Mobility, Regional Attractiveness and Cohesion in Europe’s Twin Transition
On 4 May 2026, the MOBI-TWIN project brought together policymakers, researchers and regional stakeholders at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels to explore how Europe’s green and digital transitions are reshaping mobility and regional development.
How is the twin transition reshaping mobility across Europe?
How is the green and digital transition reshaping mobility patterns across Europe, and what does this mean for regions and their development prospects? The MOBI-TWIN Final Conference brought together policymakers, researchers and regional stakeholders to discuss how spatial mobility influences regional attractiveness, labour markets and territorial cohesion in the context of the twin transition.
Building on evidence from the Horizon Europe MOBI-TWIN project, the conference presented new insights on mobility drivers, emerging regional disparities and future scenarios. Particular attention was given to how different types of regions – including those facing population decline or talent outflows – are affected, and how these trends may reinforce or mitigate existing inequalities across Europe.
The conference also addressed policy implications at EU, national and regional level. Through discussions with representatives from EU institutions, regional authorities and related initiatives, participants explored how data, tools and evidence can support more effective and place-based policy responses.
Key Details
Date
Monday, 4 May 2026
Time
09:30 – 17:00 CET
Venue
European Committee of the Regions
Room VMA 21, Rue Van Maerlant
1040 Brussels, Belgium
Format
In-person conference
Keynotes, panels, policy debates & networking
What We Achieved
The MOBI-TWIN Final Conference marked the culmination of three years of research under the Horizon Europe programme. The event brought together over 20 speakers and panellists from universities, the European Commission, the OECD, regional authorities and sister EU projects to present and debate the project’s findings.
A central theme of the day was the geographical revolution unfolding across Europe: the digital transition is making location increasingly optional – you can work from a village, a coastal island, anywhere the fibre reaches – while the green transition is making location a matter of destiny, tied to where the wind blows and the sun falls. These two opposing forces are reshaping how and where people choose to live, and the conference explored what this means for regions across Europe.
Among the key outputs presented were:
A new framework that goes beyond rankings to ask: what makes a place somewhere a person chooses to stay? Covering connectivity, services, green amenities, jobs & skills, housing and trust.
Novel methods for mapping how people move across European regions, combining mobile phone data, transport records and survey data into a unified picture of spatial mobility.
An interactive policy intelligence tool and a series of policy briefs translating the project’s research into concrete, actionable recommendations for EU, national and regional policymakers.
Forward-looking models exploring how European regions may develop under different transition pathways, with particular attention to left-behind places and demographic change.
The afternoon sessions brought together lessons from sister Horizon Europe projects – PREMIUM_EU, R-Map and SkillsPulse – highlighting common patterns and complementary approaches to understanding Europe’s territorial challenges. The conference closed with a forward-looking keynote by Maria Abreu (University of Cambridge) on the future of place-based policy in the EU.
Watch the Full Conference
Missed the event or want to revisit a session? The full conference recording is available below, split into four parts.
Photos from the Event
Highlights from the MOBI-TWIN Final Conference at the European Committee of the Regions, Brussels.
Conference Agenda
Full programme as delivered on 4 May 2026.
- Conference hostJennifer Baker — EU policy and tech reporter
- Thomas Wobben — Director of Legislative Works, European Committee of the Regions
- Simone Rosini — European Commission, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Fair Green and Digital Transitions, Research Unit
- Giulia Zendron — MOBI-TWIN Coordinator, Senior Project Manager at White Research
- KeynoteAnastasia Panori — MOBI-TWIN Scientific Coordinator, Assistant Professor on Regional Analysis and Policy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- Olle Järv — Researcher, Digital Geography Lab, University of Helsinki
- Integrated datasets & Mobility mapping
- Vicente Royuela — Full Professor of Applied Economics, University of Barcelona
- Drivers of Mobility & Regional Attractiveness
Followed by Q&A with the audience
- ModeratorJennifer Baker — EU policy and tech reporter
- PanellistAsya Salnikova — Science Officer at European Science Foundation
- PanellistAnabela Santos — Researcher & Economist, Université libre de Bruxelles
- PanellistMaya Camacho — Policy Analyst in the Regional Policy and Attractiveness Unit, OECD
- PanellistSimone Rosini — European Commission, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Fair Green and Digital Transitions, Research Unit
Followed by Q&A with the audience
- Manos Matsaganis — Full professor of Public Finance, Politecnico di Milano
- EUROMOD as a tool for social welfare impacts
- Dimitris Ballas — Professor of Economic Geography, University of Groningen
- Spatial MSM & ABM modelling for future policy scenarios
Followed by Q&A with the audience
- ModeratorJennifer Baker — EU policy and tech reporter
- PanellistYannis Psycharis — Professor of Regional Economic Analysis, Department Economic and Regional Development, Panteion University, Athens (policy briefs)
- PanellistMaria Abreu — Professor of Economic Geography, University of Cambridge
- PanellistSandra Jolk — Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE)
- PanellistTaina Tukiainen — Member of the Mission Board for Climate Adaptation, visiting Scientist at the JRC
- PanellistFrancesco Molica — Director at EURADA
- ModeratorAnastasia Panori — MOBI-TWIN Scientific Coordinator, Assistant Professor on Regional Analysis and Policy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- Peter Meister-Broekema — PREMIUM_EU project
- Nikos Zaharis — R-Map project
- Liga Baltina — SkillsPulse project
- KeynoteMaria Abreu — MOBI-TWIN Advisory Board, Professor of Economic Geography, University of Cambridge
- Giulia Zendron — MOBI-TWIN Coordinator, Senior Project Manager at White Research
Our Speakers
Researchers, policymakers and experts who shaped the conversation on mobility and regional development.
The MOBI-TWIN Consortium
MOBI-TWIN is a Horizon Europe project (HORIZON-CL2-2022-TRANSFORMATIONS-01) exploring how Europe’s twin transition reshapes spatial mobility and regional attractiveness. The project brings together 9 partners across Europe.
Disclaimer: This event is hosted at the European Committee of the Regions. The views expressed during the conference are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Committee of the Regions. The European Committee of the Regions is not responsible for the content of this event.
MOBI-TWIN has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101094402.