Eindhoven knows how to find its way to European money pots. Tens of millions come from Brussels to the Brainport Region every year. “We box above our weight class”.
The most recent project that is partly paid for with European funds is the construction of the HOV4 line. The fast bus connection to the De Run business park in the north of the city is made possible with a European subsidy. Various activities on the Brainport Industries Campus are also funded with money from Brussels.
It is certainly not the case that all Eindhoven does is ask for money from Brussels. Other European countries are also eager to hear the Brainport story. Wim de Kinderen and Anthony van de Ven, who represent Brainport Development and the Municipality of Eindhoven in Europe, notice this. “As a region, we sit at many European tables and establish partnerships with other regions. Our story is interesting”, De Kinderen says.
Measure with Munich
At a European level, Eindhoven competes with the Scandinavian capitals Copenhagen and Helsinki, but also with a city with five times as many inhabitants: Munich (1.4 million). “We work a lot with these cities in the field of technological development, but also on mobility, for example”, Van de Ven says. “We as a city are actually boxing above our weight class”.
Green and water
The money that the region raises in Brussels is mainly for projects that focus on sustainability. “Eindhoven mainly receives money for projects around greenery and water in the city”, De Kinderen says. “Take the tower adjoining Eindhoven City Hall, it has been made more sustainable by a European contribution”, Van de Ven says.
The redesign of Clausplein, the previously gray part of the city centre opposite Pink coffee shop, was also funded at the time with money from the European Union. The men do not dare to say exactly how much money is involved. “In any case, tens of millions”, De Kinderen says.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
