AMB
Conference on metropolitan areas in the future European cohesion policy
This conference, which was held on the 24th of March of this year, revealed that metropolitan areas are the spaces which generate the highest levels of wealth, competitiveness, employment, innovation and education, but also the ones that suffer the most from unemployment, poverty and problems with housing, mobility and air quality. As indicated by the vice president of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, strong metropolitan governance is the key to guaranteeing social cohesion and quality of life.
More than 170 people, including the Executive Director of Metropolis, attended the conference organised by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (BMA) in the headquarters of the European Committee of the Regions (Brussels), with participation by the representatives of European institutions, the OECD, the mayor of Greater Manchester, the president of the Oporto Metropolitan Area and vice presidents and councillors from the metropolitan areas of Toulouse, Turin and Thessaloniki.
During the keynote, the Vice President of International Affairs and Cooperation of the BMA, Alfred Bosch, asked that the cohesion policy earmark more funds to the metropolitan areas.
The Executive Director of Metropolis, Octavi de la Varga, took advantage of the gathering to share Metropolis with the different representatives of the European metropolitan areas present at the conference, along with the celebration of its 12th World Congress in Montreal in June 2017.