BEGIN wins the REGIOSTARS Public Choice Award!
Tonight, the BEGIN project won the REGIOSTARS Awards 2021 in the Public Choice category.
We are exceedingly proud of this recognition for BEGIN. The REGIOSTARS Awards reward the very best Cohesion Policy projects in the European Union.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Congratulations to all the winners, they are role models for anyone that wishes to better the life of people with the use of EU funds.”
Commissioner Elisa Ferreira in conversation with BEGIN representative Sebastiaan van Herk
Climate resilience with a social twist
The award confirms that BEGIN is a truly stellar project. Not only does it reduce flood risk in cities through blue-green infrastructure such as parks and lakes. The partners also use social innovation to create these solutions together with citizens. This ensures added benefits such as improved human health and new spaces for wildlife to thrive in the city.
This visionary and inclusive approach has driven clear results. BEGIN has delivered over 30 pilots with a flood risk reduction of more than 50 per cent. The partners have calculated that these actions will provide benefits worth €350 million over the next twenty years.
Huge congratulations to the partners!
Learn more about BEGIN
To learn more about why BEGIN deserves the honour, watch their video:
An exceptional year for the North Sea Region
This year's RegioStars Awards was a double first for our programme: It was the first time we had a winning project, and also the first time we had two projects in the finals.
In addition to BEGIN, the IVB project DRYPORT was also selected for the finals in the category Green Transport (Topic of the Year). We were extremely happy to see two North Sea projects in the finalist round and applaud them both for their outstanding achievements!