Mayor attends European Metropolitan Authorities meeting

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney, today attended a virtual meeting of the European Metropolitan Authorities, representing the North West Region.

Political representatives from 17 European metropolitan areas from 10 countries of the European Union gathered for this year's EMA political debate to dis​cuss the priorities and the role of metropolitan areas in the preparation of national programmes of the European Recovery and Resilience Facility Fund and future Cohesion Policy Programmes 2021-2027.

Mayor Tierney said that it was a helpful and insightful meeting and that he was happy to attend on behalf of the North West region.

"This morning's meeting was really eye-opening, and it was great to have a discussion with representatives from so many different areas and countries.

"We discussed how metropolitan areas and large cities are at the frontline of the mitigation of Covid-19, and the health, economic and social effects we are experiencing.

"We heard about projects in many areas such as energy and digital transition, health, mobility and transport, education, support for SMEs, social inclusion and more, and talked about the funding channels for these.

"All participants also agreed to prepare a joint document showing the main axes of investment and the added value of including large cities and metropolitan areas in the priorities of the European Recovery and Resilience Fund.

"This document will soon be sent to the European institutions - European Commission, European Parliament, Council and Committee of the Regions - for their consideration before approving the National Plans.

"It was fantastic to share our experiences on behalf of the North West Region and to learn more from the experiences of others."