The fortified city of Antwerp hosted this year’s general meeting of EFFORTS (European Federation of Fortified Sites), during which Dirk Röder (European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network e.V.) was elected to the board of the European network. EFFORTS is a lobby organisation for fortresses based in Brussels and does important work for the preservation and use of the cultural heritage of fortified monuments in Europe.

With their candidature and election, both networks emphasised their intentions to work even more closely together in the future. The aim is to provide the most effective and comprehensive support possible for the interests of fortified monuments in Europe. Röder will take on the task of reorganising membership structures and strategic orientations in EFFORTS. The two networks plan to sign a cooperation agreement in the first half of 2020.