The aim of the two-day expert meeting is to exchange technical information on river engineering measures such as the restoration of side channels, the rehabilitation of banks and other ecological improvements in regulated river systems. There will also be time and space to discuss relevant issues in the field, such as the controversy surrounding habitat conservation and the promotion of dynamics in riparian systems.

The highly acclaimed Cumbria River Restoration partnership are the winners of the 2022 Europe River prize wit the Cumbria River Restoration programme.

The content of this newsletter is just a small reflection of all of the dynamic activity around the free-flowing rivers. At the same time, being aware of all that is happening makes it even more interesting to have look at all of the different activities and to realise how broad the topic of free-flowing rivers is in practice. And not only that, but what it takes to support the achievement of 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers by 2030 as well as many other targets directly or indirectly related to freshwater ecosystems restoration.  

With over one million barriers in European rivers, there is a need to prioritise those that areremoved. The programme's focus will be to support organisations and communities working to restore rivers by funding dam removal projects that have the greatest possible impact on restoring river ecosystems.