The Rhône and Saône valleys are one of the most densely populated areas in France and cross three regions.
The floods of 2002-2003 made people aware of the need for a common strategy among the territories and players concerned, which gave rise to the 1st Rhône Plan 2010-2015.
The 2nd Rhône Plan 2015-2020 aims to perpetuate the interaction between the State and the territories concerned, in partnership with the economic players, in order to allow greater control and sustainable development of the Rhône River.
Presentation of the Rhône Plan 2015-2020
Who and what is it?
It is an interregional plan contract (CPIER) between the State and the Regions of the Rhône River basin and its main tributary, the Saône River, which involves
- the State
- voies Navigables de France (VNF)
- the Rhône Méditerranée Corse Water Agency)
- the Provence-Alpes Côte-d’Azur, Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne, Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regions
- the Rhône-Méditerranée Basin Committee
- the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR)
- Electricité de France (EDF)
The partners’ funding amounts to €555 million, with an estimated overall investment of €850 million between the Rhône and Saône.
The current contract covers the period 2015-2020 and is also supported by the European Union.
The plan is organised around 3 axes with a distribution of funding over 5 components.
- Axis 1: Multifunctional management of the waters and environments of the Rhône and Saône, with the flooding and water quality, resources and biodiversity components.
- Axis 2: Economic development, including river transport, tourism and energy.
- Axis 3: Territorial and societal dynamics and innovations
With whom and how?
From the general public to the State, the contract involves all the stakeholders concerned at different territorial levels, following on from an independent study carried out before the plan.
The partners have defined the Plan as a project for the sustainable development of a coherent living area, structured by the proximity and influence of the river and its main tributary.
Web review
- Press kit (French) of the plan
- The Inter-regional State-Region Plan Contract 2015-2020, PDF format (French)
- Correction of the Rhône in Switzerland
Along the Rhône
- Map of the Rhône river
- Weather along the Rhône
- Taking the train in Switzerland and France
- Where to sleep in the Rhône valley?
- River tourism map (Rhône)
- Towns along the river
- The Viarhôna, the green bike route along the Rhône river