Permanent Delegation to the European Institutions

Lille Metropole has been forging closer ties with European and international partners in recent years, launching major projects to make this ambition a reality in areas such as urban planning, sports and culture, by winning the prestigious title of World Design Capital, and through its involvement in the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai – a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation that brings together 152 municipalities in France and Belgium and stands testament to Lille Metropole’s title as a European metropolis.

In 2017, Lille Metropole created the Permanent Delegation to the European Institutions to build on these achievements and to liaise between Lille Metropole and the European institutions. The team, led by Christophe Bolot, is tasked with building closer ties with the European institutions and fostering new partnerships at the European level. The aim is to raise Lille Metropole’s profile on the European stage, to set out its stall as a key player, and to boost the area’s appeal. The initiative builds on the work of Lille Metropole’s European affairs teams.

Promoting Lille Metropole at the European level

The permanent delegation gives Lille Metropole a physical presence in Brussels, allowing it to better showcase the area and its projects. The new office, in the heart of the European district and near the European Parliament, hosts workshops, meetings and appointments organised on behalf of Lille Metropole’s operational departments. The premises could also made available to Lille Metropole’s partners (universities, competitiveness clusters, etc.) from time to time.

Lille Metropole’s physical presence in Brussels has four key aims:

• To familiarise the European institutions and other organisations (European Commission, European Parliament, Committee of the Regions, European Metropolises, etc.) with Lille Metropole, the area, its projects and its players.
• To foster greater openness to Europe at Lille Metropole, to gain a better understanding of how the European institutions operate, and to develop people’s acceptance of Europe in general.
• To confirm Lille Metropole’s place within the continent’s networks (through direct contact) in the context of the European Union’s post-2020 planning.
• To build lasting partnerships with other European metropolises to support innovative urban policy-making and to secure European funding.
• Contact us

Christophe Bolot
Permanent Delegation to the European Institutions
1 Square de Meeûs,
Brussels (from 01/12/2017)

cbolot@lillemetropole.fr

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