On 4 February 2026, the InnWater consortium held its Final Event in Szolnok, Hungary, bringing together project partners, institutional representatives, European Commission officials, researchers and invited experts to present the project’s key results and discuss their relevance for water governance across Europe.
Hosted in cooperation with the Middle Tisza District Water Directorate (KÖTIVIZIG), the event marked an important milestone after three years of collaborative work under the Horizon Europe programme.
Institutional opening
The event opened with welcome remarks from:
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Zoltán Borbás, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Vármegyei Közgyűlés
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Attila Lovas, Director of the Middle Tisza District Water Directorate (KÖTIVIZIG)
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Eric Mino, Office International de l’Eau (OiEau)
Speakers underlined the importance of strengthening water governance in the context of climate variability, regional development and institutional coordination.
InnWater in the European context
The European policy perspective was introduced by:
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Bertrand Vallet, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
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Liliána Zúgó, European Commission Representative
Their interventions highlighted the role of Horizon Europe projects in supporting governance innovation and contributing to EU water policy objectives.
Presentation of InnWater innovations
The core of the programme focused on presenting the project’s main innovations and pilot site experiences.
Water Governance Assessment
Maria Salvetti (European University Institute) and Laurence Couldrick (Westcountry Rivers Trust) presented the Enhanced Water Governance Assessment approach developed within the project.
The session included a contribution from external expert Maria de los Angeles Garcia Valiñas (University of Oviedo), who provided additional insights on governance assessment and policy evaluation.
Economic instruments and modelling tools
Michel Paul (University of Reims) and Martin Henseler (URN) introduced the economic modelling framework developed to support water management decision-making.
Andras Kis and Gábor Ungvári (REKK) presented applications of these tools in the Middle Tisza pilot site, focusing on water allocation and retention strategies.
The discussion was enriched by external expert contributions from:
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Soma Besenyei (MEKH)
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János Fehér (FAMIFE)
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Péter Kajner (WWF Hungary)
Practical applications and stakeholder perspectives
In the afternoon session, InnWater partners and invited participants discussed practical applications of the project’s tools and methodologies.
Exchanges focused on how the governance assessment framework, economic instruments and stakeholder engagement approaches can support authorities and decision-makers in different territorial contexts.
Closing session
The event concluded with reflections from Eric Mino (OiEau) and representatives of KÖTIVIZIG, summarising key outcomes of the project and highlighting remaining challenges for water governance in Europe.
The InnWater Final Event provided an opportunity to present the project’s results, share pilot site experiences and foster dialogue between researchers, policymakers and practitioners working on sustainable and resilient water governance.
