EU-RUHR Dialogues

Dialogue with the EU Institutions

It is established practice to speak with one voice when representing the interests of the Ruhrgebiet towards the EU Institutions. Therefore, the Mayors, the Heads of the County Authorities and the Regional Director of the RVR regularly travel to Brussels. These delegations engage in political discussions and intensive dialogue. With these so called EU-RUHR Dialogues, the Ruhrgebiet aims to showcase its potential as a role model for sustainable structural change and to address joint concerns. In this way, decisions in Brussels can better take into account local policy preferences.

Good to know

The Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR) acts as a joint platform for its cities and counties. It prepares common position papers and organises the EU-RUHR Dialogues.

7th EU-RUHR DIALOGUE

green and industrial transformation

Industrial policy

Industrial Policy

The 7th EU-Ruhr Dialogue was devoted to industrial policy, EU funding and a permanent representation of the Ruhrgebiet in Brussels. A major concern was to safeguard industrial competitiveness. The municipal council discussed in particular approaches to decarbonisation, affordable energy prices, the expansion of energy infrastructure and the market ramp-up of green hydrogen.

EU funding

EU-Funding

The discussion with the EU Commission also covered the preparation of the EU funding period past 2027. The municipal council favoured tailor-made funding approaches that strengthen regions in a targeted manner and increase competitiveness. Specific priorities of the Ruhrgebiet are, for example, the revitalization of brownfields, the just transition and investments in social cohesion.

Brown Fields

Brownfields

The RVR organised a public event as part of the 7th EU-Ruhr Dialogue. Together with the Polish partner region GZM, the EU Commission and the Georg Agricola Technical University, the RVR discussed requirements and funding needs for the revitalization of brownfields. Due to the good reception, the RVR will continue to exchange on the topic with other interested regions in Europe.

Looking Back

One Format

After the first joint visit of the Mayors, the Heads of the County Authorities and the Regional Director of the RVR to Brussels, in January 2013, the EU-RUHR Dialogue quickly developed into a recurring format. Each EU-RUHR Dialogue focusses on a specific topic or is linked to a specific occasion. A general objective is to bring together local concerns, regional priorities and European initiatives.

Many Topics

The EU-RUHR Dialogue 2013 introduced the Ruhrgebiet in Brussels. In 2014, the dialogue focused on the social dimension of the Ruhrgebiet. As part of the EU-RUHR Dialogue in 2016, the "Green Infrastructure Ruhr" was presented. During the fourth dialogue in October 2017, the "Future of Cohesion Policy" was discussed and continued during the (virtual) EU-RUHR Dialogue in 2020. The 6th EU-Ruhr Dialogue in 2022 was dedicated to the Ruhrgebiet’s contribution to the green and industrial transformation o Europe.