The European Union’s metropolitan areas and experts in the field want to be an active voice and influential body in shaping the future of the EU, including European economic competitiveness, which can build on the potential of metropolitan regions, said Jakub Mazur, President of the Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas (METREX), in an interview with CaleaEuropeană.ro.
Mazur was in Bucharest this week for the METREX fall conference. At the initiative of the Bucharest Metropolitan Area Inter-municipal Development Association (ADIZMB), the Romanian capital hosted the fall edition of the METREX Conference, a European-wide event that brings to the forefront the importance of metropolitan areas in the sustainable and strategic development of Europe, from October 23-25.
Following two successive conferences in Bucharest, METREX launched its manifesto for unlocking Europe’s metropolitan potential, in collaboration with the Bucharest Metropolitan Area lntercommunity Development Association (ADIZMB).
The meeting took place in a crucial context for the sustainable development and competitiveness of European capitals and metropolitan areas, with a focus on the integration of regional and metropolitan experiences from Central and Eastern Europe as part of the solution to the current challenges of the European Union.
In the interview, Mazur spoke about the decision to organize the event in Bucharest, the METREX vision of the strategic role of metropolitan areas in strengthening relationships and implementing innovative solutions, and the role and potential these regions have in transforming Europe.
CaleaEuropeană.ro: We have today with us Mr. Jakub Mazur, who is the president of Metrex. Metrex is the Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas. We are in Bucharest today after two consecutive conferences where Metrex launched its manifesto for unlocking Europe’s metropolitan potential. Now, the destination is Bucharest for this conference organized by Metrex and the Bucharest Metropolitan Area lntercommunity Development Association (ADIZMB). Mr. Mazur, the first question would be why Bucharest for this conference?
Jakub Mazur: It is a pleasure to be in your wonderful city. The first reason is obvious, because it is a wonderful city. It’s the capital of the country, and Romania is a booming country, just like Central Europe. I come from Poland, so I know these problems. I have been through them. And as we are thinking about our members, we are always very committed to what we are doing at metropolitan level. A few years ago Bucharest joined us and the metropolitan area. Gianina Pănătău is the good spirit of what happens in Metrex. So, when we were talking and discussing about the next location, she said: ‘you need to support us to bring new knowledge, but I need you to discover what is happening in Romania, in Bucharest’. I have to say it was the best decision we made, because not only are we experiencing the Central European approach, but we can see the political aspect and the political level, but also the pragmatic level. This brings not only knowledge and experience but also solutions which are invaluable for all our members. What we have to say here in Bucharest, but also in Brussels, is that we are a group of professionals, experts, not politicians. We are people who want to have an impact, who want to be active. On the manifesto, we have brought some solutions, but also ideas that address most of the challenges facing the European Union.
CaleaEuropeană.ro: Bucharest is indeed a highly developed metropolis, as it has a higher GDP per capita than other Western capitals such as Rome, Madrid or Berlin. But there is a development gap. How do you address the development gap in Central and Eastern European metropolitan areas compared to Western Europe and how does your manifesto address this issue?
Jakub Mazur: There are two different questions. One is about the difference in experience. Bucharest has only 35 years of experience. It’s like a kind of young institution when we talk about the metropolitan level, not just capital or city development. So, we look at the advanced, informal metropolitan associations in Amsterdam, but many of them are formal, like the Paris region, which is 1030 municipalities together. We have Italian municipalities which historically have sometimes hundreds of years of experience. It is very difficult to compare because of the level or the stage of development and the advanced policies. I see an opportunity for newcomers, new members or maybe new politicians, new specialists, new experts, because we are skipping some stages. We learn from the best practices of western metropolitan regions, areas, experiences, metropolitan policies and we try to adapt them to these new metropolitan regions and we are very successful. Secondly, the manifesto is about how we can be more efficient, because we know that the metropolitan dimension is an answer to many challenges that our regions, cities, countries or the whole European Union are facing. So we think: “Ok, we are discussing the next funding, the next perspective for 2028-2034, but this discussion cannot take place without us”. Therefore, we want to be an active part, not just to consult, but to be an influential body, shaping the next perspective and having some political impact on good solutions, because it’s not about power, it’s about solutions coming from the top down, and knowledge comes from the bottom up. So, as experts, as mayors, as professionals who spend sometimes 20-30 years to make our work excellent, we know what Brussels officials need, because they make policy without asking the right people. Competitiveness means that the European Union can use our regions and our metropolitan dimensions, so that this dimension, urban-rural, brings a certain quality, a quality that is like an experienced brand for the European Union, with a certain added value that lies between these two dimensions. What is really important for us, as people active on the European scene, is to be at the table, to be recognized, to be heard and to put all these good practices, all these good ideas coming from different countries, from different regions into policies and then into financial instruments.
CaleaEuropeană.ro: How do you see the collaboration between European metropolitan regions, including experts in this field, and national administrations, together with European ones, to attract European funds to support this sustainable development?
Jakub Mazur: This is a problem. Sometimes, especially from the municipal perspective, we may not be against it, but we don’t see it the same way the state government used to see these policies and solutions coming. We know that the European Union is about state government, so everything that comes to us, to the regions, to the metropolitan areas, comes through the capitals of our countries. That means we are a bit concerned about what is going on. So the decision-making process, especially the decision-making process that translates into the financing part of these solutions or maybe the financing of these solutions, is very difficult because we have too many steps. So what is our main objective? To create a shortcut, a fast track for those solutions that are essential for the European Union, but also for Europe. At this conference we have guests from England, a country which, after Brexit, is no longer part of the European Union, but which is still very concerned about what is happening in the field of transportation, of mobility. We have guests from the United States who share the knowledge, the different approach, the different policies and the different way of financing solutions. We know that our uniqueness on a European scale is our experience and our ability to motivate and involve local communities. Local communities in the metropolitan region means rural and urban and something in between. As main actor, we need to combine many municipalities. That means mayors, councillors, local NGOs, activists, universities, businesses. They play an active role in the development of countries, in the development of the whole European Union. So the process comes from Brussels to Bucharest and then to some regional solutions and instruments. We would like this voice to be heard in a direct style. As we had discussions with the previous European Commission. We want to have very constructive meetings that will shape financial instruments dedicated not just to the mission cities, not just to one of the 500 instruments that we have, but dedicated to solutions that bring resilience, competitiveness. So all these policies that are essential for the European Union.
CaleaEuropeană.ro: I would like to come back to your urge and appeal to see urban areas and metropolitan areas as actors in this new model of competitiveness in Europe, also in light of the fact that the Draghi report was published just a few weeks ago. What specific measures does Metrex consider essential to strengthen the capacity of Europe’s metropolitan authorities and regions in this context of advancing competitiveness and also moving at a faster pace towards development and innovation?
Jakub Mazur: This is a very good question, because we are trying to standardize the data. We know that we are different, different in different countries, so there is no one solution. We cannot copy-paste, we have to adapt every time. So we try to measure not only economic factors and growth indicators. This is easy. Bucharest has 170% of the purchasing power compared to other more developed cities, but that’s just a simple economic indicator that says nothing. So it’s about our values which are essential in Europe. It is about solidarity, it is about leaving no one behind, it is about how we develop housing, mobility, ecological transition, energy transition. So what we are trying to do in terms of competitiveness is foreign direct investment for the regions. This is essential because it brings a job. But with that comes housing, education and transportation. So it is largely on our shoulders. So we need to find solutions not only to create economic development, but also social development. It is about creating a community.
CaleaEuropeană.ro: Don’t you see a connection between them? I mean, in Europe, we still have to separate the economic model from the social model. Can’t we merge them? Because we need them to merge.
Jakub Mazur: You get the idea. And I always like to invite our colleagues from the World Bank or the European Investment Bank and financial institutions. Because they are trying to tell us to have a very pragmatic approach. It is not just about ideas. It’s not just about our policies or our strategies that we put on pretty papers with colorful pictures. It’s about the business plan that contains all this. For me, it’s more an ecosystem how we can create together with universities. For example, Bucharest is very successful because it’s an academic city. It is a capital. It brings other companies, not only from Romania, because there is a lot of talent here. You have a lot of young people. It is still an accessible city for many companies coming from the global market. What we lack is the funding market. So, there is not a huge one, compared to Asia, the United States or North America, there is not such a huge capacity of capital working for us. Because we know that, as European regions and metropolitan areas, we are able to implement, take huge loans, invest them and then have a return on investment that brings benefits not only to economic development, but more importantly that is a trademark or maybe a brand for the society of European regions. Because we bring quality of life and that attracts investment. So with investment, we have jobs. With jobs, we have economic stability. You have universities that develop not only students who “produce”. They have unique knowledge that is exported not only here in Europe but also abroad and they bring additional value because we have a diverse society and a diverse community, including migrants. We know the problem for Europe, including the solutions and the expectations of this modern, very demanding community that is coming to us to bring a higher quality of society, a higher quality of life and a higher quality of solutions that can be brought. What is the end result? The self-sufficiency that is essentially necessary in many dimensions, but also this kind of resilience. I know that word is out of fashion. Overrated, one might say. The same with sustainability. We try to use these words in different ways. For me, in my experience, also coming from Poland, in the last 20 years, especially after the accession to the European Union, the region is extremely attractive for economic development. Many of our metropolitan regions are ready to welcome, adapt and integrate newcomers in a very positive way. We know that, because of climate change, because of the war that is taking place, perhaps because of the upcoming election results in the United States, we will have more problematic situations. Only metropolitan regions with strong cities are able and prepared to find solutions. What is it about? Regulations and legal frameworks and financing. It sounds easy, but unfortunately it is not. We hope that, with the new European Parliament and Commissioners dedicated to all these areas, we will be present, we will have our strong voice and, with our updated manifesto, we will be able to create good solutions, really good solutions that bring competitiveness and really stable development to our regions and countries, cities, small home counties.
