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European Week of Regions and Cities

Quality local and regional administrations for resilience and growth

The Mons declaration shines a spotlight on the role of cities and regions in Europe's resilience and growth. What can be done to tackle the growing mismatch between their responsibilities and resources? We will explore organisational and skills development, collaboration across governance levels and policy areas. We will share views from practitioners and real-world case studies and help you understand how the Commission supports reform initiatives and capacity building.

  • Territorial | Local and regional | EU/ European | Climate and environment | Sustainable | Governance and Public administration | Cohesion | Civil protection and risk prevention | Industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (enterprise/ startup/ business) | Jobs and Employment
  • Code: 09WS24881
  • Albert Borschette Conference Centre, AB-2A

Speakers

Durmish Guri

  • Director, Council of European Municipalities and Regions

Karen Van Dantzig

  • Representative, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands

Louise Coffineau

  • Head of Advocacy, Eurocities

Moderator

Practical information

When
Wed 09/10/2024, 16:30 - 17:30 CET
Where
Albert Borschette Conference Centre, AB-2A
Type of partnership
Partnership
Format
Workshop/ panel debate
Theme
Competitiveness and convergence: two sides of the same coin
Language
English

Partners

Document

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Reporting

Session summary

One-hour panel discussion and Q&A focusing on strengthening cities' and regions' roles in European development, skills and capacity building, and access to TSI. Audience included mostly local / regional level authorities.  

Video opening message from the Commissioner Ferreira, emphasising the key role of local and regional levels in enhancing Europe's competitiveness and resilience, and highlighting the importance of the ComPAct, TSI, and network collaboration.

The opening was well-received by the audience, and its themes were brought up many times during the session.  

Panel discussion included the following speakers:   

Durmish Guri, Director for Projects and Programmes, CEMR  

Karen van Dantzig, the Dutch Urban Envoy  

Andre Sobczak, Secretary General, Eurocities  

Moderator: Florian Hauser, Deputy Head of Unit, REFORM.B.2.  

Key takeaways from the panel and Q&A session highlighted several challenges and suggestions. The challenges that were identified include poor coordination between the different levels of governance in general and on TSI applications, a lack of awareness about TSI opportunities, and a lack of capacities and skilled staff at local and regional levels. Additionally, there is a need to complement sector reforms with place-based approaches and address the different needs of rural and metropolitan areas.

Suggestions to address these challenges include improving coordination between levels of governance and considering the political context more. It was also suggested that TSI calls be clarified, with potential dedicated calls for Local and Regional Authorities (LRA). Furthermore, there is a need for mapping of available funds and their best use. Finally, exploring the possibility of networks becoming eligible to apply for support was also proposed.