BMA in Brussels: How can we strengthen cooperation between the city and the surrounding municipalities?

We participated in the European Week of Regions and Cities, which took place this year in Brussels from October 12 to 14, marking its 24th edition. The European Committee of the Regions selected our seminar, “Guiding strong intermunicipal cooperation with practical tools,” among the events included in the program out of a total of 400 submitted proposals.

We focused on how cities and municipalities can cooperate more effectively across administrative boundaries and jointly develop their functional areas. We presented participants with tools and recommendations resulting from the MECOG-CE project, which focused specifically on cooperation and governance in functional urban areas.

First and foremost, they were introduced to the Strategy for Strengthening Metropolitan Cooperation and Governance, which serves as a structured and practical guide designed to help (not only) European metropolitan areas strengthen metropolitan governance. The strategy sets out clear objectives regarding both structural and thematic elements that are essential for effective cooperation and governance. These include:

• establishing a clear long-term vision and strategic goals,

• definition of the metropolitan area,

• the creation and strengthening of metropolitan governance structures,

• incorporating relevant topics into metropolitan policy,

• securing metropolitan funding mechanisms,

• strengthening stakeholder engagement and participatory methods,

• monitoring and evaluation of the metropolitan strategy.

We also presented practical solutions from the project that focus, among other things, on enhancing mobility, participatory processes, and food cooperation between the city and its hinterland — a topic we are addressing within the Brno Metropolitan Area. In doing so, we highlighted specific ways to develop cooperation between the city and the surrounding municipalities.

Interest in the topic was also confirmed by the seminar itself, which was fully booked. Participants included not only experts from various European countries but also representatives from South Korea, demonstrating that the issue of cooperation across administrative boundaries resonates even beyond Europe.