On 16 September 2020, the national members of the Network of Territorial Cohesion Contact Points (NTCCP) as well as representatives of EU institutions, EU advisory bodies, local and regional interest groups and ESPON met virtually. In total, more than 50 representatives participated to prepare the next meeting of the Directors-General responsible for Territorial Cohesion (DGTC), which will take place on 20 October 2020.
The NTCCP meeting and the DGTC meeting are the last meetings before the Ministers responsible for spatial planning, territorial development and/or territorial cohesion will embrace the Territorial Agenda 2030 at the informal ministerial meeting in Leipzig on 1 December 2020.
The discussion at the NTCCP meeting focused on the following items:
- Last details on the final draft Territorial Agenda 2030 from July 2020 which will be finalised for the DGTC meeting by the German Presidency of the Council of the EU;
- Draft EU Council Conclusions that shall be adopted under the German Presidency to strengthen the urban and territorial dimension in EU policies and address key players;
- Draft Conclusions of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU on Territorial Cohesion that summarise the discussion during the second half of 2020 and sketch the way ahead;
- The role of ESPON in the implementation process by providing support and advice based on available evidence and knowledge;
- The six pilot actions in preparation under German, Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, and Swiss leadership; to be implemented as of January 2021;
- Communication activities to reach out to different target groups and inform them about the implementation of the Territorial Agenda 2030.