Date and time
The main aim of EU cohesion policy is to deliver economic, social and territorial cohesion. Arguably, since the financial crisis and ensuing recession the EU has prioritised jobs and growth over social cohesion. Before the COVID19 pandemic, the economic conditions were generally improving after the economic-financial crisis with returning economic growth and reducing unemployment levels in many Member States. Despite falling unemployment, 118 million EU citizens were still at risk of poverty and social exclusion (European Commission, 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic is having tremendous economic impacts, on top of the health problems. In the trade-offs between health and economy, social cohesions risks being left out or marginalised to favour a quick, short-term recovery. An objective of EU 2020 strategy was to reduce the number at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 20 million. This target remains some way off and progress on the social dimension appears to be lagging the economic objectives. Similarly, the social issues appear to be widening within the member states, with significant regional and territorial variances, and new challenges are paving the way for an extension of the scope of action of EU cohesion policy (e.g. migration, youth unemployment, poverty).
This research workshop will examine the social dimensions of EU Cohesion Policy by focusing on, and providing fresh thinking about:
- the policy dynamics of the social inclusion objective in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,
- the economic implications of the social dimension,
- impact on territorial cohesion – social changes within and between regions, and places,
- the Social Pillar and the social implications of proposed changes to CP post 2020, notably ESF+, of the new EU Green Deal and of the new Just Transition Mechanism,
- future progress toward Europe 2020 targets.
Keynote Speakers
| Marine Siva is a policy officer at the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of Regions (CoR) in Brussels. She is part of the drafting and coordination team of the 2020 EU annual regional and local Barometer report, which was published on 12 October and gives an overview of the state of regions and cities during the COVID19 crisis (through facts, figures, maps, examples and analyses). She holds Master’s degrees in European Affairs and International Relations of the EU from King’s College London and the College of Europe | |
| Paolo Graziano is Professor of Political Science at the University of Padua and Research Associate at the European Social Observatory, Brussels. He has also been Honorary Professor at the Glasgow School for Business and Society – Glasgow Caledonian University (2015-2018). Teaches Political Science, Comparative Politics, and Public Policy Analysis |
Programme
26th October 2020
16.00 pm – Opening session
Nicola Dotti – CPNet / Regional Economics and Policy Studies, VUB, Brussels
Mário Vale, Director of the Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Universidade de Lisboa
Eduarda Marques da Costa – Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Universidade de Lisboa
16.15 pm – Conference “The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on regions and cities in Europe and a first analysis of EU recovery measures”
Marine Siva – policy officer at the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of Regions (CoR), Brussels
Moderation by Eduarda Marques da Costa – Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Universidade de Lisboa
Session 1 – Moderation by Leaza McSorley, University of Sunderland
16.45–17.00 pm – EU regional and agricultural policies as facilitative political regimes for the emergence of cooperation in fragmented economies
Kira Gartzou-Katsouyanni, European Institute of the London School of Economics
17.00-17.15 pm – Territorial cohesion in border areas – Cross-border cooperation programs as a tool to SGI provision and regional disparities mitigation
Pedro Franco, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território (IGOT-UL)
Eduarda Marques da Costa, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território (IGOT-UL)
17.15-17.30 pm – The social dimension of the Cohesion Policy in times of acute crisis – Lessons from the divergence of the Spanish Extremadura after 2008
Paulo Miguel Madeira, Institute of Social Sciences and Center for Geographical Studies of the University of Lisbon
17.30-17.45 pm – Social Sustainability and Cohesion facing crisis by territorial animation and rural governance
Luís Moreno, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território (IGOT-UL)
17.45 pm – Synthesis
Laura Polverari, Department of Political and Juridical Sciences and International Studies – SPGI – University of Padua
18.00 pm – End of 1rst day session
27th October 2020
16.00 pm – Conference “Assessing the Social Impact of EU Cohesion Policy”
Paolo Graziano, University of Padua/Research Associate at the European Social Observatory, Brussels
Moderation of Sonia De Gregorio Hurtado, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Session 2 – Moderation of Pedro Franco, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território (IGOT-UL)
16.45–17.00 pm – Measuring and delivering social inclusion: Leave no one behind in the digital transformation journey
Cristina Lincaru, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection (INCSMPS)
17.00-17.15 pm – Towards new geographies of cohesion in a context of growing inequalities: practices of social innovation and urban regeneration in Milan metropolitan area
Luca Lazzarini, DAStU/Politecnico di Milano
Carolina Pacchi, DAStU/Politecnico di Milano
17.15-17.30 pm – Roles and Priorities in Urban Poverty in Urban Poverties Observatories at EU
Rafael Córdoba Hernádez, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Gerardo Guerrero Periñán, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Isabel Gonzlez García, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
17.30–17.45 pm – Synthesis – Oto Potluka, Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel
17.45 pm – Closing session
Nicola Dotti – CPNet/ Regional Economics and Policy Studies, VUB , Brussels – Next Steps
Eduarda Marques da Costa – Vice-President of Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning
18.00 pm – End of Workshop
Practical Organisation, Contributions and Outputs
Presentations will be limited to 10-12 minutes to allow room for discussants’ feedback and debate, in a maximum of 15 minutes per presentation. Speakers are encouraged to use images, diagrams, infographics, etc. in their presentations.
Practical information
This workshop will be held under the auspices of the Regional Studies Association’s Research Network on EU Cohesion Policy, co-organised with the Network`s partners and hosted by Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon. More information about the Network can be found on the RSA website and on Facebook.
Main Organisers for this workshop are: Eduarda Marques Da Costa and Pedro Franco (University of Lisbon), as local organisers, and Laura Polverari (University of Padua), Leaza McSorley (University of Sunderland), Marcin Dabrowski (TU Delft), Nicola Francesco Dotti (VUB) and Oto Potluka (University of Basel), as academic convenors.
Participation in the event is free of charge. Participants not presenting papers are very welcome, but will need to register.
Registration final programme: 23 October 2020
Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWYrrofgnduaB6H41l1kD2iFQDkR3QyQy2nmPXHmqI06vIVg/viewform
INVITATION LINK ZOOM: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/85920401727
To enquire about practical information, please contact Eduarda Marques Da Costa (eduarda.costa@campus.ul.pt).