Recap and conclusions ITEM Annual Conference 2023
On Friday 17 November 2023, the ITEM annual conference was held at the county hall in The Hague, focusing on the theme of mobility and infrastructure. The joint finding was that much remains to be done to raise awareness of the necessary priority, to deploy (existing) instruments and the possibility of deviating from existing regulations and to proactively draw up border impact assessments. Only then can transnational issues and cross-border cooperation go hand in hand and be strengthened.
Kees van der Burg (DG Mobility of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management speaking on behalf of Minister Mark Harbers), also stressed the importance of border regions. "Good infrastructure and public transport are essential elements when it comes to broad prosperity, which applies to all regions in the Netherlands and our neighbouring countries in particular. Our cooperation makes it clear that the border regions are not in a remote corner of our countries but in the heart of Europe," Van der Burg said.
ITEM director Prof. Dr. Anouk Bollen-Vandenboorn closed the annual conference by concluding: "If you want to move forward from a transnational objective you need cross-border cooperation, but the methodology to get to that point sometimes falters. But we are fortunately all aware that if you start looking at a construction where deviation is possible that it will be supported". "ITEM will continue to provide substantial input, support and help to take this forward."
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