INTERNATIONAL
CALENDAR

         

National governments across Europe and international organisations such as the OECD, the European Union and the UN are recognising the critical role that metropolitan areas play in regional and national economies, both as hubs for innovation, investment, business, talent and employment as well as service providers to growing metropolitan populations. In many countries, centralised powers are progressively being devolved to the metropolitan level, through institutional reform and incentivised cooperation schemes, in an effort to empower city-regions to better respond to local needs and to increase efficiency.

The second European  Metropolitan  Authorities  Summit to be held in Torino  on February 12th, 2016. The first meeting held on March 13, 2015 in Barcelona was organised by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and 15 metropolitan governments from 10 European countries and International networks such as Eurocities, UCLG, Metropolis, Metrex, Medcities and the OECD also participated in the event. The meeting concluded with the signing of the Barcelona Declaration which calls for greater recognition and funding for metropolitan governments at national and European Union levels.

This second meeting is intended as a forum for Mayors, Presidents and locally elected leaders to build on the strategic relationship between metropolitan authorities. By working collaboratively we aim to express a common vision of the centrality of metropolitan areas within the framework of the European Urban Agenda that will be adopted during the Dutch EU Presidency in 2016. Together we will discuss the challenges of metropolitan governance, specifically those related to economic growth and social inclusion within  the current European policy framework.

More information here.