Local, regional, national and EU government representatives and policy makers attended a dedicated workshop, organized by Wetsus, on March 27 in Brussels. The research and innovation strategy for smart specialization (RIS3), Horizon 2020, EU regional policy developments and synergies between regional, national and European policies were discussed by the attendants in lively sessions. The workshop ended with a visit to the European Parliament, where the meeting of the EP intergroup on water was attended. Regions from France, Italy and the Netherlands presented themselves on the topic of smart regional specialization for water technology. Wetsus presented the WaterCampus Leeuwarden model.
The overall conclusion of this study visit is that the strategy of Wetsus and WaterCampus Leeuwarden to combine regional, national and EU policies is broadly supported. In the words of MEP Lambert van Nistelrooij,
