{"id":17283,"date":"2026-10-28T20:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T19:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/the-head-of-cinea-the-european-agency-that-manages-the-life-program-visits-the-ebro-resilience-region\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T20:20:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T19:20:43","slug":"the-head-of-cinea-the-european-agency-that-manages-the-life-program-visits-the-ebro-resilience-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/the-head-of-cinea-the-european-agency-that-manages-the-life-program-visits-the-ebro-resilience-region\/","title":{"rendered":"The head of CINEA, the European agency that manages the LIFE program, visits the Ebro Resilience region"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The director of the European Commission\u2019s European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Agency (CINEA), Paloma Aba Garrote<\/strong>, has visited the project sites of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project to gain firsthand insight into the actions being carried out to reduce flood risk and promote adaptation to this extreme event in the middle reaches of the Ebro River.<\/p>

In addition to meeting with the technical team, he was also able to connect with stakeholders through his meeting with the Huerta del Ebro Irrigation Community in Fuentes de Ebro and with the mayors of Fuentes de Ebro: Mar\u00eda Pilar Palac\u00edn, Enrique G\u00f3mez of Osera de Ebro, and representatives from the Quinto City Council.<\/p>

The visit underscores the European Union’s interest in this project, which is 55% funded by the LIFE Program<\/strong> for the 2021\u20132027 period and is part of the Ebro Resilience Strategy.<\/p>

The day began by once again demonstrating the effective coordination and collaboration among the partner government agencies<\/strong>, with an analysis of the project\u2019s status alongside the technical team, composed of representatives from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE), the regional governments of La Rioja and Aragon; Orekan-Gesti\u00f3n Ambiental de Navarra; the Aragonese Water Institute; and the state-owned companies TRAGSA and TRAGSATEC.<\/p>

The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Ebro River Basin Authority, provided an opportunity to review the progress of the project\u2019s actions and indicators, which are considered a best-practice example of Nature-Based Solutions according to the Spanish catalog of such measures. The meeting also addressed the public engagement and<\/strong> social capacity-building<\/strong> initiatives carried out since 2021, which have fostered the active involvement of the local population and stakeholders in all phases of the project. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Visit to Osera de Ebro and Fuentes de Ebro<\/strong><\/p>

In the afternoon, the director, accompanied by the technical team, toured the projects being carried out between Osera de Ebro and Fuentes de Ebro (Zaragoza)<\/strong>, in what is known as Zone 2 of the project. This is one of the most innovative interventions of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project due to its commitment to reconciling flood risk reduction, agricultural activity, and the restoration of natural areas through Lateral Flow Buffer Zones. This measure involves the sequential implementation of temporary floodplains, a solution that could be applied in other Spanish and European river basins facing the same challenges. <\/p>

In addition to reviewing the projects, one of the highlights of the event was the opportunity to engage with local stakeholders, including a meeting with the Huerta del Ebro Irrigation Community in Fuentes de Ebro and representatives from the municipal governments of Fuentes de Ebro and Quinto.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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CINEA Director Visits the Osera de Ebro\u2013Fuentes de Ebro Section<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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CINEA Director Visits to Meet with Mayors and the Irrigation Community <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Among the performances we attended, the following stand out:<\/div>
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\u2022 The restoration of 27 hectares of riverine habitat<\/strong> <\/a>by removing longitudinal levees and constructing new protective structures set back from the river channel at the Mejana del Conde and the Aguilar meander<\/strong>.<\/div>
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\u2022 The creation of a 1.4-hectare wetland<\/strong><\/a>, along with the removal of 1.3 hectares of exotic vegetation and the future planting, beginning in February 2027, of 12,500 native trees, including poplars and elms resistant to Dutch elm disease.<\/div>
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\u2022 The adaptation of a section of the irrigation system of the Huerta del Ebro de Fuentes de Ebro Irrigation District<\/strong><\/a>\u2014which is buried and located away from the riverbed\u2014to improve its performance during floods and increase the system\u2019s efficiency.<\/div>
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\u2022 The implementation, currently underway, of 14 successive temporary flood areas covering 360 hectares of farmland,<\/strong> <\/a>which make up the so-called Lateral Flow Buffer Zones (ZAFL).<\/div>
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The ZAFLs are one of the project\u2019s main innovative contributions. During extreme floods, they are flooded in a controlled manner and allow the overflowing water to flow over the previously flooded land, reducing damage and erosion, facilitating subsequent drainage, and accelerating the recovery of farmland. <\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The implementation of these measures has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of farmers, the Huerta del Ebro Irrigation District in Fuentes de Ebro, the municipalities involved, and other local stakeholders.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Look at Zone 1<\/strong><\/p>

During the technical session, the initiatives carried out between Alfaro (La Rioja) and Castej\u00f3n (Navarre)<\/strong><\/a>, where LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 is promoting nature-based solutions for adapting to flood risk.
The projects carried out in La Rioja at Soto de Alfaro and the La Roza meander; those carried out in previous years as part of the Ebro Resilience Strategy; and, finally, the measures planned for the near future at the El Se\u00f1or\u00edo de Castej\u00f3n meander in Navarre\u2014together constitute what is known as the \u201cCombined Measures Section,\u201d a series of successive interventions that multiply their effects in reducing flood risk.<\/p>

Among the projects already completed as part of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 program, the morphological adaptation and environmental restoration of the La Roza meander stand out, with the recovery of 22 hectares of riverine habitat, and the restoration of former branches of the Ebro River in Soto de Alfaro, which has reconnected 60 hectares of this meander with the river\u2019s active channel.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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European Support and Next Steps<\/strong><\/p>

Before the technical workshop, Aba Garrote, accompanied by Piedad Rivas L\u00f3pez, project manager for the LIFE Program, was welcomed by institutional representatives from the partner organizations: the president of the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE), Carlos Arrazola Mart\u00ednez; the deputy assistant director of Water Protection and Risk Management at MITECO, M\u00f3nica Aparicio Mart\u00edn; the Director General of Environmental Quality, Climate Change, and Water for the Government of La Rioja, Mar\u00eda Isabel Vitoria D\u00edez; the Director of the Aragonese Water Institute of the Government of Aragon, Eva Sierra Vinagre; and the CHE\u2019s Water Commissioner, Miriam Pardos Duque.<\/p>

The visit builds on and expands the European Commission\u2019s monitoring of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project. In 2025, CINEA representative Federico de Filippi participated in coordination meetings and visited the project\u2019s two adaptation zones, expressing his support for its objectives and progress. <\/p>

LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 is part of the Ebro Resilience Strategy, which promotes the implementation of the measures outlined in the Ebro River Basin Flood Risk Management Plan (PGRIEbro) along a 332-kilometer stretch of the river\u2019s middle course between Logro\u00f1o and La Zaida.<\/p>

To build on this work, the strategy\u2019s partners have submitted a new proposal to the LIFE 2027 call for proposals, which is currently under review by the European Commission. This new phase will include new institutional partners and new lines of action outlined in the PGRIEbro. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Paloma Aba Garrote, director of the European Commission\u2019s European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Agency (CINEA), has chosen this flood risk adaptation project in the middle section of the Ebro River to see firsthand its pilot initiatives and the coordinated efforts of the various government agencies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":17286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"wpmdr_menu":1,"wpmdr_menu_extended":{"individualPostRemove":1,"individualPostRemoveDate":1,"individualPostRemoveAuthor":1,"individualPostYoastRemovePublished":1,"individualPostYoastRemoveModified":1},"footnotes":""},"categories":[377,369],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-en","category-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17296,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17283\/revisions\/17296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ebroresilience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}