The event
AGORADA has been EURADA’s main event. The focus is put on a certain topic (or topics) each year, which we consider of importance to guide the future of our associations.
This year, the main topic was Regional Development toward 2050. We invited a broad range of speakers from all around Europe and beyond (the United States and México) to get different insights on what the future may hold for regional development agencies and how they think we should act to prepare for what is ahead. The subtopicsdiscussed in the conversations were Advanced governance, Changing priorities, and better instruments for regional development. These subtopics helped us better understand how governments should adapt to the needs of the future; the importance of implementing digitalisation and sustainable growth in all territories to build cohesive and equal countries; and how, over time, instruments such as innovation, internationalisation and new actors (incubators, external investors, ...) have become essential for regional development and will continue to do so in the future.
Moreover, the event served as a celebration of our 30th anniversary. EURADA was founded in 1992 by Christian Saublens, who developed the Scoping paper for this edition and was also a speaker and a moderator. The event was co-organised alongside CNER (France), which is also celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and IGRETEC which, being based in Charleroi, took care of organising the site visits in the Walloon city.
AGORADA, day 1: Site visits to A6K and IGRETEC in Charleroi, and General Assembly
The morning session was hosted by A6K, a multi-disciplinary centre housed in a repurposed Caterpillar factory that closed in 2016 and has been revitalised to have a positive economic impact on the territory. It was in this building that we attended conferences by Abd-Samad Habbachi CEO of A6K; Denis Cariat of IGRETEC; Paul Magnette, the Mayor of Charleroi and former Minister-President of Wallonia; and Paolo Ruaro from Charleroi Bouwmeester and the City of Charleroi.
The afternoon session took place nearby at the IGRETEC building. It featured presentations from Marcel Miller, the President of the Strategic Development Committee of Charleroi; Colonel BEM Monin of the Belgian Military; and Renaud Moens, the General Director of IGRETEC.
To get a deeper overview of what was discussed at the conferences, consider reading this article.
Back in Brussels, the day finished with a General Assembly for our members, where we discussed topics such as the financial situation of EURADA and changes in the governance of our association. We also took the opportunity to introduce new members who have joined our association this year.
AGORADA, day 2: Conferences at the European Committee of the Regions
The day started at 9 am at the European Committee of the Regions, with a double conference, Opening and Setting the scene, that gathered personalities such as Tania Hristova (Gabrovo Municipality), and, from the European Commission, Nicola de Michelis and Mikel Landabaso. The day followed with an Open Panel Discussion about Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Development Agencies for the next decades, which featured regional development practitioners from Europe and the United States, such as Rudy Aernoudt (European Commission) and Todd Greene (IEDC). After the lunch break, the third session, “International Approaches to Regional Development: How is the future of Regional Development Seen Outside Europe?” took place, gathering speakers from Europe and beyond, such as Nathan Ohle (IEDC) and Minister Noel González Segura (Embassy of México). The final conference was dedicated to discussing the Future of European Regional Development According to National Associations and counted on representatives from RDAs all over Europe, such as Lilijana Madjar (RRA LUR), Antoine Angeard (CNER) or Tomáš Cílek (RERA, ČARA).
After the conferences we proceeded with the EURADA Awards ceremony, given to regional development agencies for their implemented best practices. This year, the awarded RDAs were the Development Agency of the Republic of Srpska (RARS), from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE), from Spain, and Bursa Eskisehir Bilecik Development Agency (BEBKA), from Turkey.
To get a deeper overview of what was discussed at the conferences and to have further details on the awarded agencies, consider reading this article.
We wrapped up the ceremony with a tribute to our now former director, Esteban Pelayo, who, after 7 years, has left EURADA to become the Manager of the Scientific Park of the University of Alicante,in Spain.
Final thoughts
Everyone at the EURADA Secretariat is very proud of the outcome of this 30th edition of AGORADA. It has been a long time in the making, with a multitude of people involved who have brought value to the event: speakers, attendants, the venues that have hosted us, our co-organisers and, finally, ourselves at the EURADA Secretariat. We could not have wished for a better way to celebrate three decades of dedication to regional development.
We take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone involved, and we hope to see you next year at AGORADA and other events.
