Empowering the Local for Enhancing Cohesion and Spatial Justice in Europe

Download the RELOCAL Policy Conference Program

Is it possible to hold a conference on cohesion and territorial development policy without inviting local stakeholders representing populations and territories targeted by such policy? As researchers involved in the Horizon 2020 RELOCAL project, we are convinced they should participate and be given a voice.

Our aim with this conference is to share and discuss the results of 3 years of research, in particular 33 in-depth case studies in Europe. To do so, we invite you, citizens, NGO activists, civil servants, elected representatives acting at local, national and European levels, to express and share your experiences, questions and challenges on making European policies for cohesion more equitable. Our main question for this day is: how can we produce a Europe that is both spatially and socially just?

To do so, we strive during the conference to create a horizontal space of dialogue between those who analyse, those who conceive and those who implement local development policies in different contexts, regardless of whether they depend directly on EU funds or not. This conference is conducted in a participative and digital setting. The participants are invited to react to the discussions during the day using their mobile phones. These comments will support the elaboration of recommendations for a fairer Cohesion Policy.