Bucharest, A New Kind Of Romanian Fairytale - Main contents
The story of a city that could grow in a day as others would grow in a year, with the help of EU funds.
I was very happy to be invited last week in Bucharest, my home city, to participate in the conference REGIO - accomplishments and perspectives in the Bucharest - Ilfov region, organized by the Agency for Regional Development Bucharest-Ilfov.
I was happy to be back in my hometown, both as a Bucureştean, and moreover as the new European Commissioner for Regional Policy.
As you know, I was born in Bucharest. I spent my childhood playing in its parks and gardens. I spent my school years there and the first part of my professional life. I have had the chance of witnessing the transformation of this city over the last years. In particular, I remember when we started to notice the impact of support from EU pre-accession Funds.
All the new buildings, but also the renovated old ones, all the investment in infrastructure have changed Bucharest for the better. I think that we are definitely in another city and we can all be proud of what we have achieved so far.
Going to the conference site, I crossed Calea Victoriei, the street around which Bucharest grew as a city. Calea Victoriei recently acquired a two-way bicycle lane worthy of any European metropolis infrastructure. This would have been unthinkable some years ago - and even now, I know there are many Romanians who do not see the benefits of such changes.
We have now the opportunity, for 2014 -2020, to re-shape mobility planning, by combining different modes of transport, with the aim of reducing car traffic and increasing the use of cycling and high quality public transport. This is what other major cities are already doing and I would like to see it in Bucharest, too.
Honestly, I prefer to see people working and spending quality time with their loved ones, rather than wasting their time in endless traffic jams.
This region, Bucharest-Ilfov, accounts for roughly a quarter of Romania's GDP. From this year, it is considered as being a "more developed region" in the framework of European Cohesion Policy. Which means that it is on equal footing with other major European capitals, like Paris, Berlin or Warsaw.
I think we are perfectly entitled to expect this region to become a center of excellence for Romania, its growth engine, and even a model for other European regions.
Let me be very clear on this: this region cannot do everything. No region can. However, it can specialize in what it already does well, for example engaging in advanced scientific research and innovation - like the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics project in Măgurele, where a whole bunch of companies could create growth very soon.
My message to the conference participants was simple and direct: We have the funds. Now we need the projects!
We need good projects for EU support, in particular in the fields of business support, urban mobility and social inclusion. We need projects that can bring the best this region is able to offer. Projects that can foster growth and job creation, and transform the daily life of local people.
Romanian fairytales often include heroes that grow up in a day as others would grow in a year. I think Bucharest-Ilfov region, through its proven capacity for growth, can become a new kind of Romanian fairytale!
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