UML at the Economic Development Forum 2024 in Bilbao, Spain
Cities in transition: towards a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future
2024/11/01
Across Europe, cities are at the forefront of addressing critical challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and economic transformation. While they are expected to drive sustainable change and commit to ambitious European targets like climate neutrality and social cohesion, many face serious funding shortages that hinder their ability to implement the essential actions to reach those goals.
“Economic development, and social cohesion, are two sides of the same coin. We cannot reach prosperity without social innovation, and for social inclusion we need economic growth,” said Juan Mari Aburto, Mayor of Bilbao, in his opening remarks at Eurocities Economic Development Forum 2024.
“Cities have the operational capacity and the transformative power to shape the future, in close collaboration with citizens,” expressed André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities. “However, they need the financial capacity and skills to be able to do it.”
Under this backdrop, the Eurocities Economic Development Forum 2024 convened in Bilbao under the theme ‘Cities in transition: towards a sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future.’ During three days, public authorities, policymakers, and stakeholders from Europe gathered to discuss actionable solutions for funding, innovation, and skills development in European cities. The forum’s discussions centred around the challenges and opportunities that cities face as they work to become the growth engines of Europe’s green, inclusive future.
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