Danube Floodplain Winter Online School was successfully held between 15 and 19 November. The multi-layered programme covered the topics of the scientific methods developed in the Interreg Danube Floodplain project, and the working practices in water and flood management.

The altogether five-day long Winter Online School provided the opportunity to the enrolled students to learn directly from the project partners of the Danube Floodplain project. The Online Winter School ended with the 3rd Danube Floodplain Webinar which showcased the Danube Floodplain GIS which have been developed in the Danube Floodplain project.

The lecturers at the Winter Online School pointed out that the EU Water Framework Directive is a milestone in water governance because it considers river basin borders and not political borders. It was explained that the implementation of the EU Water Framework, Floods, Habitats, and Birds Directives faces difficulties when it comes to financing.

Flash floods and the distribution of the invasive species were mentioned as key challenges, and speakers highlighted the importance of communication with different stakeholders, e.g., with land owners in order to find win-win solutions for floodplain management.

More than 2/3 of the participants were satisfied with the content of the Danube Floodplain Winter Online School and praised the knowledge they gained and the cooperative environment where they could exchange views with the experts of the Danube Floodplain project.

The Danube Floodplain Winter Online School was the continuation of the Danube Floodplain Online Course. The Online Course is still open until 7 December, and everyone can enrol in it on EdX.