This Friday the S&D Group in the European Parliament, alongside the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions and partners, is bringing its series of Europe Together debates to Valencia, Spain.

The topic of the event, taking place in the Museo del Carmen, is the EU cohesion policy - its future and impact on citizens. We will be hearing from politicians and specialists, and also mayors who have used cohesion funds to modernize and bring greater prosperity to their inhabitants by turning their regions and cities into prosperous, modern places.

Concerning the EU cohesion policy, and one of the speakers at the event in Valencia, S&D vice-president Isabelle Thomas said:

“Cohesion is the EU's first investment policy for citizens. As an instrument of solidarity and regional convergence, EU cohesion policy is vital for convergence between European territories. In Valencia, amongst European Socialists and Democrats, we will discuss its prospects for the future, especially the post 2020 period.”

Catiuscia Marini, president of the Socialist Group in the Committee of the Regions added:

“There are many ideas in the air about how to advance the EU’s progress, so we too have to be imaginative: let's not just try to defend the regional policy we already have, but let's also try to repair the damage which the financial crisis and excessive austerity have caused by widening the gap between rich and poor.  We need the tools to reduce these differences and make the EU more cohesive – thus making it stronger politically, economically and socially”

The event will be webstreamed and can also be followed live on our website and on our social media channels. We encourage viewers to join the debate on Twitter, using our dedicated hashtag #EuropeTogether.

You can find an updated programme in English and Spanish here.

The Europe Together event in Valencia is the latest in a series of debates, which started almost one year ago. The aim of this project is to bring policy makers closer to the citizens and engage them in a debate which concludes each time with a statement adopted by the participants. These statements will provide us with an inclusive vision and roadmap for the upcoming EP elections in 2019.  For further information on the Together initiative, please visit our website and engage with us on our Together Platform to discuss our challenges and opportunities for the future lying ahead.  

* Note to editors:

On the day of the event, two study visits will be organised from 14.30 to 17.00 in collaboration with the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions:

·         Port of Valencia
The leading terminal in the Mediterranean, it is the fifth busiest seaport in Europe and the largest in Spain and in the Mediterranean basin. The Valencia port is part of the priority axis of the TEN-T network.

·         Natural park "La Albufera"
The park is home to the largest lake in Spain and to one of the most important wetland areas in the Iberian Peninsula. The park is bordered to the north and to the west by the city of Valencia, with nearly 1.5 million inhabitants and significant industrial activity. During the last programming period, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded the sustainable conservation and management of public lands and water catchment areas by reducing the contamination of the water entering into Lake Albufera.

S&D press contact