The conference is being organized by the East of England European Partnership under the auspices of the ‘Reflecting on Europe’ series, part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2017.
As the UK prepares to leave the EU, this conference will provide an opportunity for politicians, policy makers, academics, civil society and the public to discuss the impact of Brexit on local areas.
Questions the conference will discuss include: what are the challenges and opportunities for local areas? How will local areas meet the challenge of the skills gap? Are there new models of cross-border cooperation the UK should be considering? Should the UK seek to continue to participate in cross-border EU programmes? What’s the future of regional development and the UK’s new industrial strategy? What’s the future of devolution in England?
The conference will be split into two panels with one expert panel examining the implications on the East of England’s future devolution, industrial strategy and skills development. Whilst the second panel will consist of a highlevel political debate on the future of local UK - EU cooperation with politicians from the East of England, Vastra-Gotaland (Sweden) and Warmia-Mazury (Poland).