Brussels elected Vice-President of Metropolis
Tuesday, December 1, 2020 — The Brussels-Capital Region has been elected Vice-President Europe of Metropolis. Metropolis is the global network of major cities and now consists of more than 130 cities and regions with more than one million inhabitants from all over the world. The Chinese city of Guangzhou was elected president. Guangzhou will be succeeded by the Colombian city of Bogota.
State Secretary Pascal Smet, who prepared the candidacy, will fill this position in the coming period (2021-1023) and will play an important role, through the Executive Committee membership, in the strategic orientation of the most influential metropolitan network in the world.
"As home to many European and international institutions and one of the most international cities in the world, Brussels is a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. Brussels is open to the world and we look forward to taking a very active role within Metropolis. The Brussels Capital Region has extensive legislative and international powers that we will use to make Metropolis a network of metropolises that will weigh on European policy," Pascal Smet State Secretary for European and International Relations.
In addition to its new role as Vice-President, Brussels was also re-elected as treasurer of the organisation, represented by Jean-Luc Vanraes.
"The privileged access of Brussels within the European Union and more specifically within the European Committee of the Regions will allow Metropolis to better weigh in on the policy agenda through Brussels," Jean-Luc Vanraes.
As Vice-President, Brussels will ensure the representation of the organisation at regional level, in this case Europe. The Brussels candidacy explicitly corresponds to the status of Brussels as capital of the European Union.
The health crisis that affects us has serious consequences in many sectors. Our cities and regions have shown great responsiveness and have been fully involved in the management of the pandemic. We want to and must be actors of change. Strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the members of Metropolis and local and regional actors in Europe and the rest of the world will help us to do so," Pascal Smet State Secretary for European and International Relations said.