Barcelona will preside for the next two years over Eurocities' digital cities forum, called Knowledge Society Forum, with the aim of influencing the European digital agenda from cities and placing digital inclusion at the center of the debate. The Catalan capital wants to turn the Knowledge Society Forum into a main actor in digital policy in Europe and act as a lobby group for cities before the European Commission, which is responsible for establishing the regulation of the digital economy at the community level, on issues such as the reduction of inequalities brought about by digitalization.
[subscribe_newsletter_esp]
Eurocities is a network representing more than 140 European cities. Created in 1989, it constitutes a platform for sharing ideas, exchanging experiences, and developing innovative responses. The annual general assembly of Eurocities, which was held telematically, has elected the candidacy presented by the City Council of Barcelona, which has the vice-presidency of Rotterdam, with whom the agenda of the digital forum has been worked on jointly. Under the motto Reinventing cities: beyond the urban crisis, the assembly wanted to explore the response to the health crisis caused by covid-19 and its economic and social consequences and the recovery initiatives that have been launched to face the main challenges it poses in cities.
Barcelona assumes the leadership of European digital cities at a crucial moment, when a global economic and health crisis is accelerating the digital transition in an unprecedented wayAccording to the deputy mayor for Agenda 2030, Digital Transition, Sports and Territorial and Metropolitan Coordination of Barcelona, Laia Bonet, the pandemic has made it "more evident and more urgent that cities are at the European decision table." "Barcelona assumes the leadership of European digital cities at a crucial moment, when a global economic and health crisis is accelerating the digital transition in an unprecedented way," she maintains. Bonet emphasizes that "cities are key actors in Europe's digital transformation, because digitalization, although not within municipal legal competencies, determines many areas of urban life, social cohesion, and economic opportunities in cities."
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
