Belgian Daniël Termont to preside over Eurocities
On 18 November, Daniël Termont, the Mayor of Ghent (East Flanders), was elected to become the new President of Eurocities, a network of about 130 European cities.
Eurocities held its annual conference in Milan from 16 to 18 November. During this meeting, a new President was elected unanimously. It was the Belgian Daniël Termont, Mayor of Ghent since October 2007. Born on 19 May 1953 in Ghent, Termont is a member of the Sp.a party (Flemish socialist party). He replaces Johanna Rolland, the Mayor of Nantes, and will be seconded throughout his two-year mandate by Karin Wanngård, the Mayor of Stockholm, elected Vice President of Eurocities.
Daniël Termont confirmed his wish to shape the future of cities in Europe by working more closely with EU institutions and national governments in order to strengthen the European project and rethink it. Furthermore, the Mayor of Ghent wishes to see a more structured participation of cities in the European Union and suggests creating a Senate of European cities that would enable direct access to European institutions. The Mayor of Ghent's approach was hailed by the representatives of the other cities.
Eurocities is the network of European cities that represents 130 million citizens. Its members are local and municipal councillors of European cities. The network was founded in 1986 by the Mayors of six cities: Barcelona, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lyon, Milan and Rotterdam. It offers its members a platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas. Its aim is to reinforce the role of local authorities in order to guide the EU's decisions in order to allow municipalities to face their local strategic challenges.