Clear impetus for cohesion policy and regional development: the regionen.NRW network meets with Members of the Bundestag from North Rhine-Westphalia in Berlin
In the current reform debates at federal and EU level, the perspectives of the individual regions also play a major role. The aim of a meeting between the verbund regionen.NRW and Markus Töns, a Member of the Bundestag, which took place recently in Berlin, was to bring these perspectives to the table.
The network brings together the nine regional development organisations in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier. Andreas Grotendorst, Chairman of Münsterland e.V., travelled to Berlin on behalf of the Münsterland region. He explained: “It is particularly in rural regions such as the Münsterland that we see just how important flexible, yet reliable, funding instruments are for the upcoming transformation processes. Whether it’s securing a skilled workforce, sustainable mobility or strengthening regional value creation: we need programmes that are easily accessible and enable concrete projects on the ground. It is crucial that good ideas are put into practice quickly.”
The discussions focused on the future of EU funding policy after 2027 and the further development of the joint programme ‘Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure’ (GRW).
The association made it clear that funding policy must be more closely aligned with specific local needs. At the same time, there needs to be better coordination between different ministries and their funding areas – such as funding for innovation and for staff training – as well as close involvement of the regions in decision-making.
In the ensuing discussion, the representatives shared specific experiences from their work on the ground and offered suggestions on how funding programmes could be made simpler and more effective in future. Markus Töns, Member of the Bundestag, expressed his gratitude for the insights from the field: “The expertise required for effective regional structural policy lies locally within the regions. The federal government cannot be fully aware of the specific challenges facing individual areas in detail. That is why strong cooperation and mutual trust between regions, the federal states and the federal government are essential. Only in this way can funding policy be tailored in a targeted and efficient manner to meet actual needs.”
The association had previously showcased itself at the NRW Summer Festival organised by the State Representation in Berlin (10 June) with a joint stand and regional specialities. Around 1,500 guests from the worlds of politics, business, academia and the media attended. Minister-President Hendrik Wüst emphasised: “We are living in a time of great challenges. This makes a new sense of self-confidence among the political centre all the more important. The political centre has proven time and again that, despite all its differences, it can work together to shape the future and find sustainable solutions. If we harness this strength and rise above party politics, we will overcome the tasks ahead, for the good of our state and our republic.”
This joint initiative under the umbrella of the regionen.NRW alliance underscores the commitment to representing the interests of North Rhine-Westphalia’s regions in a united front vis-à-vis the state, the federal government and EU institutions, and to showcasing their combined strengths. The alliance has existed since 2013 and brings together the following partners: Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, as well as the nine regional management organisations: Region Aachen – Zweckverband, Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH, Regionalmanagement Düsseldorf/Kreis Mettmann, Region Köln/Bonn e.V., Münsterland e.V., Standort Niederrhein GmbH, OstWestfalenLippe GmbH, Regionalverband Ruhr and Südwestfalen Agentur GmbH.
www.regionen.nrw
Caption: Attendees at the traditional regionen.NRW summer party in Berlin: (from left to right, standing) Hubertus Winterberg (Südwestfalen Agentur GmbH), Dr Stephanie Arens (Südwestfalen Agentur GmbH), Prof. Dr Peter Gust (University of Wuppertal), Wolfgang Marquardt (OstWestfalenLippe GmbH), Carsten Weis (Region Köln/Bonn e.V.), Bertram Gaiser (Standort Niederrhein GmbH), Bodo Middeldorf (Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier). (Seated, from left to right) Andreas Grotendorst (Münsterland e.V.), Ulla Thönnissen (Aachen Region Association), Hendrik Wüst (Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia), Bele Wolligandt (Düsseldorf/Mettmann District Regional Management), Andrea Scharf (Standort Niederrhein GmbH).
