André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities

Eurocities is a major network of cities in Europe, founded in 1985 by Barcelona, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lyon, Milan, and Rotterdam Today, this organization boasts a membership exceeding 200 cities, representing a combined population of over 130 million people across 38 countries.

Within the European Union (EU), Eurocities has emerged as a significant urban network, exemplifying city diplomacy's growing role in international relations. At the EU level, Eurocities plays a pivotal role in advocating for applying the subsidiarity principle, fostering numerous opportunities for engagement and influence over EU initiatives and policies. This influence extends particularly to matters concerning urban development and, more recently, the European Green Deal.

The Secretary general of Eurocities, André Sobczak works to empower cities in EU decision making through Eurocities. He spent 20 years as a manager and impact-oriented academic and served two terms as Vice-President of the Nantes Metropolitan Area for European Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Employment. His positions in Audencia Business School have included Positive Impact Chair and Chief Executive for Corporate Social Responsibility, an experience he harnesses to strengthen training activities and create strong ties with academia through a new Eurocities Academy. In local politics, he worked to coordinate the metropolitan area’s 24 mayors, as well as representing Nantes in Eurocities’ Executive Committee and as Chair of the network’s Economic Development Forum. He has worked tirelessly to reinforce and communicate a virtuous circle between economic development and social and environmental goals. On the one hand, he has coached companies to improve their business plans and management to this end. On the other, he has spearheaded initiatives like #NegoTrainig, which gives women free training in wage negotiation, and ‘Fairwork,’ a monitor for working conditions in the platform economy. He leads with an approach of multi-level cooperation between the public sector, businesses, and civil society for a tangible positive impact.