Project Kick-Off Meeting in Lille, France on 26th - 27th May 2011

  

The project partners from WEASTflows recently met in Lille for the first meeting of the project team. At the meeting, all regions, including the Mid-West Region presented their plans for launching WEASTflows in their region.

 

WEASTflows project partners, Lille 

The Mid-West Regional Authority is leading on the project action regarding the design and implementation of a Sustainable Gateway concept and integrating this with existing regional policies.  This will involve undertaking a review of the Limerick-Shannon Gateway as well as working via a collaborative approach with our partners, particularly from the Seine Gateway and the London-Thames Gateway as well as other logistics hubs in North West Europe such as Luxembourg, Duisburg and Mannheim.  The WEASTflows project aims to develop a Reference Guide on the creation and development of a Sustainable Gateway and the creation of a Sustainable Gateway label.  

The MWRA will be presenting the WEASTflows project to the Irish Exporters’ Association’s Rail Freight Forum on Wednesday 22nd June 2011 (www.irishexporters.ie).

For further information in relation to the WEASTflows project, please contact Deirdre Byrne, EU Project Officer (dbyrne@mwra.ie)

***********************************************************************

WEASTflows is a 48 month project under the Interreg IVB North West Europe Programme with participation from 21 partners from Ireland, UK, France, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany. Lead partnership is a joint initiative from France and UK. The Irish partner is the Mid-West Regional Authority, but the project is currently seeking new Irish partners and strong interest has been received from the sector.

General Aim of the Project

The WEASTflows project aims at the development of improved freight transport logistics systems and chains, in the context of North West Europe transnational transport corridors and regional/city distribution systems, in particular by using the potential of ICT technologies, especially in the context of intermodal transport chains (water, air, road, rail).

Specific Objectives of the Project

 

• To develop and test innovative approaches to freight logistics handling and logistics chains, to include pilot projects and demo projects
• To develop and demonstrate the potential of ICT for freight logistics management, for example for better integration of CVO and AFMS
• To use the results for improved urban/regional planning systems
• To improve connectivity and accessibility in regions and/or NWE international transport corridors
• To improve the economic and environmental performance of regions (by optimising logistics transport with less external effects)

 

Mid-West Region

 

The Mid-West Region is strategically located on the West Coast of Ireland and is an important logistics hub in Ireland with the Shannon Estuary and Shannon International Airport. The Limerick/Shannon Gateway is at the heart of the region and is an important contributor to the economic development of the region

 

Potential Benefits for Ireland

 

• Opportunity to improve the connectivity from Ireland to the major North West Europe transport corridors
• Opportunity to test out the latest in innovative approaches to freight transportation via participation in pilot projects
• Opportunity to test out new ICT solutions and share experiences with European partners
• The results of project will feed into the regional planning processes

 

Information Seminar in Shannon, March 2011

The Regional Authority arranged an information seminar in Shannon International Airport on 28th March 2011 to explain the objectives of the WEASTflows project and to seek input from relevant public and private stakeholders about the planned implementation of this ambitious project in Ireland. Representatives from the lead partners in the UK and France as well as from the Mid-West Regional Authority provided information about the project and its planned implementation.

General Notes

The project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg IVB North West Europe Programme.

 

For further information on the WEASTflows project, please contact Deirdre Byrne at 067-33197.