President Cordeiro presents the state of regions and cities in Europe and opens European Week of Regions and Cities

​Also on the agenda: Ukraine, Health Union, EU budget, economic governance, and COP28.

On 9 October, the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, will present the 2023 report on the State of Regions and Cities. The annual report, which is accompanied by a survey of nearly 3,000 local and regional representatives, presents the views of local and regional authorities on key issues affecting citizens on the ground across the European Union. 

This year's edition focuses on the EU's support for Ukraine and Ukrainian displaced people, the climate crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, post-pandemic recovery efforts, regional development, the green and digital transition, the rural agenda, and efforts to strengthen democracy. 

The presentation of the report also marks the opening of the European Week of Regions and Cities, the largest event in the EU for local and regional authorities, promoted jointly by the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission DG Regio, hosting 300 seminars, workshops and other events and with around 7,000 people registered. 

The President of the European Committee of the Regions will also preside over the works of the 157th Plenary Session, that will take place on 10 and 11 October, and features a debate and approval of a resolution on the state of the EU's regions and cities, with the participation of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne and the President of the Spanish Congress and former CoR member, Francina Armengol, as well as a presentation on the ongoing work by the Spanish Presidency of the Council. 

The CoR's legislative work will be reflected in 10 sets of recommendations – ranging from revision of the EU's long-term budget and the EU's economic governance to support for automotive regions – and in two debates on the emerging European health union and the EU's support for Ukraine. The opinion on the Ukraine Facility addresses the role of regions and cities in the EU's efforts to help Ukraine through the war and through its recovery and reconstruction process. 

Together with the Vice-President of the European Commission Dubravk​a Šuica, President Cordeiro will meet with the participants of the Young Elected Politicians programme of the Committee of the Regions and its network of Local Councillors.

On 12 October, Cohesion Policy will feature high in the agenda, with the joint meeting of the European Parliament and European Committee of the Regions dealing with this important policy and a #CohesionAlliance event focusing on the "Lessons learnt from the Resilience and Recovery Fund – safeguarding a place-based approach within cohesion policy". 

• Follow the President address on the European State of Regions and Cities here.
• Follow the plenary session on the CoR website.
• Visit the website of the European Week of Regions and Cities for details of the programme.
• Have access to photos of the Week and Plenary session here.  

KEY MOMENTS 

Monday, 9 October, 2.00 p.m.: Opening of the European Week of Regions and Cities, with Vasco Alves Cordeiro, President of the European Committee of the Regions; Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms; Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament (IT/S&D), Younous Omarjee (FR/ GUE/NGL), chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development; and Emil Boc (RO/EPP), mayor of Cluj-Napoca and chair of the CoR's Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget.

Note: the opening ceremony will be in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, Brussels. 

Tuesday, 10 October, 3.05 p.m.: Debate on a health union for Europe and its regions, with Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. The European Health Union is a new initiative to strengthen the  EU's health security and resilience to future crises. Cities and regions have called for greater recognition of their role in managing health systems and more meaningful involvement in decision-making. 

Wednesday, 11 October, 9.00 a.m.: Debate on the State of Regions and Cities in the European Union, with Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister for the Economy and Employment, and Francina Armengol, President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. Members of the CoR will adopt a resolution based on the annual report with first recommendations towards the next EU Strategic Agenda. 

Wednesday, 11 October, 11.20 a.m.: Debate on local and regional authorities' support to Ukraine, with Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv, Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils, Leendert Verbeek, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities; Michael Gahler (DE/EPP), member of the European Parliament. CoR members will then vote on an opinion on the Ukraine Facility, an EU initiative to meet Ukraine's emergency needs and support its recovery and reconstruction. The CoR is the co-founder and secretariat of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. 

Wednesday, 11 October, 14.30 p.m.: Meeting with Young Elected Politicians and Local Councillors networks, together with Vice-President of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica.​

RESOLUTIONS FOR ADOPTION

• Resolution on the SDGs in EU regions and cities in the aftermath of the EU Voluntary Review and 2023 UN discussions.
• Resolution on the state of regions and cities in the European Union and proposals in view of the next EU Strategic Agenda 2024-2029.
  

OPINIONS FOR ADOPTION​

• "The Ukraine Facility." Rapporteur-general: Dario Nardella (IT/PES), mayor of Florence.
• "Review and proposal for the revision of the MFF 2021-2027." Rapporteur-general: José Manuel Ribeiro (PT/PES), mayor of Valongo.
• "Reform of the EU economic governance framework." Rapporteur: Elio Di Rupo (BE/PES), minister-president of Wallonia.
• "UNFCCC COP28: the role of subnational authorities in keeping climate ambition on track." Rapporteur: Rafał Trzaskowski (PL/EPP), mayor of Warsaw.
• "A just and sustainable transition for automotive regions." Rapporteur: Sven Schulze (DE/EPP), minister for Economic Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt.
• "Strategic foresight as an instrument of EU governance and better regulation." Rapporteur: Giorgio Magliocca (IT/EPP), president of the Province of Caserta.
• "Consumer protection package." Rapporteur: Dan Boyle (IE/Greens), member of Cork City Council.
• "A drone strategy 2.0." Rapporteur: Władysław Ortyl (PL/ECR), president of the Podkarpackie Region.
• "European cross-border mechanism 2.0." Rapporteur: Magali Altounian (FR/Renew Europe), member of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Regional Council.
• "Mentoring: a powerful and meaningful tool for the Europe of tomorrow." Rapporteur: Anne Rudisuhli (FR/Renew Europe), member of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Location​: Charlemagne building, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 170, 1000 Brussels.
Date: Tuesday, 10 October – Wednesday, 11 October 2023.
Background material: The plenary agenda and resolutions, opinions and amendments.
Webstreaming: On the website of the CoR.

Contact:
PresseCdr@cor.europa.eu​