7th European Summit of Regions and Cities to open Slovakia's EU Presidency

The 7th European Summit of Regions and Cities was officially launched on 5 April by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the City of Bratislava and the Bratislava Region. Under the title "Invest and Connect" the Summit will be held in Bratislava on 8-9 July just a week after Slovakia takes over the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU i for the very first time.

The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Markku Markkula, said that the Summit would be used as a platform to find tangible solutions to the challenges facing Europe. "We need a better connected Europe which means improving investment in people, places, resources and ideas - and this must start in its regions and cities. That means giving the economy the fresh and innovative start it deserves. Through promoting entrepreneurship and making the most of EU, national, local and private funds we can overcome regional inequality, contribute to tackling broader issues such as climate change, promote community cohesion and boost competitiveness."

The Summit, which will gather around 700 people from across Europe, will be the largest event held in Bratislava during Slovakia's EU Presidency. Delegates at the Summit will include the 350 members of the CoR - the EU's assembly of local and regional representatives - politicians from the national and European level, European Commissioners, experts and business leaders.

The Mayor of Bratislava, Ivo Nesrovnal, welcomed the Summit as an "extraordinary opportunity for Bratislava to raise its profile" and an opportunity to determine how best to implement the EU's Urban Agenda, to be agreed in late May in Amsterdam. Since more than two-thirds of the EU's policies and legislation affect urban areas and 70% of citizens live in cities the EU, Mayor Nesrovnal said a more holistic approach was needed. "The EU needs a more integrated approach towards urban issues and it needs to be more responsive to the needs of cities to deal with issues such as unemployment, climate protection and social inclusion. Better legislation goes hand in hand with better investment and we hope the Summit will contribute to this new urban agenda for Europe."

Pavol Frešo, President of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region, said: "More than 70% of European legislation has a direct impact on regions and cities so it is important we are not just passive subjects of decisions taken at the EU level, but actively shape the debate on matters that affect us. The Summit will draw attention to problems that plague the residents of the Bratislava region and raise topics important to us. Among the priorities that we want to highlight at the Summit is the importance of the EU's Cohesion Policy to Slovakia."

Mr Frešo underlined that 80% of public investment in Slovakia is currently financed by the EU. It is therefore in Slovakia's interest, he said, to ensure Cohesion Policy retains its important place in the

EU's policies. He said, however, that some changes are needed to make the policy simpler and more effective, and also to target areas where it can add the greatest value.

During the Summit, the Committee will also adopt the Bratislava Declaration which will set out how to improve and promote investment in Europe’s regions and cities. The Declaration will lay the groundwork for the Committee’s efforts to streamline EU funds and private financing, as part of its contribution to shaping the EU budget and EU cohesion policy after 2020.

It will be accompanied by a number of cultural and social public events that will bring to the fore aspects of the history, life and culture of Slovakia and Bratislava.

More information and registration:

Interested participants can register & find more information on the Summit’s website

NOTE: European Committee of the Regions members will be contacted directly with information about how to register.