Lille Metropole organised the third edition of the Brussels Urban Talks

Brussels Urban Talks is an initiative launched jointly by four French metropolitan area representations to the EU, namely Lyon Metropole, the city and Eurometropole of Strasbourg, Amiens Metropole and Lille Metropole. Each local authority takes turns in organising a session bringing together representatives of cities and metropolitan areas in Brussels to discuss ongoing projects and collaboration opportunities.

The event gathered more than 40 participants. Three of them participated in pitching a project or a topic where their local authority is particularly active. The city of Brussels presented its strategy on shaping sustainable urban futures. The cities Northern Netherlands EU Office (representing the cities of Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen) presented its role and actions in Brussels. The city of Ghent presented its initiative on urban renewal. Finally, Lille Metropole pitched its soil management and urban agriculture projects and talked about its international attractiveness strategy.

In addition, participants were invited to take part in a workshop, spearheaded by Eurocities, in relation to the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (2027-2034). It is a critical moment to advocate for a budget "fit for metropoles & cities", and this session facilitated the preparation of an upcoming Eurocities paper integrating a set of recommendations for the EU policy-makers.