Agenda

Agenda

Legal hackathon: water law as transition accelerator

Event details

The third management cycle of the European Water Framework Directive ends in 2027. The expectation is that many targets for the chemical and ecological quality of surface water and for the chemical and quantitative status of groundwater will not be achieved in time in the Netherlands and Flanders. Nevertheless, this deadline represents an exceptional opportunity  to position water issues higher on the political and social agenda and therefore to exploit a window of opportunity for much-needed and far-reaching changes in water management. It is precisely in this perspective that the law plays a crucial role. Although law is often seen as a barrier to change, recent research suggests that it can actually be a driver.

The afternoon will begin with inspiring contributions from Professor Marleen van Rijswick (Utrecht University) and Professor Kars de Graaf (University of Groningen), who will explain current legal and policy issues and open up new perspectives. Dr. Ann Crabbé (University of Antwerp) and Dr. Jan Starke (KWR) will then present the first empirical findings relating to both accelerators and obstacles in the design and application of the law in the area of water management regulated by the WFD. They will do this on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the European Commission’s WFD implementation reports. With water lawyers, corporate lawyers, barristers, judges, strategists and policymakers from the Netherlands and Flanders, we will then discuss how the law can continue to function as an accelerator of transition in the future. This will involve working in, for example, mixed groups in pressure cooker sessions in which we develop creative and sometimes unorthodox solutions. We will conclude with a networking meeting with drinks.

The hackathon has deliberately been kept small-scale, allowing for intensive dialogue, cross-pollination and collaboration that transcend disciplines and organisations. Participants will have the opportunity to influence innovative legal solutions on the basis of their own expertise and to contribute actively to the debate about the future of water management and law. The proceeds of the hackathon will be bundled and shared so that they will provide direction for policy, practice and science.

 

Registration
Send an email to noor.van.dooren@kwrwater.nl. To make good discussions possible, we are limiting the number of participants and working on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis.

A vegetarian lunch will be available from 12:15 onwards before the hackathon in the Waterkwartier. When registering, please let us know if you wish to participate in the lunch and state any dietary requirements.

Participation at the entire event is free of charge.