Yesterday, the city of Palma hosted the High-Level Euroregional Conference on Flood Risks. The conference, chaired by Margalida Prohens, President of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion and of the Government of the Balearic Islands, established the Balearic Islands as a key reference point for the strategic debate on flood risk management in the Mediterranean region.
The event was organised by the Balearic Islands Government’s Department of the Sea and the Water Cycle, in collaboration with the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion. It served as a forum for effective dialogue between public authorities, emergency services, the scientific community and political leaders. The main objective was to strengthen territorial cooperation and share tools to anticipate the effects of extreme events, which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change. This is one of the key priorities of the current Balearic Islands presidency and a major focus of the LocAll4Flood project, in which the Euroregion and the University of the Balearic Islands are participating.
The programme covered risk analysis and assessment, raising awareness among relevant stakeholders, and alert management, with the aim of reducing the region’s vulnerability. Of particular note were the presentations by Ms Maria del Carme Llasat, Director of the Catalonia Flood Risk Observatory, and Dr Pablo Gárriz, Director-General for Emergencies and the Interior of the Government of the Balearic Islands. Alongside other representatives from the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Catalan Water Agency, the Valencian Community, the Occitanie Region and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, as well as academic specialists and emergency service managers, they presented tools, experiences and strategies for addressing flood risks in a more coordinated and effective manner.
Given the increasing frequency and severity of flooding events, as well as the growing pressure on flood-prone areas and public land, it is essential to strengthen planning, coordination and early warning systems across all levels of government. It is also necessary to equip cities and regions with more effective tools. For this reason, one of the central themes of the meeting was the replicability of the solutions presented. The pilot projects developed as part of LocAll4Flood enable methodologies, protocols and tools tested in one area to be adapted and implemented in other regions of the Euroregion and the Mediterranean basin.
Thanks to the added value of European cooperation and the exchange of knowledge between regions, it has been possible to share tools and expertise offering more effective responses to common risks.
This high-level conference is intended to serve as a forum for debate and the presentation of success stories linked to the pilot projects, which are progressing very well and are preparing for the conference on ‘Management of Flash Flood Risk in the Mediterranean Region’, scheduled for 17 June in Perpignan.
The President of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion and of the GOIB Margalida Prohens opening the conference.
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15/04/2026 Environment and Sustainability | Water and Floods Group | LocAll4Flood “The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion shares how to tackle flash floods” You can read the article from the newspaper IB3 Notícies HERE in Catalan. 15/04/2026 Environment and Sustainability | Water and Floods [...]
