Report and Presentations joint conference EUKN and Polish EU Presidency available online

Cohesion Policy is the major instrument of the European Union to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion. It is also one of the instruments to achieve the Europe 2020 Strategy, aimed at sustainable, smart and inclusive growth. But what does this mean in practice? How are cities involved in this European wide strategy? How can Europe assist cities in better addressing local challenges? With the new EU programming period (2014-2020) in sight, EUKN and the Polish EU Presidency elaborated on the role of cities in this respect and specifically pointed out the impact of European proposals on urban areas. The conference was organised by EUKN, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom relations of The Netherlands, the Polish Ministry of Regional Development and the City of Warsaw.

To realise an explicit urban focus in European policy, it is now the time to act. Never before, in a time of economic crisis, has the subject been so high on the agenda of the Commission. With the new proposals on Cohesion policy an exciting period has begun. It shows the recognition and importance of the urban dimension in European policy. Regions and cities play an important role in the realisation of the EU 2020 objectives. However, exact plans remain unclear which gives the opportunity to take leadership in this debate.

The conference gathered urban stakeholders from around the globe for an interactive exchange of strategies, experiences and hands-on knowledge on the practical aspects of the urban dimension of cohesion policy. This two-day conference was chaired by Prof.Dr. Michael Parkinson (Director of the European Institute for Urban Affairs ) and  started with a plenary session with noted experts and politicians which include:

• Renata Calak - Deputy Director Department of Structural Policy Coordination;
• Maciej Fijałkowski - Acting Director of the European Funds Department in the City of Warsaw;
• Ms. Marjorie Jouen - Special Adviser at Notre Europe and Deputy-Head of the President’s private office EU Committee of the Regions;
• Mr. Martin zur Nedden - Deputy Mayor of the City of Leipzig;
• Mr. Jan Maarten de Vet - Managing Director at Ecorys Brussels.

To read the speeches and powerpoints of the plenary session, please click here.

The following five topics played a prominent role in the conference and were discussed as well during the plenary session, as during the workshops:

1. Outlook: the urban dimension of the new EU programming period;
2. Local instruments to ensure a successful integrated approach;
3. Lessons learnt from urban regeneration;
4. Optimization of multilevel governance within the context of cohesion policy;
5. Innovative financial mechanisms.

Participants had the opportunity to exchange their views on these topics by means of an interactive plenary debate with the plenary speakers and workshop moderators.Click here to access the reports of the workshop.

During the second day of the conference a variety of projects were showcasted within the city of Warsaw. Matching mirror projects from Hungary, Portugal, Romania and France allowed the participants to discover different solutions to current urban issues. The onsite visits mainly addressed in what way cohesion policy supported the project and how it contributed to the urban environment. Additionally, the integrated urban aspects of the projects were deliberated.Read the main discussion points of the onsite visits here.

The conference ended with key messages for European cities and regions to support the great work established by the Polish presidency.