Dr. Arno van der Zwet - Source: EWRC account, Flickr
Members of EPRC were active participants at the European Week of Regions & Cities (formerly Open Days) held in Brussels on 10-17 October 2016. Professor John Bachtler chaired a seminar on Policymaking in the 21st Century organised by DG Regio and Interreg Europe to explore the added value of macroregional strategies and territorial cooperation programmes in meeting new European challenges.
For the fourth year running, John was also Course Leader of the EWRC Masterclass for postgraduate students and early-career researchers from across Europe - including two EPRC students, Sylwia Borkowska-Waszak and Margaret Coughtrie - to discuss their research and engage with policymakers from the EU institutions, in a programme organised by the Committee of the Regions, DG Regio, the Regional Studies Association, AESOP and ERSA. In addition, John participated in the RegioStars Award ceremony as a member of the RegioStars Jury.
During the EWRC, Dr Arno van der Zwet chaired a panel Urban Development/Territorial Policy Provisions and the challenge of creating simplified and user-friendly implementation systems. The panel included presentations by Merja Haapakka (senior policy officer at DG REGIO), Kristine Kern (University of Potsdam) and Peter Ramsden (Urbact pole Manager). The discussion focussed on the diversity of approaches in relation to the implementation of territorial approaches and the governance structures and capacities of urban areas to implement the provisions.
