Experiences
Cooperation
'Now that we've established networks and gained confidence in one another, we're finally getting round to having open discussions about catchment areas. I hope we continue to do so even after IRMA.'
Unfamiliar territory
Working to increase safety and reduce the risk of flooding within catchment areas means, by definition, cooperating with other Member States, regions, organisations and people. All that seems obvious, but the skill of cooperating effectively does not come naturally. IRMA represented the first attempt at transnational cooperation with respect to water within the context of an EU programme. That fact, and the unfamiliarity with the new notion of spatial water management, meant that much discussion was required before the participants reached agreement. It took a lot of time to iron out differences in the interpretation of procedural rules. Direct discussions of shared goals and motivation proceeded step by step, both within the separate Member States and between them.
Solidarity
Gradually, the awareness dawned that flexibility was an absolute necessity if more was to be achieved than a mere list of separate projects. Cooperating on water issues inspired a feeling of mutual solidarity within the European context. As the programme proceeded, project managers began to hold one another accountable for achieving their targets for the general good of the programme. Networks began to grow and the project managers came to have confidence in one another - something that proved to be a requirement for effective cooperation and joint action.
Languages
Communication between people from different countries and disciplines can be facilitated by defining key concepts precisely. If wisdom starts with calling things by their name, those involved in IRMA would recommend compiling a glossary soon after the start of any programme.
Sense of solidarity
The reports indicate that transnational cooperation was only a minor factor at project level. Nevertheless, that was one of the grant stipulations. According to Sabine Ernst, who headed the German IRMA secretariat, transnational cooperation is just starting. 'The ideal, as envisaged by the Commission, is that the Germans, the French and the British would agree to undertake a project together and would each contribute to a budget for it, for example. We've not got that far yet. It takes time and the parties have to trust one another. What the IRMA programme has done, however,is lay the groundwork for this ideal.' IRMA made it possible for project managers in different catchment areas to get to know one another. Those contacts will continue and will act as a stimulus for future international flood protection projects, Ernst hopes. She mentions the world 'solidarity'. 'Because all the projects were carried out under the European flag, the staff members had the idea that they were part of a larger whole, and that gave them a sense of solidarity. The IRMA programme gave us a European context in which to operate. Someone in Baden-Würtemberg, for example, would think "I'm not alone, there are people everywhere in the catchment area working towards the same goal. And the money to support us doesn't come from the national states, but from Brussels." Something like that brings you together.'
Guidelines for new programmes
- Define key concepts early on in a common glossary.
- Devote energy to building up and maintaining expertise networks.
- Be ready to learn from other working methods.
- Invest in long-term relationships by giving and taking.
Experiences