Solidarity in transboundary flood risk management: A view from the Dutch North Rhine–Westphalian catchment area

Abstract

Climate change is putting pressure on water systems, and its effects transcend man-made boundaries, making cooperation across territorial borders essential. The governance of transboundary flood risk management calls for solidarity among riparians, as climate change will make river basins more prone to flooding. ‘Solidarity’ means that individuals act to support members of a particular community to which they belong. Recently, the solidarity principle has become institutionalized due to its formalization in the EU Floods Directive. However, it is not clear what solidarity means in the upstream–downstream practices of transboundary flood risk management. Understanding the meaning of solidarity is important for the development of cross-border climate adaptation governance. This article discusses the conceptualization of the solidarity principle and explores its meaning for international cooperation in the Dutch North Rhine–Westphalian border region. Our critical case study reveals that although all actors understand the importance of solidarity, they interpret it differently, often based on self-interest related to their position in the catchment. The formal inclusion of the solidarity principle in the Floods Directive can best be seen as a step in the continuous development of transboundary flood risk governance, as no striking changes in practice have been identified after its formalization.

Policy relevance

As climate change increasingly puts pressure on river basins and other shared resources, cross-border cooperation and solidarity are seen as increasingly important. This article discusses the meaning of solidarity in practice and reveals how this normative principle may contribute to transboundary climate adaptation governance. Understanding its meaning is important for future cross-border climate adaptation governance.

Keywords:

• climate adaptation
• Dutch North Rhine–Westphalian border region
• flood risk management
• solidarity principle
• transboundary governance

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the input of the interviewees and the research contributions of Vincent van Os in an earlier stage of the project. We would like to thank Alison Morley and Christina Newstead for their language corrections and the reviewers for their constructive feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Interviewees represented the following transboundary organizations: the ICPR, the Dutch–German cross-border platform for regional water management, and the Dutch–German High Water Working Group. Moreover, interviewees represented the following German organizations: the German Federal Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of North Rhine–Westphalia concerning Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture and Nature Conservation, the Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf, Wasserverband Eifel-Ruhr, the Emschergenossenschaft/ Lippeverband and Deichverband Bislich-Landesgrenze. Finally, interviewees represented the following Dutch organizations: the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, its Public Works Department, the Dutch provinces of Limburg and Gelderland, Regional Water Authorities Roer en Overmaas and Rijn en IJssel and the municipality of Nijmegen.

2. One workshop was organized by the researchers on the transboundary aspects of water safety in the Meuse and Rhine basin (7 May 2014, Utrecht, the Netherlands) and one concerning the search for integrated and transboundary climate adaptation strategies (22 June 2014, Nijmegen, the Netherlands).

3. The researchers were present at the High Water Conference on 30 October 2014 in Rees, Germany.

4. The researchers joined a meeting of the working groups from the ICPR (19 March 2014, Koblenz, Germany).

Additional information

Funding

This article has been written within the framework of the Dutch National Research Programme Knowledge for Climate and within the STAR-FLOOD project (funded within the framework of the European Union's Seventh Programme for Research Technological Development and Demonstration under grant agreement no. 308364).