NWE - INTERREG IV B
amice logo

AMICE

Climate Changing? Meuse Adapting!

News related to action

Monday, april 27 2009

First Project Steering Group meeting

The AMICE Partners are meeting all together for the first time since the project s approval. A "Project Steering Group" is created with one representative from each Partner organisation. Such meetings will be organised at least twice a year. They are...

Thursday, october 15 2009

Project Steering Group meeting report - First Payment Claim

In October, the AMICE Partners had their second Project Steering Group meeting. They discussed the last actions implemented, the work plan for 2010, the Payment Claim for the first semester 2009, the communication plan and communication tools. All do...

Friday, december 11 2009

Gouttes de pluie, flux de Meuse

Gouttes de pluie, flux de Meuse is a book combining all knowledge about the international catchment basin of the Meuse, describing its history, its hydrology, the hydraulic works and the water management organisations. The author, Marcel de Wit, pas...

Monday, january 4 2010

First ERDF subsidy received by AMICE project

The AMICE project was granted a 32% subsidy by the Interreg IV B Programme, corresponding to a global 2.809.000€ for the 4 years of the project. The ERDF is given progressively on the basis of the Partners prooves of expenses, that are forwarded...

Thursday, february 4 2010

Project Steering Group 3 - meeting report

Here are the documents related to the third Project Steering Group meeting. Main discussions focussed on the proposition of story for the Meuse film as well as AMICE participation into the Climate Change cluster initiated by the Interreg IV B Progra...

Wednesday, september 29 2010

SICadapt! Cluster Kick-off

The AMICE Project was invited by the Interreg IV B Secretariat to participate in a Cluster of Projects related to the Adaptation to climate change impacts. The Lead Partners of the 8 invited Projects met regularly and created SICadapt!The application...

Thursday, september 30 2010

AMICE Project Steering Group 4th meeting

Enclosed the report and annexes of the last PSG meeting held on September 30th, 2010 in Liège at the Meuse Commission....

Monday, october 4 2010

Interreg IV B Programme Overview

The Interreg IV B Programme has published an overview of its actions since 2007. It reminds the reader of the Programme aims and demonstrates the relevance of its projects for the whole North-West Europe. Some Projects are highlighted : you can read...

Thursday, february 24 2011

Project Steering Group 5

The 5th AMICE Project Steering Group was held on Thursday February 24th in Liège. The 15 clips for the interactive documentary were presented. An Annex has been added to the Partnership Agreement to integrate SICadapt! : all Partners represe...

Thursday, september 29 2011

Project Steering Group 8

The 8th Project Steering Group meeting was the occasion to get presentations of the AMICE investments and to discuss actions to be carried-out in 2012. Partners also had a brainstorm session to share their views on AMICE achievements, its future and...

Attached documents

doc Partnership Agreement

pdf Project timetable

pdf Operational Program

doc Audit Guidelines

pdf Progress Report 2009-1

pdf AMICE Meuse Symposium

pdf AMICE presentation at NL site visit

pdf Cluster Annex3_cross-cutting issues

pdf Cluster Annex2_Projects overview

doc Cluster definition

pdf Cluster subsidy contract

pdf Programme Overview 2007-2010

pdf Cluster introduction

pdf attendance

doc report from Interreg audit

doc meeting report

doc meeting report

doc meeting report

pdf Maas en Klimaat 5

pdf PSG7 general presentation

pdf SICadapt_phase2_policy recommendations

doc compte-rendu de réunion

doc meeting report

doc meeting report

pdf AMICE song

pdf Meuse and Climate 7

pdf BestPractices & LessonsLearnt_Investments

pdf Maas en Klimaat 7

Global project

AMICE: what is it about?

‘AMICE’ means ‘friend’ in Italian and the project is all about friendship:

AMICE is all about making friends with the Meuse and helping the river to adjust to climate change. We want the Meuse to become the very best example of a climate-proof river but one that keeps its natural beauty.

AMICE is also about the people who live along the 950 km length of the Meuse and its tributaries. It means building strong relationships between the 17 partner organisations and all Meuse-lovers in the catchment - from where it rises in France to its mouth in The Netherlands via Belgium and a part of Germany. It is a dream, but with commitment and enthusiasm, it can come true.

In the future there will be more floods and more droughts. Whatever we do now, we cannot stop climate–change. Adaptation to changing circumstances is a necessity - but we can choose how we take action. AMICE gives us the opportunity to test all the options and build them into one overall strategy. The river is bound to respond in ways we know but we are also anticipating some surprises.

Increasing our knowledge base is the key to success. If we want to help the Meuse adapt we must know everything about the river and how the local climate will change. We need to review all the existing literature, test climate models, quantify the impacts of different factors and prepare good land-use maps. Using reliable climate scenarios and the shared skills of the scientists in the catchment, this international study will help us generate a better understanding of how the Meuse will respond in the future.

Water is the 21st century’s essential resource. We must hold onto it and handle it with care! Improvements in ‘natural water retention’ can often be achieved through low impact, small-scale land-use changes. In AMICE, we are already investigating in three places how water can be held back more naturally where there are different land-use and population characteristics. This experience will help us to develop a more natural Meuse river basin.

There are many flood-water management constructions operating already in the Meuse river basin and more are planned. Herein lie some big challenges. How to design new water management structures that are able to deal comprehensively with flooding, drought and increasing water demand. How to adapt existing flood control measures to cope with ever more extreme events. Through AMICE, new approaches to these challenges are being tested by three highly innovative projects in Germany, Flanders and the Netherlands.

However, construction projects alone are insufficient to cope with some extreme water events. AMICE wants to improve how water managers and the rescue services anticipate and react to flood events. With the help of interactive software and the experience of AMICE Partners, flood crisis management can be improved and this will ultimately be tested through a transnational, flood-risk management exercise.

Change will also be achieved through awareness-raising - through newsletters, information packs, posters, leaflets and websites. Site visits to the different pilot projects will be arranged for local authorities and other participants. International events will provide an opportunity to disseminate the results of AMICE’s achievements further afield. Best of all will be an AMICE film that will tell the full story of how the Meuse basin is responding to climate-change.