The network regionen.NRW, which brings together the nine regional development organizations in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, met with Markus Töns, a member of the Bundestag, in Berlin on June 11 for a political exchange. The goal was to bring the regions’ perspectives into current reform debates at the federal and EU levels.
The focus was on the future of EU funding policy after 2027 and the further development of the joint program “Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure” (GRW).
The network made it clear that funding policy must be more closely aligned with specific local needs. At the same time, there needs to be better coordination among different funding areas and ministries, as well as close involvement of the regions in decision-making.
In the ensuing discussion, the representatives shared concrete experiences from their work on the ground and offered suggestions on how funding programs can be designed to be simpler, more targeted, and more effective in the future.
Mr. Markus Töns, Member of the Bundestag, expressed his gratitude for the practical insights: “The expertise needed for effective regional structural policy lies locally in the regions. The federal government cannot know the specific challenges of individual areas in detail. That is why strong cooperation and mutual trust between regions, states, and the federal government are essential. Only in this way can funding policy be implemented in a targeted, efficient, and locally relevant manner.”
The previous evening, the alliance had already made an appearance at the NRW Summer Festival hosted by the state’s representative office in Berlin, with a joint booth featuring regional specialties. Approximately 1,500 guests from the worlds of politics, business, academia, and the media attended.
Minister President Hendrik Wüst opened the evening: “We are living in a time of great challenges. This makes a renewed sense of self-confidence among the political center all the more important. The political center has proven time and again that, despite all differences, it can work together to shape the future and find sustainable solutions. If we harness this strength and rise above partisan divides, we will overcome the tasks ahead, for the good of our state and our republic.”
This joint appearance under the umbrella of the netwrork regionen.NRW underscores the commitment to represent the interests of North Rhine-Westphalia’s regions in a unified manner before state, federal, and EU institutions, and to collectively highlight their strengths. The alliance has existed since 2013 and brings together the following partners: Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, as well as the nine regional management organizations: Region Aachen – Zweckverband, Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH, Regionalmanagement Düsseldorf/Kreis Mettmann, Region Köln/Bonn e.V., Münsterland e.V., Standort Niederrhein GmbH, OstWestfalenLippe GmbH, Regionalverband Ruhr, and Südwestfalen Agentur GmbH.