Infrastructure Lunch in Brussels 2026

11:30 AM | Reception

12:00 PM | Welcome and Introduction
Torsten BURMESTER, Chairman of the Metropolitan Region Rhineland, Lord Mayor of the city Cologne

Rainer STEFFENS, Head of the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the EU (requested)

12:05 PM | Introduction: Supporting urban nodes through cooperation

• Marie-Eve REINERT, Director of the EGTC Rhine-Alpine Corridor
• Sven ROBERTZ, Project Manager of Mobility NRW-NL

12:15 PM | What do urban nodes need?

• Ivo CRÉ, Director of Policy and Projects of POLIS
• Andre SOBCZAK, Secretary General Eurocities

12:30 PM | From priorities to practice: the Cologne example – a concrete look at governance and financing challenges, with the Dutch perspective as currently planned.

• Torsten Burmester, Chairman of the board of the Rhineland Metropolitan Region
• N.N., Mobility NRW-NL

12:45 PM | Perspectives from the EU and Member States, followed by discussion — an opportunity for invited representatives to respond and exchange views with cities and regions on implementation and access to funding

• Moderator: Vivian STRIBOS, Representative of the Province of Gelderland at the European Institutions in Brussels

13:20 PM | Wrap up and next steps

• Marie-Eve REINERT, Director EGTC Rhine-Alpine Corridor
• Sven ROBERTZ, Project Manager of Mobility NRW-NL