On 2 May 2024, a discussion on the opportunities, prospects and direction of EU regional policy from 2028 was held at the Brussels Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia invited experts from academia, the European Commission, implementation practice and youth representatives to a panel discussion:
The discussion focussed on questions such as:
The event brought together the diverse perspectives of some 160 Brussels-based participants, most of whom are stakeholders in European regional policy, such as regional and national representatives, EU institutions, associations and economic and social partners.
The participants agreed that this is not an abstract discussion about the future, but the aim should be to establish a forward-looking cohesion policy today that will enable Europe's regions to shape the future together. In addition to green and digital transition, cohesion policy should also be prepared for unforeseen problems and take into account demographic challenges. To this end, the place- and people-based approach (bottom-up) should be combined with common objectives (top-down), since while the major challenges are common to all, but successful implementation of cohesion policy has to consider local specificities.
