The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected our world and our way of living with dire loses and substantial consequences on every aspect of our daily existence. The Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and the EU Budget (COTER) at the European Committee of the Regions will prepare regular bulletins on the policy fields within its remits reflecting recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different actions and response measures planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level.​ 

Roby Biwer (LU/PES) , medlem af kommunalbestyrelsen i Bettembourg, besvarer i dette interview fem spørgsmål vedrørende biodiversitetens betydning for forebyggelsen af et nyt pandemiudbrud, bekæmpelsen af klimaforandringer og opnåelsen af større bæredygtighed gennem EU's genopretningsplan. Roby Biwer er ordfører for udtalelsen Biologisk mangfoldighed i byer og regioner efter 2020 , der skal vedtages på den næste plenarforsamling i oktober. I udtalelsen beskrives de lokale og regionale myndigheders bidrag til EU's biodiversitetsstrategi for 2030 , som Kommissionen fremlagde den 20. maj 2020. Derudover vil Regionsudvalget forsvare den centrale rolle, som de lokale og regionale myndigheder spiller med hensyn til at beskytte biodiversiteten på det 15. møde i partskonferencen under FN's konvention om biologisk mangfoldighed ( UN CBD COP15 ), som løber af stablen fra den 17. til den 30. maj 2021 i Kunming, Kina . 

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected our world and our way of living, with the loss of thousands of lives and unprecedented consequences for every aspect of our daily existence. The Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC) at the European Committee of the Regions is preparing regular bulletins on the policy fields within its remits, reflecting recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different actions and response measures being planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level. 

I dette interview besvarer Tjisse Stelpstra (NL/ECR), der er regional minister i provinsen Drenthe, seks spørgsmål om den nye handlingsplan for den cirkulære økonomi, som er EU's buket af forslag med henblik på at afkoble den økonomiske vækst fra ressourceanvendelse gennem produktion og forbrug af holdbare og genanvendelige produkter, der kan repareres. Handlingsplanen for den cirkulære økonomi blev offentliggjort den 11. marts 2020, og efterfølgende har Tjisse Stelpstra stået i spidsen for Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs bidrag i form af en udtalelse , som efter planen vedtages på udvalgets plenarforsamling den 12.-14. oktober 2020. Den cirkulære økonomi er en af hjørnestenene i den europæiske grønne pagt, EU's vækststrategi der skal sikre klimaneutralitet senest i 2050. 

Commenting on the conclusion of the European Summit, the President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said: "The measures agreed by the EU Member States are an historic example of solidarity and address an unprecedented threat. The EU budget and the Recovery Plan must now be quickly put at the service of all people in regions, cities and villages across Europe. It is vital to invest EU funds where they are needed and to make the most out of every euro". 

Krisen som følge af covid-19-pandemien undergraver Europas økonomiske, territoriale og sociale samhørighed og mulighederne for at levere en grønnere, inklusiv og intelligent omstilling til en mere bæredygtig fremtid. Dette er grunden til, at #CohesionAlliance – en EU-omspændende koalition med over 12.000 underskrivere – kraftigt opfordrer EU's medlemsstater til at støtte en stærk flerårig finansiel ramme for 2021-2027 og genopretningsplanerne. FFR og genopretningsplanerne skal støtte samhørighed som en grundlæggende værdi i Den Europæiske Union og et centralt mål for alle EU's politikker og investeringer. Disse krav fremgår af en erklæring , der blev videregivet til EU-kommissæren med ansvar for samhørighed, Elisa Ferreira, og formanden for EP's REGI-Udvalg, Younous Omarjee, under en videokonference den 14. juli, tre dage inden Det Europæiske Råds møde i Bruxelles. 

I dette interview besvarer Vojko Obersnel (HR/PES), borgmester i Rijeka og ordfører for udtalelsen om fonden for retfærdig omstilling (FRO), fem spørgsmål om dette EU-initiativ, der har til formål at støtte de regioner, der er mest berørt af overgangen til en lavemissionsøkonomi. I forbindelse med covid-19 er det foreslåede budget for FRO øget fra 7,5 mia. EUR til 40 mia. EUR. Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg vedtog sin udtalelse om FRO på plenarforsamlingen i juli 2020 og understregede, at det bifalder EU's støtte til en socialt retfærdig og bæredygtig grøn omstilling. 

The network of regional hubs has concluded its third consultation on the first and only EU Directive on the rights of patients in cross-border healthcare. Reaching out to more than 140 local and regional stakeholders active in the area of healthcare provision, this consultation has again been extensive and is providing unique data, based on stakeholders' "user experience" of this EU policy. 

​Catalan Health System makes https://stopcovid19.cat/en/ available altruistically for the International community. A free access cooperative platform to help prevent the global expansion of SARS Cov-2. The main objective is to share the work done with the maximum number of institutions, governments and International organizations. ​ 

The members of the European Committee of the Region's commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) discussed and adopted opinions on "Equivalent standards of living" and the "European Year of Rail 2021". At the meeting on 10 July, members also exchanged their views on the challenges for public transport in cities and metropolitan regions. 

​As a continuation of our successful webinars, we are inviting you to our 5th edition of the "Digital Masterclasses" series. Join us for a talk on inclusivity in online communication. This time, the webinar will introduce both academic and practical perspectives on effective strategies of connecting with diverse audiences online. 

The EU's recovery efforts after the Covid-19 pandemic must have a strong social dimension in order to maintain social security networks, safeguard workers' jobs and avoid wrongful dismissals, members of local and regional governments highlighted in a debate with Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Social Rights and Jobs. An opinion discussed at the European Committee of the Regions' SEDEC commission on Thursday points out the close link between the EU's social agenda, the Green Deal and the digital transition and calls for more investment in youth, education and life-long learning. 

I dette interview taler Concha Andreu Rodríguez (ES/PES), som er leder af regionalregeringen i La Rioja, om EU's strategi for ligestilling mellem kønnene og covid-19-pandemiens konsekvenser for kvinder. Concha Andreu er ordfører for den udtalelse, som RU's Underudvalg for Social- og Arbejdsmarkedspolitik, Uddannelse, Beskæftigelse, Forskning og Kultur (SEDEC) vedtog i denne uge. Udtalelsen forventes vedtaget på RU's plenarforsamling i oktober. 

The European Commission recently published its report: “Annual report 2019 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and on relations with national parliaments“. In the report, the RegHub network is mentioned several times in connection with the COM's efforts to better integrate the experiences of the regional and local level in the future legislative procedure. For the RegHub network it is a further proof of the appreciation of its work by the European Commission. 

Side events must relate to the thematic priorities of the #EURegionsWeek 2020 and must be organised digitally between 5-9 October 2020, 12-16 October 2020 or 19‑22 October 2020. The application must be submitted by 2 September 2020 at the latest. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has substantial repercussions on the European economies. The ECON Commission of the European Committee of the Regions prepares regular economic bulletins on recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different economic response measures planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level. 

This year, the European Week of Regions and Cities will spread over three consecutive weeks in October (5-22/10/2020). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related health and safety measures, the majority of the 500 sessions will be in fully digital format. Registration for the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities will open on 27 August 2020. To view the recording of the meeting and the slides presented, check the event website Partners' page! 

The European assembly of local and regional politicians adopted their recommendations for the Just Transition Fund, which aims at supporting regions to meet the challenges of the green transition. Rapporteur Vojko Obersnel (HR/PES), mayor of Rijeka, calls for an ambitious EU support so that no one and no place is left behind in the transition to a revived and green economy. 

To uger forud for et afgørende europæisk topmøde opfordrer Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg – EU's forsamling af regionale og lokale myndigheder – medlemsstaterne til en rettidig og retfærdig aftale om den flerårige finansielle ramme (FFR) og planen Next Generation EU. I en resolution og en debat med EU's kommissær med ansvar for budget og administration, Johannes Hahn, opfordrede regioner og byer, at samhørighed bliver et kompas for alle EU-politikker, og at gennemførelsen af EU-programmer baseres på fælles ansvar og partnerskab. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted a resolution on 2 July setting out its three priorities for the next five years. The political assembly aims to make the European Union more resilient, sustainable and cohesive, by strengthening the involvement of involving regions and cities in EU policy-making and implementation. 

På sin plenarforsamling i juli vedtog Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg så godt som enstemmigt en udtalelse udarbejdet af Roby Biwer med titlen "Intensivering af EU's indsats for at beskytte og genoprette verdens skove" . Ordføreren for RU's udtalelse opfordrer til, at der indføres en stærk EU-certificeringsordning og et informationssystem, der sikrer bæredygtige skovprodukter og gennemsigtige forsyningskæder fra lande uden for EU. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted at the July plenary session the opinion The Future of EU Clean Air policy in the framework of the zero-pollution ambition drafted by János Ádám Karácsony (HU/EPP), member of the Local Government of Tahitótfalu. In the context of the COVID-19, the rapporteur of the CoR opinion stresses the possible link between pollution and the gravity of infection’s consequences. Therefore, fighting air pollution must be among the top priorities of the recovery plan. Pollution reduction during lockdown showed the importance of a healthier environment. Local leaders encourage Member States to deliver and update their National Air Pollution Control Programmes as a matter of urgency and to take LRAs' contributions on board. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has adopted the opinion "European Climate Law: enshrining the 2050 climate neutrality objective​" by rapporteur Juanma Moreno (ES/EPP), President of Andalusia. The European Climate Law, as the legal pillar of the Green Deal, needs to fully engage cities and regions in the design of the trajectory towards 2050. Members request local and regional climate inventories and objectives and call for a permanent Multilevel Energy Dialogue Platform and a European climate neutrality observatory. Data for monitoring progress should be collected at regional, rather than national level. Renewables rather than nuclear energy should power the path towards climate-neutrality. 

In a debate with the European Commissioner for Internal market, Thierry Breton, CoR members highlighted the success of the online Exchange Platform created by the CoR to enable local and regional governments share the best practises in responding the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on this successful example, CoR members proposed Commissioner Breton to jointly promote the digitalisation and the innovative use of digital platforms to support the European Commission's work in strategic fields as transport, tourism, social and education services.The assembly of EU regions and cities, also asked for a stronger support to relaunch the tourism industry, highlighting in particular the vital role of regional airport and of the airlines that connect them. Regional and local leaders stressed that the pandemic boosted the adoption of digital and innovative solutions but, at the same time, made visible persisting massive digital gaps. 

The Chair of the CoR's Working Group on the Western Balkans, Mr Nikola Dobroslavić welcomes the end of the Mostar conflict which will lead to the first local elections in Mostar since 2008. The agreement reached between the party leaders to divide political power in the city of Bosnia-Herzegovina is a historic one.  

The European Committee of the Regions is to adopt an opinion on the 'Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive' by rapporteur Piotr Całbecki (PL/EPP), president of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region. In the context of the COVID-19 and unabated global warming, Piotr Całbecki calls for a paradigm shift that places circularity and sustainability at the centre of water management policies. The opinion was discussed during the plenary session alongside a high-level debate on the European Green Deal. Read here an interview with rapporteur Piotr Całbecki on the next steps to improve water quality and sustainability. 

I en debat med Dubravka Šuica, Kommissionens næstformand med ansvar for demokrati og demografi, opfordrede Europas lokale og regionale ledere på det kraftigste EU-institutionerne til at arbejde tæt sammen med de lokale myndigheder for at imødegå de territoriale og socioøkonomiske konsekvenser af de demografiske forandringer. Da befolkningstallet er faldende i mere end 40 % af EU's regioner, opfordrer Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg til at integrere den demografiske dimension i alle EU's politikker og i debatten om Europas fremtid. 

The European Committee of the Regions has adopted the opinion 'Towards a Roadmap for Clean Hydrogen – the contribution of local and regional authorities to a climate-neutral Europe'. The rapporteur is Birgit Honé (DE/PES), Minister for Federal and European Affairs and Regional Development of Lower Saxony. The opinion sets out a wide range of specific legislative and non-legislative measures for the development of a green hydrogen economy as a crucial building block of decarbonisation, in particular in the industry and certain transport sectors. Hydrogen currently accounts for less than 1% of Europe’s energy consumption and most of it is not produced through renewable energy sources.  

Local and regional leaders have backed European Commission proposals which would give the EU an additional €2bn of funds to be able to directly respond to future crises. Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic during a debate with the EU's Commissioner for crisis management, Janez Lenarčič, members of the European Committee of the Regions also called for new rules to let regions and cities have direct EU support during times of emergency.  

On June 22 and 23rd, the final workshop of the first phase of the project “Fostering collaboration through mapping, analysing and interlinking of European Entrepreneurial Regions” took place. 

Despite the challenging circumstances created by the covid-19 crisis, the regional hubs have continued their work. Thanks to their resilience, the continuity of the RegHub consultations has been maintained. Here is a short overview of the ongoing consultation activity. 

During a recent speech at a Commission workshop with national experts on "One in-One out", Commissioner Šefčovič confirmed the Commission is stepping up its collaboration with its partners, including the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Commission's representations in Member States, national authorities and other representative associations – in part to help identify which policies can be simplified and their burdens reduced. 

Removing unjustified obstacles to the cross-border provision of services would speed up economic recovery in Europe, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) believes. The opinion drafted by Jean-Luc Vanraes (BE/Renew Europe), Member of Uccle Municipal Council, will be adopted in the CoR plenary session this week. 

In this interview, Michael Murphy (IE/EPP), Member of Tipperary County Council, answers five questions on the importance of global trade for Europe's local economies, both in tackling the consequences of the pandemic and in promoting sustainability. The Chair of the CoR's Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) is the rapporteur of the opinion 'Implementation of Free Trade Agreement (FTAs): the regional and local perspective' to be adopted at the 1-2 July plenary session. 

Johannes Hahn, EU-kommissær for EU-budgettet, vil diskutere Den Europæiske Unions genopretningsplan og status for forhandlingerne om det langsigtede budget med lokale og regionale ledere den 2. juli under en plenarforsamling for Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg, der er præget af de økonomiske og sundhedsmæssige problemer som følge af pandemien. Tre andre EU-kommissærer vil tillige diskutere EU's politiske reaktion på krisen, idet næstformand Dubravka Šuica vil tale om demokrati og demografi, kommissær Thierry Breton vil svare på spørgsmål om det indre marked og kommissær Janez Lenarčič vil komme ind på nogle af EU's krisestyringstiltag. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected our world and our way of living, with the loss of thousands of lives and unprecedented consequences for every aspect of our daily existence. The Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC) at the European Committee of the Regions is preparing regular bulletins on the policy fields within its remits, reflecting recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different actions and response measures being planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level. 

In this interview, Birgit Honé (DE/PES), Minister for Federal and European Affairs and Regional Development of Lower Saxony, answers five questions on clean hydrogen, a key energy source to achieve climate neutrality in the EU. Minister Birgit Honé is the rapporteur of the opinion 'Roadmap on Clean Hydrogen – the contribution of local and regional authorities to a climate neutral Europe', which is due to be adopted at the plenary session on 1 and 2 July in conjunction with a high-level debate on the European Green Deal. 

The annual European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) Awards Ceremony took place online on 25 June and revealed the names of the most outstanding awareness-raising actions on waste reduction implemented in November 2019. The European Committee of the regions supports the European Week of Waste Reduction initiative and is a member of its steering committee. 

Medlemmer af Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg og Gabriele Bischoff , som er medlem af Europa-Parlamentet og næstformand i Europa-Parlamentets Udvalg om Konstitutionelle Anliggender (AFCO), diskuterede i RU's Underudvalg for Borgerrettigheder, Styreformer og Institutionelle og Eksterne Forbindelser - CIVEX-underudvalget - hvordan man skal gå videre i arbejdet med konferencen om Europas fremtid. De lokale og regionale ledere mener, at den nuværende krise gør det endnu mere presserende, at EU arbejder for at blive mere effektivt, demokratisk og komme nærmere borgerne. RU bifalder Rådets holdning, der blev udstedt den 24. juni, og ser den som et vigtigt skridt fremad, da den baner vejen for forhandlinger om konferencens styring, indhold og struktur. Udvalget opfordrer dog også til, at arbejdet påbegyndes , så snart den pandemiske situation tillader det. Gabriele Bischoff understregede, at lokale og regionale ledere bør spille en vigtig rolle i denne proces. 

​CORLEAP recommendations adopted in view of the Eastern Partnership leaders' video conference on 18 June 2020 reflect the main messages from various reports that CORLEAP has adopted since the last EaP summit. The message is based on a well-documented evaluation of the situation, carried out at the level of governance closest to citizens.  

Den 9. og 10. november 2020 afholder Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT) den første udgave af BORDERS FORUM og det 10. årlige møde i EGTC-platformen i samarbejde med Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg og Kommissionen i Paris. Arrangementet vil samle højtstående repræsentanter fra lokalt, regionalt, nationalt og europæisk plan, herunder kommissær Elisa Ferreira, formand for RU, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, og ministre fra Frankrig, Tyskland, Italien, Ungarn, Luxembourg og Polen. Arrangementet afholdes med støtte fra Frankrigs præsident, Emmanuel Macron. 

I dette interview besvarer Roby Biwer (LU/PES), medlem af kommunalbestyrelsen i Bettembourg, seks spørgsmål om EU's indsats for at beskytte og genoprette skove på verdensplan. I forbindelse med covid-19 efterlyser ordføreren for RU's udtalelse om "Intensivering af EU's indsats for at beskytte og genoprette verdens skove" en ny EU-certificeringsordning og et nyt informationssystem, der fremmer skovrydningsfri produkter og korte, gennemsigtige forsyningskæder. Udtalelsen forventes vedtaget på plenarforsamlingen den 1.-2. juli. 

Den årlige prisuddeling ved den europæiske uge for affaldsreduktion finder sted online den 25. juni fra kl. 14.00 til 16.00. Du kan registrere dig ved at klikke her. Arrangementet indledes med et indlæg fra EU - kommissær for miljø, hav og fiskeri, Virginijus Sinkevičius. Viceborgmester i Budapest, Kata Tüttő , er Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs repræsentant i juryen i år. Klik her for at se de 16 finalister. 

The European Committee of the Regions' Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) debates on the damage caused by the Coronavirus, its impact on local communities and EU Health Emergency Mechanism. At the meeting on 18 June, members also discussed opinions on cross-border healthcare, sustainable use of natural resources within the ​Mediterranean insular context and on strategy for Rural Revival. 

Around 70 CIVEX participants, including CIVEX members, CoR staff and political advisers attended the webinar on "Tensions between crisis management and fundamental freedoms", organised on 12 June by the CIVEX Commission. 

ARLEM Award 2021: Today is the day! ​The registrations for the ARLEM Award 2021 is open! You can apply until the 31 August 2020 

​The European Commission launches 'Re-open EU', a web platform containing essential information for a safe relaunch of tourism in Europe in the post-Covid period. Europeans will now be able to plan their holidays confidently as the platform provides real-time information on borders, means of transport, travel restrictions, public health and safety measures such as physical distancing or the wearing of facemasks. 

Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg har i dag lanceret arbejdsgruppen om den grønne pagt – going local. Arbejdsgruppen, der består af 13 lokale og regionale folkevalgte repræsentanter, har som mål at sikre, at EU's byer og regioner inddrages direkte i udformningen, gennemførelsen og vurderingen af de mange initiativer under den europæiske grønne pagt, som omfatter EU's strategi for bæredygtig vækst med henblik på at nå klimaneutralitet senest i 2050. 

CoR NAT Commission Bulletin​: Updates on the COVID-19 crisis from Committee of the Regions' Commission for natural resources, with focus on health, food production and disaster response, from and for the European regions.  

Den grønne pagt som omdrejningspunktet for genopretningsstrategien efter covid-19 er en af topprioriteterne for Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs (RU) Underudvalg for Miljø, Klimaforandring og Energi (ENVE). Kommissær Virginijus Sinkevičius deltog i dag i en videokonferencedebat med ENVE-medlemmer om behovet for, at genopretningen bliver grøn. Ordstyrer for debatten var ENVE's formand og Sevillas borgmester Juan Espadas. Den 15. juni tager en ny arbejdsgruppe for den grønne pagt i RU fat på arbejdet med at sikre, at EU's genopretning omsættes til handling lokalt og er tilpasset til de enkelte lokalområder.