The accessibility of activities and funding opportunities of the New European Bauhaus initiative shall be ensured to all European Union municipalities, Member of the Latvian delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, Mayor of Kuldīga municipality council Ms Inga Bērziņa said at the meeting on 15 February.
Mrs Inga Bērziņa, who at the beginning of the meeting was elected as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC), emphasized the role of culture in promoting regional development, especially after the COVID crisis. “All the recovery measures we are planning for after the COVID-19 crisis are taking place in municipalities, in specific places. That is why we need to focus on culture in particular, as an important factor in promoting regional development and involving local authorities in the New European Bauhaus initiative. The New European Bauhaus initiative is a cultural aspect of the European Green Deal, not only changing together our places into more beautiful living spaces, but also transforming our lifestyles without neglecting anyone,” said Bērziņa.
Likewise, Mr Marcos Ros Sempere, Member of the European Parliament and Founder of the European Parliament’s New European Bauhaus Friendship Group, has also emphasized that municipalities were at the heart of the initiative: “I agree that all local authorities should have access to this initiative. We should also move from an ambitious project to a program with a real budget, creating synergies with other existing programs and European awards, such as the European Capital of Culture or the European Green Capital.” The MEP, who is also an architect, called for strengthening the link between urban and rural areas and their cultural heritage sites.
The importance of the involvement of municipalities and citizens in the implementation of the New European Bauhaus initiative was also confirmed by the representative of the European Commission Ms Alicja Herbowska. “The European Commission is open to joint discussions, and we already have ideas on how to work together even more to promote our cooperation in the framework of the New European Bauhaus initiative,” said Herbowska.