The Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees will meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels on Monday to press the case for continued strong ties with Europe post Brexit.
Mayor Rees, pictured, who will meet Mr Barnier along with the leaders of other major UK cities, said he wanted to begin a dialogue to ensure the voices of UK cities were heard as the UK plans for its future relationship with Europe.
The visit has been arranged by Core Cities UK, the 10 UK cities at the heart of the biggest urban areas outside London.
Core Cities UK said the visit would promote city interests in Europe in a way which was intended as complementary to ongoing formal national Brexit negotiations.
They will be discussing proposals for maintaining a strong relationship with Europe so UK cities can continue to be prosperous.
Mayor Rees will point out that Bristol is an international city where more than 91 languages are spoken among its population of 450,000 and the 1.1m people living in the wider city region.
Bristol has a higher than average share of sales to the EU – at 88% of all exports. Bristol’s top 20 businesses with significant trading links into the EU, such as selling goods or services in Europe, using supply chain links in Europe, or with offices in Europe, employ 10,000 people in the city.
Ahead of the meeting, Mayor Rees said: “Bristol is an international city. People speak 91 languages, come from 187 countries, and practice at least 45 religions. Our diversity is an asset which we need to build on – and strengthening our dialogue with Europe is part of that fundamental work.
“However, as negotiations progress we must be sure that UK cities such as Bristol have strong relationships within Europe and that our voice is heard. We will be calling on UK government to lend a similarly listening ear.
“All around the world, cities are stepping up to offer governance at a more local level, closer to the people it serves. We will be looking at how we continue that work in Europe to collaborate on solving common city challenges and to strengthen economic and research ties.”
Discussions will include maintaining economic links and growing businesses and jobs; being collaborative through joint research and innovation on issues such as air quality and health; and continuing to be open, cohesive and inclusive cities.
Core Cities UK will attend the European Commission headquarters with the president of the European cities network, EUROCITIES, meaning roughly 200 urban centres will be represented at the meeting.
The UK Core Cities urban areas are home to 20m people and generate 25% of the UK economy. They are home to more than a quarter of UK businesses, deliver 29% of UK international trade and host 37.5% of UK university students.
They are also the UK’s most significant international centres for trade outside London. It is estimated Core Cities exported over £72 billion in 2016, of which 48% was to the EU, and 52% to non-EU countries.
