On the 31st of May 2013 was held in the French City of Bordeaux the first Committee annual event. The working meeting organized by the City of Bordeaux, Vice-President of the Committee for Europe in collaboration with the City of Bilbao, President of the Committee was attended by 7 European cities: Bilbao (Spain), Bordeaux, Pau, Poitiers, Toulouse, Suresnes (France), Milano (Italy) and Lappeenranta (Finland) and a representative of UCLG´s World Secretariat.

From the Committee we consider that these kinds of meetings are very important since they give the opportunity to the committee members to meet and discuss in small operative groups diverse issues that are for interest in the cities, share knowledge but most of all, to create a space to facilitate future collaboration between cities.

In order to focus the work developed in the working meetings, each working meeting will be centred in one of the key areas of performance identified during the elaboration of the “Smart Cities Study: International study on the situation of ICT, innovation and Knowledge in cities” and that incorporates a “holistic” vision of Smart City, which brings together 6 key Areas of performance that affect the development of cities: economy, governance, people, mobility, environment and living.

This first working meeting in Bordeaux was focused on the “Smart Economy” axis and allowed the attendants to share vision and also debate new tendencies on issues related with the creation, attraction and retention of talent, the importance of boosting new emerging sectors of activity -especially the ones related to the new technologies, innovation and green technologies-, the importance of creating and enable infrastructures and spaces for the business development and creativity in order to give support to the entrepreneurship, among others issues.

You may access by following the link below the meeting report with the main conclusions and findings of the meeting, but most of all two projects of collaboration that were proposed during the meeting.

In case that your city is interested in taking part in any of them or propose another collaboration project, please contact the Committee Secretariat.

Links to the documentation:

Meeting report in Bordeaux

Presentation of the Smart Cities Study