12:00-13:30 CEST, Online
Green Recovery, instruments & solutions for Metropolitan authorities
On 22 April, the first of the two meetings was held to frame the issues facing the metropolitan level and identify the type of data and types of instruments required to respond.
Then, on 24 June 2021, a follow-up meeting was planned to articulate the relevant ‘how to’ approaches, make links to the recovery fund and other funding mechanisms, and finalise the METREX Statement.
Background
The UN habitat organisation has just launched its report on Cities and Pandemics: Towards a more just, green and healthy future. Together with reports from the OECD and following ours and others’ online events on what is happening in cities and regions due to the pandemic, it is clear that METREX needs to look ahead. We need to exchange on scenarios, instruments and solutions for coming out of the pandemic, in respect to the Green Deal policies, using its funding opportunities as well as those of the EU Recovery plan, good for 1.824,3 billion euro.
METREX has applied for a session on the Metropolitan answer to the Green Recovery at the EU Week of the Regions in October 2021. The partners in this session are Helsinki, Gdansk, Wrocław and Gipuzkoa. We aim to have Jan Olbrycht, MEP and leader of the EP Urban Intergroup as a panelist, and several recorded METREX member messages.
METREX aims to better connect to EU policy topics. And as part of the Green Deal Going Local, we would like to prepare for the regions’ week session by formulating our opinion, answers and actions in a METREX statement that can be used beyond the regions’ week. And we need the help of our members to better understand the needs and policies they are working on as a basis for the statement.
METREX Monthly Programme 22 April 12:00 – 13:30 CEST
Moderator: Henk Bouwman, Secretary General of METREX
Introduction to the topic and first outlines of the statement by Łukasz Medeksza – Deputy Director of the Strategy and City Development Department – Wrocław
Reflections on:
Instruments: Mrs Hester Keesmaat, Green Recovery Programme – City of Amsterdam
Transport: Mr. Sandeep Shingadia, Transport for West-Midlands
Data & research: Prof. Valeria Fedeli, Politecnico Milano
Using the recovery fund ‘in advance’: Mr. Dario Parravicini, Citta Metropolitana di Milano
EU policies: Mr. Peter Austin, City of Oslo
Debate with participants
Conclusions and next session
Post-event
A next METREXmonthly on this topic is foreseen on 24 June 2021, 12:00 – 13:30 CEST. But we will keep members updated in the meantime!
METREX Green Recovery Statement
With the output of the sessions, METREX will compose a statement on the Green Recovery, including next steps.
The writing will be coordinated by Łukasz Medeksza, Wrocław, and Sandeep Shingadia, Greater Birmingham. METREX members will be invited to deliver input and support. We will use various media to get your views.
We aim to also organise an event in Spring 2021 with political representatives from Vaanta (Helsinki region), Bilbao and Milano.
The draft statement will be finished in summer to allow all members to respond to it, in order to finalise it by the end of September.
