On 1 December 2020, the IMPEL National Coordinators meeting held its first meeting online in history successfully.
As the Federal Republic of Germany fulfills the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at this time, the meeting was facilitated and hosted by mr. Matthias Sauer of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The meeting was chaired by Dutch National Coordinator mr. Henk Ruessink of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management).
In preparation for the General Assembly meeting of 2 and 3 December 2020, some 30 National Coordinators discussed agenda items such as sharing of (national) experiences while working under the restrictions of the pandemic, looking at the consequences of the pandemic for IMPEL, continuing to do the important work under the current constraints, and assessing whether there are lessons to be learned – and which.
The National Coordinators also reflected on the findings and recommendations of the IMPEL Governance Assessment, which was carried out in the course of 2020. They exchanged their initial thoughts and views on the implementation of the recommendations regarding the changes deemed necessary for an effective governance of IMPEL, so that the IMPEL network is fit for purpose for the years ahead.