European programmes
The Netherlands is the gateway to Europe. Rijkswaterstaat plays a crucial role in building and maintaining the infrastructure that enables the Netherlands to perform that function. Our efforts to promote safety, environmental quality and mobility do not stop at our national borders.
International projects are therefore an integral part of Rijkswaterstaats activities. Cross-border cooperation is embedded in all of our work processes, yielding knowledge and innovations that help us to constantly improve the quality and efficiency of our operations.
Office for European programmes
One of the objectives of Rijkswaterstaats international cooperation is to create added value for its own projects, while simultaneously helping to achieve the EU’s goals and meet the challenges it faces. By participating in EU programmes such as Horizon Europe, CEF Transport, LIFE and Interreg, we collaborate with our European partners in developing the knowledge and innovations required to meet those objectives.
The mission of Rijkswaterstaat is to stimulate, facilitate and manage the cooperation with (inter)national partners in relation to research and innovation projects
The Office for European Programmes is a centre of expertise for European programmes established by Rijkswaterstaat in 2013. Its mission is to stimulate, facilitate, and manage the cooperation with our European and other international partners in relation to research and innovation projects. To that end, it maintains close links with key stakeholders in the research and innovation arena on important issues such as Corridor Management (Smart Mobility), Network Governance, Asset Management, Climate adaptation, Sustainability and Digitalisation.
The Office for European Programmes also actively participates in organizations and networks such as:
Research platforms
The staff of the Office for European Programmes share their knowledge with international partners in Brussels and are continuously involved in the decision-making processes of our European network, for example through their membership of European river commissions.
Partnerships
Knowledge is not limited to borders. Rijkswaterstaat collaborates with other countries by sharing its knowledge and providing assistance where necessary. We cooperate with other Dutch government agencies and knowledge and research institutes in European projects. We have also built an extensive network of infrastructure authorities and environmental agencies in Europe, especially in countries with whom we share European transport corridors and water systems.