Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Urban Matters

In the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Urban Matters will take place on June 14, 2019. The event will be held in Bucharest, in the Palace of Parliament.

It will be hosted and chaired by Vice Prime-Minister, Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration, Vasile-Daniel Suciu. The informal meeting will enjoy the participation of the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu i.

The informal meeting aims to adopt a set of ministerial conclusions in the form of the Bucharest Declaration - „Towards a common framework for urban development in the European Union“, document that seeks to reach a political agreement in order to initiate activities conducive to a strategic framework for the European Union, through implementing and following up on the Urban Agenda for the European Union as well as aligning it with the review of the Leipzig Charter, as well as through ensuring coordination among the different initiatives included in the Urban Agenda.

The first session of the meeting is dedicated to the main achievements of the Urban Agenda for the European Union, an innovative mechanism to enhance multilevel governance. Cities and urban areas play important role in delivering on EU priorities and the urban development has strong potential to contribute to the territorial cohesion of the European Union by creating positive externalities beyond urban areas. The Urban Agenda for the European Union has brought about vertical and horizontal cooperation among Member States, European institutions and all relevant stakeholders, by bringing cities and their representative organisations at European level to the same table and giving them a voice during discussions.

The second session of the meeting will be dedicated to the Bucharest Declaration - „Towards a common framework for urban development in the European Union“ and will also include a presentation of the Report on the „Future of Cities“, drawn up by the Joint Research Centre, the Commission’s science and knowledge service.

Informal ministerial meetings are a regular practice during each Presidency of Council of the EU in order to provide the appropriate framework for a common reflection and informal exchange of views on topics of interest at European and international level.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

ACCREDITATION

The journalists’ access to the event is exclusively based on the media accreditation for the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the European Union. The accreditation badges made on the website of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the European Union https://accreditation.romania2019.eu, can be collected exclusively from the Palace of the Parliament - Accreditation Centre of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, located at the S2 entrance (Bucharest, no. 2-4 Izvor Street), between 07:30 - 17:00.

Also, the accreditation of journalists can be done directly at the Palace of Parliament, S2 entrance, following the late accreditation procedure. In order to obtain the accreditation badges, journalists will have to present the identity card or passport as well as the letter of request for accreditation from the media institution they represent. Getting the access badge to this event can only be done personally. To collect the accreditation badges, you are required to show the accreditation approval and your ID card or passport.

MEDIA CENTRE

Opening hours 08:00 - 20:00

Location: Palace of Parliament (Bucharest, no. 2-4 Izvor Street)

During the informal ministerial meeting, journalists have access in the Parliament Press Centre, situated in the Iuliu Maniu Hall, P level. Images of the activities will be provided by the Romanian Television, the official broadcaster of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. More useful information for journalists can be found in the MEDIA GUIDE: https://www.romania2019.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/media-guide_en-1.pdf.

PRELIMINARY MEDIA PROGRAM

Friday, June 14, 2019

09:00 - 09:30 Doorstep (Palace of Parliament, P level, the C1 entrance)

09:00 - 09:30 Handshake (P level, the Brătianu Hall entrance)

09:30 - 09:40 Tour de table - access only for accredited photo and video crews (Brătianu Hall)

12:30 Family photo - access only for accredited photo and video crews (P1 level, across the Cuza Hall)

16:00 Press conference (Nicolae Iorga Hall, P level), with the participation of the Vice Prime-Minister, Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration, Vasile-Daniel Suciu, and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu.