METREX Spring Conference 2024
15-16 May, Brussels
Forging a Metropolitan Europe
METREX issued its Manifesto for Metropolitan Partnerships (Unleashing the potential in metropolitan regions and areas) in November 2023, emphasizing that metropolitan regions and areas are best in place to address the poly-crisis we face.
Following the Manifesto’s launch, METREX continues working on the most important aspects that need to be addressed to frame the long-term vision of a metropolitan Europe. Three main tracks of work have been selected to be the focus for the next 1-2 years:
WHAT: exploring and discussing the most pressing planning issues that can best be dealt at the metropolitan level.
HOW: clarify the options for an efficient and functional metropolitan level, including the governance and financial issues.
WHY: further developing the vision by inviting people to together forge a metropolitan future for Europe and campaigning for it.
These three tracks will form the backbone of METREX activities following the Brussels conference.
The main aim of this paper, written by Iván Tosics, is to summarise the statements and debates of the Brussels conference along the three axes.
In the coming months, Members are asked to be active players to further elaborate around these thematic tracks. The milestones of this co-working effort will be the Bucharest conference in the Autumn, 23-25 October 2024 (see Program) and the Spring conference in 2025, resulting in a proposal for a European Metropolitan Agenda towards the European Parliament before summer 2025.
