If the Treaty of Rome is the heart of Cohesion Policy, and the ERDF and ESF are its arms, then the European Week of Regions and Cities is its spirit! That is why we dedicated an entire issue of our ESPON magazine to the most iconic annual event for regional and local authorities in Europe. And we are excited that DG REGIO and the Committee of the Regions joined us in this effort with their invaluable support and contributions.
In this issue Commissioner Elisa Ferreira explains on the three milestones for inclusive recovery. Cor President Apostolos Tzitzikostas emphasises that local actors should be adequately involved in the NRS Plans. REGI Committee President Younous Omarjee writes about the implementation of the regulations into real projects on the ground.
Isabelle Boudineau, Chair the COTER, presents the ongoing successful cooperation of the Commission and the EU Parliament’s REGI Committee –while Heike Raab, State Secretary of the Rhineland Palatinate, underlines the importance of cross-border cooperation.
The deputy Director General of DG Regio, Normunds Popens, and Director General of DG AGRI Wolfgang Burtscher provide an update on the long-term vision for rural areas, when Debora Revoltella, Director of Economics at the European Investment Bank, discusses the twin challenges of digitalisation and climate change faced by European municipalities.
Wolfgang Petzold, deputy director for communications at the CoR, presents the views of local politicians on the future of Europe. Anguel K. Beremliysky, from the Conference on the Future of Europe explains how cities and regions can contribute to the debate. And Xavier Troussard, Head of the New European Bauhaus Unit, writes on how can cities and regions benefit from the new European Bauhaus
Finally, this issue also features a snapshot of some #EURegionsWeek sessions, testimonials from participants, researchers, policymakers and regional offices and many more.