European Commission appoints Rotterdam as international example regarding climate adaptation

Being appointed a 'peer city' means that Rotterdam has a leading role in the training programme of the European Commission. The Commission is working on a framework for a European Adaptation Approach. The goal of the 'EU Adapt' project training courses is to make cities aware of the necessity of climate proofing and to support them in developing their own adaptation strategies.

Training programme for five cities

Five cities, divided into three groups, are taking part in the training programme. Per group, two peer cities serve as guides for the other cities. Together with Ancona, Rotterdam is guiding five cities: Almada (Portugal), Barcelona (Spain), Burgas (Bulgaria), Gibraltar and Zadar (Croatia). During the training programme, knowledge about how to set up and execute an adaptation strategy is shared and further developed in each city. Rotterdam already actively shares this knowledge with eight other delta cities in the world via the Connecting Delta Cities network.

The Rotterdam Approach

The name of the Rotterdam climate adaptation programme is Rotterdam Climate Proof. The programme focuses on continuous protection of and accessibility to the Rotterdam region and it views climate change as an opportunity. Through its use of innovations, the city becomes both more appealing and economically stronger. The Rotterdam Adaptation Approach focuses on how to deal with more water as well as higher temperatures.