The 7th European Summit of Regions and Cities takes place in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 8-9 July 2016. Hosted by the CoR President Markku Markkula, the CoR is teaming up with EPP members, Pavol Frešo, from the Bratislava Self-Governing Region, and Ivo Nesrovnal, Mayor of the City of Bratislava, for one of the biggest events during the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU. Under the title "Invest and connect", local and regional authorities will share experiences with the Slovak Prime Minister Fico, European Commissioners Jyrki Katainen, Maros Šefčovič and Violeta Bulc, EIB Vice-President László Baranyay and Members of the European Parliament, including Jan Olbrycht.
"The enthusiasm surrounding the Urban Agenda clearly demonstrates the potential for Europe's regions and cities to generate smarter, greener and more sustainable growth across the Union" Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions stressed. "However, Europe's crises have seen the social, economic and territorial gaps widening. Whilst this is a concern, I am sure that through optimised use of the European structural and investment funds, better spending and simplified policies, we will be able to get Europe back on track."
"Regions, cities and rural areas in Europe have vast untapped investment potential but still face too many obstacles in achieving it" Markku Markkula, President of the Committee of the Regions and host of the Summit, argues. "The Investment Plan for Europe is an important step forward, but we must continue to innovate and overcome these barriers."
Information, the full programme and links to multi-lingual information are available on the CoR's Summit website and on social media via the hashtag #BratislavaSummit.
Bratislava Declaration
The aim of the Bratislava Summit is to ensure that local and regional experiences are reflected in the policies that will affect Europe's economic, social and territorial prospects for years to come. This is particularly relevant given that regional and local authorities are responsible for more than 70% of public investment. In a Declaration to be adopted at the end of the Summit, the European Committee of the Regions will endorse a "forward looking vision for Europe based on strengthening investment for promoting cohesion, sustainable growth and job creation in the cities and regions".
The declaration also proposes five solutions to improve investment:
1. Connecting Europe through territorial investment
2. A change in mind-set towards results-oriented investments
3. Enhanced investment capacity through stronger coordination at EU and national level
4. Continuous dialogue and partnership
5. Increased ownership and awareness to respond to citizens' needs.
#Invest2grow campaign
The EPP Group continues to promote long-term investment for a sustainable future of our regions and cities. In the run-up to the Summit, it will also be showcasing the best practice examples from our EPP cities and regions via social media, using the hashtag #invest2grow.
[Y]Factor
The EPP Grou is also supporting the [Y]Factor project, which aims to promote youth-related issues and which is led by the trainees of the CoR.