Baltic Sea Cities Unite in Słupsk: Collaboration, Commitment, and a Common Vision for Europe

The XVIII UBC General Conference concluded in Słupsk and Dolina Charlotty after four days of lively discussions, practical workshops, and strategic debates on the role of cities in the future of the European Union. The event, which brought together 200 people from partner organizations, EU institutions, and UBC member towns, reaffirmed the network’s primary goal of creating a more resilient, innovative, and united Baltic region. 

The tone was set by two high-level plenary sessions. The Opening Plenary included European and local leaders, such as  Magdalena Adamowicz (Member of the European Parliament), Krystyna Danilecka-Wojewódzka (Mayor of Słupsk), Aleksandra Dulkiewicz (Mayor of Gdańsk, Member of CoR), Mantas Jurgutis (UBC President), Dr Gustav Lindström (Director General, CBSS), Henryka Mościcka-Dendys (Undersecretary of State, Polish MFA), Marcin Skwierawski (Deputy Marshal, Pomorskie Voivodeship), and video addresses from Themis Christophidou (DG Regio) and André Sobczak (Eurocities). One thread ran through all of their messages: cities need to be acknowledged as important collaborators in determining the future of Europe. 

The second plenary explored cities’ access to EU funds within the MFF 2028–2035, featuring contributions from Kieran McCarthy (CoR), Claire Roumet (Energy Cities), Laura Omucińska (Słupsk), Linda Ozola (Riga), and Henrik Johansson (Växjö). The discussion highlighted both opportunities and challenges for cities in navigating EU programmes.

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Originally published on 7 Nov

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