Our goals
This
Future of Europe campaign is one of three major initiatives of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), along with the campaigns on the
Green Deal and the
Cohesion Alliance.
With its aim to
Bring Europe closer to its people, this campaign focuses on four key areas:
- Providing support to Members of the CoR who wish to create events in their local areas to engage citizens in a dialogue about Europe. This aspect has increased in prominence with the ongoing Conference on the Future of Europe, as more Members seek assistance to run local dialogue events. (See section below with more information about the specific support that is available.)
- The promotion and support of large scale initiatives, including the Conference on the Future of Europe and the new
EU Councillors Network, by organising events and ensuring the outputs from them are fed into the correct channels for consideration by policy- and decision-makers.
- Working with external organisations to support the development of new and innovative methods of citizen engagement and participation, and encouraging the take-up of these new tools. More information on our projects with the
Bertelsmann Stiftung and Europe Direct Centres is available below.
Support to Members
Given the exceptional circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to consult citizens in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is encouraging its members to organise local events. Members who want to create such events can choose between the following two funding possibilities:
(i) A flatrate 'CoFoE Talk' outreach allowance of EUR 700 which the Member can use to organise and pay for the costs of an event in whatever format they chose. Please note that the event must not take place less than one month before an election and the Member must submit an event report within one month of its taking place - cf Regulation 28/2021.
(ii) Alternatively, a member can apply for support for an online local event. Applications must be submitted at least three months in advance and approved by CFAA - cf Decision 145/2020 amending Decision 028/2016.
In both options, the Directorate for Communication can provide communication support for web, press and social media and Members can claim their standard meetings allowance.
Members are invited to apply for one of these options through the event application form (EN/FR).
COVID situation:
Members of the European Committee of the Regions continue their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full respect for national, regional and local conditions is a pre-requisite.
Applying for support:
Members seeking help for a local dialogue should contact the Communication Directorate at eulocal@cor.europa.eu
Collaborations
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Bertelsmann Stiftung: The CoR partnered with the Bertelsmann Stiftung to support over 50 local dialogue events across Europe by the early 2022. These events gathered citizens' views from across regions to feed into the Conference on the Future of Europe.
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Europe Direct Centres:The CoR also supported Europe Direct Centres to run local dialogue events across Europe, again feeding into the Conference on the Future of Europe. Approximately 20 such events took place by the start of 2022. Results from all these events will be included in the CoR's upcoming final report on the Conference.
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European Year of Youth: 2022 is the European Year of Youth, and as local and regional authorities play a key role in responding to young people's needs across policy areas as well as promoting their participation in local democracy the CoR calls to strengthen efforts to tackle youth unemployment and precarious working conditions and to improve access to housing, education and training.
Network of Regional and Local EU Councillors
There are more than one million elected politicians in the regions and cities of the European Union. They are dealing with European laws, funding programmes and debates on a daily basis. The Network builds on the successful experience with national of local politicians dealing with EU affairs existing, for example, in Austria, France and Germany.
Visit the
Network webpage for more information and to get involved.