What are the new territorial models for the management of the European Urban Policy? What is the role of small and medium cities in proposing a renewed European Urban Policy adapted to the challenges of our time?

The EURE partners gathered experts, political representatives of local and regional authorities as well as representatives of European institutions on 29 June in Brussels and online to discuss these questions. The conference “Analysis and Proposals for a New European Urban Policy and the Role of Small and Medium Cities” also offered participants the opportunity to exchange on the relation between small and medium cities and the sustainable built environment.

This event concluded a first phase of the project dedicated to interregional learning. Despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, partners managed to adapt their workplan and successfully exchange experiences to reach their main objective: use interregional cooperation to improve the way the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) addresses the environmental urban challenges of cities at peripheral regions, also paying attention to those cities of small dimensions but with influence in the sparsely populated areas where they are located.

As a result of the first phase, each partner has developed an Action Plan (AP), aiming at improving the respective policy instrument each partner addresses and establishing schemes for improving the governance of key urban environmental activities. Those Action Plans were presented during the event.

Presentations

Programme

09:30
Registrations
10:00 - 10:30

Opening

  • Welcome and introductory remarks
    Francesco Lembo, ACR+
  • Presentation of the EURE project
    Xoán Vázquez Mao, Eixo Atlantico
10:30 - 10:45
Key-note speech: The role of Small and Medium Cities in promoting a decarbonised built environment
Gonzalo Sanchez, Policy Officer for Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality in the Building Sector in the European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
10:45 - 11:45

Roundtable 1: New territorial models for the management of the European Urban Policy
Moderation: Xoán Vázquez Mao, Eixo Atlantico

  • Radim Sršeň, Deputy of the Cabinet Minister of Regional Development of the Czech Republic and member of the European Committee of the Regions
  • Marcos Ros, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur of the New European Bauhaus
  • Cristina Fernández Dávila, Mayor of Ponteareas, Spain
11:45 - 12:00
Coffee break
12:00 - 13:00

Roundtable 2: Small and medium cities and sustainable built environment
Moderation: Massimo Bressan, ASEV expert

  • Ms Adelina Pinto, Deputy Mayor of Guimaraes, Portugal
  • Brenda Barnini, Mayor of Empoli, Italy
  • Stephen Boyle, Head of Construction, Zero Waste Scotland, UK
13:00 - 14:30
Lunch
14:30 - 15:45
The EURE project brings improvements: presentation of the Action Plans developed by the project partners
Moderation: Danko Aleksic, ACR+
15:45 - 16:00
Wrap up and conclusion
ACR+


Photo by Matthew on Unsplash