A City Conference on Urban Challenges of Modern Cities Took Place in Celje

by MAGnetic attraction forces of the city NETwork Discover the project

The City Municipality of Celje hosted the sixth city conference on 19 September 2025, as part of the annual MOS fair in Celje. This time, the conference was dedicated to the European project MAG-NET. Participants discussed five key challenges facing modern cities: affordable housing, sustainable mobility, community energy, Industry 4.0, and urban atmosphere.

The Mayor of the City Municipality of Celje, Matija Kovač, emphasized that city conferences create an open space for collective reflection on the future of Celje and Slovenia, while encouraging the exchange of ideas and solutions. The audience was also addressed by Matevž Frangež, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, who described the MAG-NET project as a force that attracts and connects.

The keynote speaker, founder and director of Riko Ltd., Janez Škrabec, highlighted that good ideas are born in environments that are inclusive, open, and encourage critical thinking. The State Secretary at the Ministry of Solidarity-Based Future, Klemen Ploštajner, PhD, who spoke on the housing policy, pointed out public rental housing as a good model. The topic of sustainable mobility was presented by Marko Peterlin, Director of IPoP – Institute for Spatial Policies, while the Mayor of Hrastnik, Marko Funkl, spoke about community energy, presenting the Green Cooperative Hrastnik as Slovenia’s first community energy cooperative. On this occasion, Mayor Matija Kovač and Sebastijan Roudi, MSc, Director of ECE Ltd., signed a contract for the construction of eleven public solar power plants in Celje, marking the establishment of the city’s first energy community. Industry 4.0 was addressed by Medeja Lončar, Director of Siemens Slovenia and Siemens Serbia, and CEO of Siemens Croatia, who stressed the importance of investing in the development of young talents. The final thematic section was delivered by Ksenija Repina, Director of the Puppet Theatre Maribor, who used the example of the Minoriti Art Quarter to underline the importance of cultural infrastructure for the urban atmosphere.

The closing commentary was given by young participants – Jakob Čater, Tina Horvat, Blaž Parežnik, Lin Šuster, Luka Mihalič, and Sara Krajnc. They agreed that Celje has great potential but needs further incentives to remain an attractive environment for young generations to live and create in.

The 6th City Conference offered valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities of modern cities and paved the way forward for the MAG-NET Initiative.