As the debate develops about the future of EU cohesion policy this conference will demonstrate the strengths of the urban dimension and how the integrated approach adopted by cities brings added value to cohesion policy.

Integrated local development combines social, economic and environmental measures, forging partnerships both horizontally (across different local stakeholders) and vertically (across different levels of government).  The geographical scale of intervention can range from the neighbourhood level to the city as a whole or the wider functional area depending on the issues at stake. The integrated approach fosters innovation in policy development, delivery and governance and leads to more enduring impacts.

The conference will showcase examples of actions and projects already supported by EU structural funds in three different sessions focusing on integrating people and place-based policies, on partnership working and on variable geography.  It will involve the ‘key players’ of cohesion policy: representatives from Member States, from the European Parliament, from the European Commission, and from regional and local governments.

Programme

Moderator: Paul Bevan, Secretary General of EUROCITIES

10.30 to 11.15       Opening with representatives of EU Belgian Presidency, European Parliament Urban Intergroup, EUROCITIES and theEuropean Commision

11.15 to 12.30       Session 1: The integrated approach with representatives from cities, national governments, the European Parliament, the European Commision and the Committee of the Regions.

12.30 to 13.30         Lunch

13.30 to 14.45       Session 2: Working in partnership with representatives from cities, national governments, the European Parliament, the European Commision and the Committee of the Regions.

14.45 to 16.00       Session 3: A variable geography with representatives from cities, national governments, the European Parliament, the European Commision and the Committee of the Regions.

16.00 to 16.30         Coffee break

16.30 to 17.30       Looking towards the future cohesion policy with representatives of the EU Belgian Presidency and of the future EU Hungarian and Polish Presidencies

17.30 to 18.00       Conclusions

19.00                     Reception offered by the EU Belgium Presidency in the presence of EU Belgian Presidency, European Parliament Urban Intergroup, EUROCITIES and theEuropean Commision

Reception venue: BIP – Brussels Information Point, 2-4 rue Royale, 1000 Bruxelles

Please see detailed and updated programme here.