14th General Conference of the Union of Baltic Cities – UBC
28/10/2017

Between 24 and 27 October 2017, in Vaxjo, Sweden, the 14th General Conference of the Union of Baltic Cities – UBC took place, with the theme: Leadership for the future – Cities as Leaders for Global Sustainable Development;

On behalf of the TEHNOPOL Association, Ionuţ Mocanu, Executive Director General, participated with a presentation during the session Baltic cities as leaders of a comprehensive cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea, especially since the city of Galați is directly involved in the activity of the International Black Sea Club, through the undersigned, as Executive Director of the Club, together with the Mayor of Galați, Ionuţ Florin Pucheanu, as President of the International Black Sea Club.

The conference hosted high-level speakers from the Baltic Sea region, as well as the strong involvement of youth representatives from the area, among others.

The meetings were broadcast live, with recordings also available as videos at bit.ly/ubc-youtube. The conference is also the 25th anniversary of UBC, founded in 1991 in Gdańsk.

UBC has 7 working committees: cultural cities, inclusive and healthy cities, planning cities, safe cities, smart and prosperous cities, sustainable cities, young cities. Old and new member cities are encouraged to contact the committees and join their activities. UBC committees are encouraged to seek partnerships with other stakeholders and to actively participate in the implementation of regional development strategies, in particular the European Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

The first step was taken during this trip to strengthen relations between the Black Sea and Baltic Sea communities. Thus, preliminary discussions took place for the conclusion of a partnership between the two organizations: the International Black Sea Club and the Union of Baltic Cities.

Speakers:
a) Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Committee of the Regions,
b) Lena Ek, Senior Advisor at the Sustainable Seas Foundation and former Minister of the Environment in Sweden,
c) Peter Schenk, General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission,
d) Ionuț Mocanu, Executive Director of TEHNOPOL Galați Association
e) Krista Kampus, Senior Advisor / Head of the Baltic 2030 Unit at the Council of the Baltic Sea States,
f) Alessandro Cenderello, Coordinating Partner for EU Institutions at Ernst & Young
g) Shirin Reuvers, Cities Manager at CDP.