Democracy, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the vision of local and regional authorities for the future of the EU are among the themes of the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities, which will bring together 3,500 participants in Belgium.
“On the 18th and 19th, the city of Mons in Belgium will become the capital of the local and regional authorities of the European Union. [UE]“Vasco Cordeiro, president of the European Committee of the Regions, was quoted in a note from the organization of the summit, which “is expected to attract around 3,500 representatives of municipalities and regions of the EU and other continents, European institutions and partner organizations.”
The summit “will be a fundamental moment to reaffirm the role of local and regional authorities in achieving a fairer, stronger and more sustainable EU,” says the socialist and former president of the regional government of the Azores (2012-2020).
“Europe only happens because municipalities and regions make it happen, and the Mons summit is an important moment to confirm our priorities for the next political-institutional cycle of the life of the European Union,” Cordeiro emphasized.
In Mons, “EU regions and municipalities will present their vision and intentions for the future of Europe in a declaration that will form the basis for public debate on the European Parliament elections from 6 to 9 June” and will be delivered to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, as Belgium currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The first meeting on Monday will look at “local and regional solutions to global problems” with the participation of Vasco Cordeiro, Minister-President of the Wallonia region, Hélio Di Rupo, Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres and President of the European Parliament Robert Metsola (both via video message), as well as presentations by representatives of Mauritania, Brazil and the United States of America.
The plenary session, dedicated to “a just transition and cohesion at the heart of future policies,” will feature Vasco Cordeiro and European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform Elisa Ferreira.
The work continues simultaneously with four thematic panels focusing on cohesion, digital innovation, inclusion and gender equality.
The panel discussion “#CohesionAlliance: a renewed cohesion policy that leaves no one behind” will analyze how to address the challenges of economic, social and territorial cohesion, featuring Vasco Cordeiro and Elisa Ferreira, among others.
In the section “Promoting digital innovation ecosystems at the regional level”, we begin with the question of how digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, can respond “to economic and social challenges”, together with Augusto Lima, Councilor of the Famalican Chamber, as well as “Creating inclusive communities.” “will allow us to identify examples and aspects that need to be improved in order to “put effective integration policies into practice.”
The panel on “Strategies and approaches to improving gender parity in politics,” when in EU regions and municipalities “only a third of political decision-makers are women,” includes participants from Europe, Canada and the Gambia.
The second day begins with a discussion on the European Parliament elections, another discussion on “Co-creating cities and regions with youth”, and “Towards a Green Deal 2.0” to assess the European Green Deal and local challenges to accelerate it. green transition.
The fourth panel, “Affordable and quality healthcare, education, housing and culture in all territories,” features Luisa Salgueiro, President of the Chamber of Matosinhos and the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities.
At the plenary session “Vision of the regions and municipalities for the future of Europe”, in addition to debates between representatives of various political groups, the Summit Declaration with a vision of the European future will be adopted.
This is followed by three parallel panels: “How to ensure a decentralized recovery process for Ukraine” in connection with the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will take place from June 11 to 12, 2024 in Berlin, Germany, and “Preparing regions and cities.” against crises”, focusing on “disaster resilience as the new compass of EU policy”, with the Mayor of Portimão Isilda Gomes and the Mayor of Braga Ricardo Rio.
In the third panel, “Get ready to interact!” “maximum participation in elections” will be discussed.
The summit concludes with the plenary session “Democracy and Values - Award Ceremony for Pawel Adamowicz”, the former mayor of Gdansk (Poland) killed in 2019 for a hate crime, honoring citizens and elected representatives who, despite the risks, live to make democracy work and support more inclusive communities.
The summit will also mark the 30th anniversary of the European Committee of the Regions, established by the Maastricht Treaty.
The European Committee of the Regions, created in 1994, is an EU assembly of regional and local representatives of 27 Member States, currently consisting of 329 effective members, of which 12 are Portuguese.
The European Summit of Regions and Cities takes place every two years and was created with the aim of ensuring that local and regional authorities make a full contribution to the most pressing debates in the EU.
OFS//MLS
Lusa/The End
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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