Plenary assembly of the International Scheldt Commission
The day it all led up to: our recommendations at the plenary where the three countries work together on the Scheldt.
- When
- 25 June 2026
- Where
-
Tournai, Belgium
- Who
- Mathieu, one of our participants, speaking for all of us
- Result
- The youth recommendations presented to the commission
What we did
The International Scheldt Commission invited us to its plenary assembly in Tournai. That is the big meeting of all its members: the states and regions along the river. Mathieu, one of our participants, spoke for us.
The invitation was more than a courtesy. Since 2012 we have held observer status at the commission, which brings together civil servants, engineers and policymakers.
The morning was about the future of the basin:
- the 2040 strategic vision for the Scheldt
- using the price of water to get paving removed, so rain soaks into the ground
- flooding across borders, with the French flood management organisation SYMSAGEL
- room for water: temporary flood storage zones and sponge landscapes, where soil soaks up water
In the afternoon, working groups reported on hydrology, groundwater, accidental pollution and fish populations.
What the day gave us: a direct line to the people who manage the river. They heard our recommendations from us, not through someone else.
In pictures
What we asked for
The three groups' recommendations, and the letter they wrote in Ghent, in full.
Read the recommendations