Lublin invites you to the Cross-border cooperation congress

Get involved in the online discussion about the local government of tomorrow from 6 to 9 October

How should local communities in Europe approach the challenges related to COVID-19? How can the local governments adapt to the world of tomorrow?  Perhaps the key lies in cross-border cooperation or perhaps it is somewhere else.

These are some of the questions that the Cross-Border Cooperation Congress Lublin 2020 will attempt to answer between 6 and 9 October. For the first time ever, the traditional event will be held online, giving a wider audience access to this important discussion.

The Local Government of Tomorrow. Between openness and responsibility

The Lublin Municipal Office’s International Cooperation Centre invites interested parties to get involved in their upcoming event which this time will take place entirely online. The Polish city has been a meeting place of cross-border cooperation between practitioners from the EU and Eastern Partnership countries for the last ten years.

The Cross-Border Cooperation Congress Lublin 2020 (formerly known as Eastern Europe Initiatives Congress) will focus on the unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19. This year’s topic is 'Local Government of Tomorrow. Between openness and responsibility'. The four-day programme includes expert panel discussions and workshops grouped into different thematic lines.

The opening debate is of special interest as it will feature Mayors and city officials from all around Europe and will focus on local government's priorities in the new, post-pandemic reality. So far, the participation of Mayor of Lublin Krzysztof Żuk and Serhiy Vitaliyovych Nadal, Mayor of Ternopil (Ukraine) has been confirmed.

In subsequent panels, a group of eminent experts will tackle topics such as:

• "Cultural sector and the challenges of (post) pandemic reality";
• "Creative development – the economy without growth imperative";
• "Social self-organising in the pandemic times".

Despite the non-traditional virtual format, the Congress will be accompanied by the regular Partners' Forum which aims to facilitate the effective communication and exchange of experience between international partners. City councillors are invited to a special online meeting devoted to the functioning of local governments during the pandemic and the cooperation prospects with partner cities in future.

The Grants' Fair will showcase opportunities for obtaining funding from selected grant programmes. The Best Practice Contest will display best practice solutions and initiatives to the benefit of local communities and promoting cross-border cooperation in Europe and Eastern Partnership countries amid the pandemic.

For several years now, the Congress has been under the honorary patronage of the European Commission and is co-financed by both European funds and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The 9^th edition of the Congress will be accompanied by livestreamed cultural events and will be simultaneously translated into Polish, English, and Russian.

To find out more information about the registration process (opening soon) and the detailed programme and speakers, make sure to visit the website of the Cross-Border Cooperation Congress.