Conference: TRUST, COOPERATION, INTEGRATION, PROJECT CHALLENGES – From Integrated Territorial Investments to a lasting partnership with local authorities.
The conference organised in May 2026 by the Warsaw Metropolis Association focused on the current and future challenges facing local authorities in shaping a development policy for metropolitan areas. The meeting was attended by representatives of metropolitan areas, urban functional areas, cities and communes from various regions of Poland, as well as representatives of the academic community and experts specialising in metropolitan issues. The event provided a forum for the exchange of experience and debate on the future of Polish cities in the context of setting new directions for an urban policy.
The results of the implementation of Integrated Territorial Investments (Zintegrowane Inwestycje Terytorialne, ZIT) under the 2014–2020 financial framework were presented along with the initial outcomes of ZIT under the 2021–2027 framework. It was pointed out that the key to these successes lies in the role of a leader and mutual trust between the 40 entities that make up the metropolitan area. Participants also discussed the future of metropolitan cooperation in the context of institutional and financial changes. Participants in the debate emphasised that the cooperation mechanisms developed to date, partners’ experience and relationships forged between local authorities and the academic community may ensure the continuity of activities despite future challenges. During the panel discussion on the future of a cohesion policy after 2027, the challenges associated with the European Union’s new financial framework for 2028–2034 were discussed. The discussion highlighted the need to ensure an adequate budget for the implementation of territorial instruments, as well as the need to swiftly define investment priorities and the rules for funding undertakings.
During the conference, it was stressed that cooperation beyond administrative boundaries is becoming particularly important in the face of depopulation, an ageing population and increasing suburbanisation. Attention was drawn to the fact that the development of functional areas requires not only joint funding of undertakings, but also the maintenance of the capacity for joint planning and responding to emerging challenges.
