of the event could approach.
During the talks, the topic of challenges related to water energy regulations was raised, especially with the use of existing water mills for energy production. The meeting was an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss the difficulties and political barriers that may occur when implementing projects related to the use of water energy in existing water mills.
During the networking, the project team established contact with representatives of the Association for the Development of the Little and Upper Vistula River Basin, the Maritime Institute of the UMG and the EAGER project. Networking was a great opportunity to establish new interesting contacts. Networking participants expressed their willingness to continue cooperation, starting with the preparation of a joint article on the possibilities of developing small hydroelectric power plants and renovating water mills.
As part of the exhibition organized by the Interreg Europe Joint Secretariat key elements of the RENEWAT project were presented, paying special attention to the foundations on which our initiative is based. The presentation included information on potential partnerships and expectations for future developments, as well as achievements to date and plans for the future related to the modernisation of water mills as modern tools for generating renewable energy.
The presentation of the project was led by partners from Udhetim and Lire - Liberi di Viaggiare from Albania. The exhibition of the project enjoyed great interest and after the presentation the audience asked many questions to the presenter. Among the comments were many favorable opinions about the innovativeness of the RENEWAT project and the unique approach to the topic of water energy. The audience also raised the need to increase the share of water energy in the production of green energy.
The last part of the meeting was an opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Policy Learning Platform. During the event, the topics of regional cooperation, its future and a summary of achievements to date were discussed. Participants had the opportunity to learn a lot of important information about the Policy Learning Platform - its services and how it contributes to the development of better regional practices.
The entire Interregional Cooperation Forum "Europe let's cooperate" was an important moment in building and strengthening international cooperation.