Only a few weeks ago, our world profoundly changed. Amid the turmoil and fear caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, media around the globe have been publishing materials about the potential effects of the pandemic, the characteristics of the new virus, and possible treatment methods. Hopes are expressed for the return of expert governments and even for stopping climate change or restarting democratic politics.
In these difficult times, we should not forget about the potential of existing institutions and initiatives to shape citizens’ future across the globe. A special focus should be placed on European cities. Not only are the mayors across the continent playing an ever more important role, cities also are the most local level on which the fight against the virus is taking place. In particular, it is worth looking at those leaders who founded the Pact of Free Cities in 2019, bringing together an important part of Central Europe: Rafał Trzaskowski in Warsaw, Gergely Karácscony in Budapest, Zdeněk Hřib in Prague, and Matúš Vallo in Bratislava. At the same time they also cooperate with EUROCITIES, a network of major cities in Europe with Anna König Jerlmyr in Stockholm as the current overall leader and Sadiq Khan in London. Their activities are directed not only at obtaining additional financial resources for cities within the next Multiannual Monetary Framework of the EU, but also, to an even greater extent, at exchanging ideas for creating smarter and friendlier cities and in the long term at reinventing Europe.
The debate on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of Polish Local Government will discuss, on the one hand, how Covid-19 has been changing life in European cities in the past weeks and, on the other hand, what policies can be introduced in the future to make citizens’ lives better. What are the essential threats Covid-19 brings to European cities and what are the potential sources of hope? Are there any important lessons that can be drawn from past decades? And what are the most important solutions to share in the fields of education, infrastructure, public transport, etc.? These are most important questions to be asked during the discussion.
The panelists include six European mayors: Rafał Trzaskowski from Warsaw, Gergely Karácsony from Budapest, Anna König Jerlmyr from Stockholm, Sadiq Khan from London and Zdeněk Hřib from Prague (tbc).
The discussion will be chaired by Karolina Wigura, a member of the board of the liberal and centrist think tank Kultura Liberalna, a lecturer at the University of Warsaw, and a visiting fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin in the academic year 2019/2020.
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