The debate, entitled 'The post-2020 growth and jobs agenda - what do local and regional authorities want?', examined the future of the EU's regional policy, featuring a panel including Andrew Lewer MEP for the ECR Group, Mayor of Łubianka Jerzy Zająkała, Professor Iain Begg and our Vice President Oldřich Vlasák.

With its mid-term review now up, the session focused on how a post-2020 strategy can better accommodate and incorporate the views of local and regional authorities.

Chairing the event, Gordon Keymer, former ECR Group President and CoR rapporteur on 'Mobility in geographically and demographically challenged regions', said: "As a former local politician who dedicated over 15 years of my career to serving local government in the EU as an active member of the CoR, it is a pleasure to chair todays workshop."

"It is important to remember that local and regional government are not only affected by approximately three quarters of EU policies but that they manage two thirds of all public investments."

Adopted by European leaders in June 2010, the Europe 2020 initiative is closely aligned with the EU's cohesion policy. It sets out five ambitious objectives on the following areas: employment, innovation, education, social cohesion and climate/ energy. Member states must adopt each objective into their own national targets.

Questions raised at the workshop asked how the rapidly changing economy in Europe will affect the future of the strategy, along with internal and external issues such as migration and the result of the recent UK referendum on EU membership. Participants also criticised the strategy on so-far failing to deliver on the expected degree of political influence it had first hoped to achieve, with others questioning whether a medium and long-term growth strategy is relevant for today's fast-moving world.

Reflecting on the future of the 2020 strategy, Oldřich Vlasák, ECR Group member, said: "A post-2020 vision should include a place-based, bottom-up approach to policy making; a holistic strategy to urban and rural matters that gives local and regional authorities responsibility for development."

 The workshop was one of several organised for the European Week of Regions and Cities 2016, an annual four-day event which bring EU cities and regions together to showcase and discuss sustainability and inclusive growth.

The debate featured Andrew Lewer MEP (Member of the European Parliament for East Midlands, UK, EP ECR Group Coordinator on Regional Policy Committee and Chairman of the Subsidiarity and Localism Policy Group), Oldřich Vlasák (CoR rapporteur on Territorial Vision 2050/ Councillor of the city of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic/ Director of Water Supply and Sewerage Association of the Czech Republic), Jerzy Zająkała (Mayor of Łubianka, Poland/ Member of the National Development Council) and Prof Iain Begg (Professorial Research Fellow at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science/ Associate fellow at Chatham House).