The visit consisted of two full days of meetings and discussions on 24.-25.5.2023. The group of 17 researchers gained insights into policy influencing, policy research interfaces and current issues in EU from European Parliament Officer, Eurocities, Suomen yrittäjät, European Regions Research and Innovation Network, Copenhagen EU Office and European Commission representatives from DG ENER, DG REGIO and Joint Research Centre.
Speakers stressed the importance of reaching the right people with the right message at the right time in the EU – as everywhere else. In the EU, this means being active in the Commission, when policies and strategies are being developed, and in Parliament, when these policies are being debated and reviewed in the relevant committees. EU policy makers and officials are interested in timely research information, but finding the right times and the right people for systematic advocacy requires networks with the knowledge. It is therefore always a good idea to seek out potential partners and join forces when lobbying for research-based policy-making in the EU.
Now the Commission and other EU institutions are preparing for the next round of elections in 2024. Sustainability transformation, with integrative policy goals for prosperity, carbon neutrality and biodiversity, and multidimensional indicators and systemic models to measure them, are timely topics in the debate. The role of cities has been and is being reinforced in cohesion policy, one of the EU’s key policies.
Some tips for policy influence with research topics on urban issues:
- Apply for or participate in EU-funded research projects.
- For systematic advocacy, it is advisable to prepare a position paper setting out and explaining the key messages. This will be considered in the context of transformation of urban environments in the context of STUE activities.
- Follow the Urban Agenda to get involved, the newsletter can be found here. Thematic partnerships can provide good opportunities for information exchange and collaboration. For example, the City of Tampere is involved in the Greening the Cities thematic partnership. The calls for partnerships Food in cities and Cities of equality are coming up this year
- Keep an eye on EU missions such as climate-neutral and smart cities, in which the City of Tampere is also participating.
- Contribute research by applying for membership of Commission expert groups or by participating in the Commission’s public consultations to prepare future policy. Right now, for example, the public consultation on the EU’s climate target for 2040 is open (until 24.6.2023), here.
- Become an ESPON expert. Subscribe to the newsletter to be informed about upcoming events.
- Subscribe to Tampere Region EU office’s newsletter for updates from EU (in Finnish)