Porto: Together we shape a sustainable future for cities

As representatives of the Ministry of Construction and physical planning 4. Cities Forum is attended by Assistant Minister Danijel Zamboki and the head of the Service for International Co-operation and European Sustainable Development Affairs Sandra Momcilovic.

The specific focus of this Forum is the urban dimension of cohesion policy for the future financial period 2021-2017 and the importance of an integrated approach to sustainable urban development. Also, the forum will discuss how the European Urban Initiative will support cities, how to bring Europe closer to all its citizens, but also about the upcoming steps of the Urban Agenda for the European Union.

Croatia assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union at a time of great changes for the Union – we are at the beginning of a new institutional and legislative cycle, and we will deal with Great Britain's departure from the European Union.

“Developing Europe” is one of the key areas of the agenda of the Croatian presidency and is directly related to the cohesion policy of the European Union and promotes a balanced and sustainable development of the Union and its members, which was addressed by Assistant Construction Minister Daniel Zamboki in his opening speech.

"The Croatian presidency will seek a balanced, sustainable and inclusive development of the European Union, while respecting the specificities and needs of each Member State, its regions and citizens. We will contribute to the completion of negotiations on the Cohesion Policy legislative Package for the period between 2021 and 2027."

Assistant Minister Zamboki also spoke about the role of the Ministry of Construction and physical planning in the following processes.

"As one of the partners of the urban agenda partnership for the EU for the security of public spaces, our ministry has the opportunity to look at the urban agenda process from a different perspective. Since the beginning of our work within the partnership we have received many positive reactions from the regional and local levels, which strongly wants to get involved in this process. In this respect, for us the promotion of the urban agenda and its results is an important part of the process of its implementation. The results of the urban agenda will greatly help us prepare national strategic and regulatory documents," Zamboki said.

The Assistant Minister of Construction pointed out that the goal of the Ministry of Construction and physical planning is to point out the topics of development of green infrastructure and circular management of spaces and buildings, which will be particularly emphasized during our presidency.

“I would like to end with the motto of the Croatian presidency, which is not just a message, but also a possible solution to “a strong Europe in a challenging world” – further development of policies that create better working and living conditions, better environmental protection, better management and adaptation to climate change are essential for ensuring a better life for all citizens of the Union,” Assistant Construction Minister Danijel Zamboki concluded at the end of his presentation.