Council Chief Executive to represent North West at major European discussion event

DERRY City and Strabane District Council Chief Executive John Kelpie will share a platform with some of the biggest local authorities in Europe when he represents the North West City Region at a continent wide event this week.

The European Week of Regions and Cities is an annual four day event where cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance.

Mr Kelpie will join representatives from Lyon, Barcelona, Lisbon and Turin on Tuesday October 13th at 9.30am to take part in an online discussion on the role of local authorities in the Covid 19 crisis and how it will impact on future cohesion policy.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, welcomed the opportunity for the North West region to contribute to the high level discussion.

“The European Week of Regions and Cities is the biggest annual event dedicated to regional policy,” he said.

“It brings together cities from all over Europe and is an important exercise in promoting policy learning and exchange of good practices.

“I am delighted that the North West region will be represented on the European stage by our Chief Executive John Kelpie who will be sharing a platform with some of the biggest local authorities on the continent.”

Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Councilor Rena Donaghey, added;

“The Covid 19 crisis has presented unprecedented challenges for local authorities,” she said.

“All over the world, local services have had to be tailored and changed on an almost daily basis to meet changes to restrictions and public health advice.

“By sharing our own experience in the North West and listening to how other regions have managed the crisis we can learn more about meeting the challenges ahead as the crisis evolves over the coming months.”

Last year the European Week of Regions and Cities reached a record 9,000 participants in more than 330 sessions.

A full programme of the event and a youtube link to watch each conference is available at Europa.eu/regions-and-cities

You can follow the European Week of Regions and Cities on social media using the hashtag #EURegionsWeek.

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