The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is inviting European regions to express their interest to contribute to the Pilot Project "REGIONS2030: Monitoring the SDGs in the EU regions – Filling the data gaps", supported by the European Parliament. 

​​The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) awarded the prizes for the best region, city and bio-district as part of the European Organic Day. The awards were organized by the CoR together with the European Commission , the European Economic and Social Committee, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe to reward excellence along the European organic value chain. 

​Access to affordable energy and raw materials, friendly business environment and the development of new skills are the most pressing challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU. Local and regional leaders, members of the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), gathered in Zwolle (the Netherlands) to discuss how to help SMEs face these challenges to overcome the current crisis and contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future. 

The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) , Vasco Alves Cordeiro, has called for higher climate ambition and a dedicated framework for encoding, monitoring and reporting cities' and regions' climate commitments and achievements in the context of the Paris agreement. This was the main message shared at the General Assembly of the Under2Coalition, ​the world's largest network of subnational governments committed to 2050 net zero emissions, which took place in New York, on 19 September 2022, as part of the Climate Week NYC 

​Czech representative Jaroslava Jermanová was elected chair of the European Committee of the Regions' commission for Economic Policy (ECON) at the meeting on 22 September. Ms Jermanová, Councillor of the Central Bohemian Region, will chair ECON's work over the forthcoming two and half years, until the end of the CoR's current five-year mandate. 

Hilary Benn, a senior figure in parliamentary relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union, has said that some UK and EU ideas on how to resolve differences over the management of trade in Northern Ireland are "quite close" – and that agreement would provide "an opportunity to move on".  

Európsky výbor regiónov (VR) uverejnil prvú príručku k Zelenej dohode zameranú na adaptáciu na zmenu klímy. Príručka je interaktívny súbor nástrojov, ktorý poskytuje informácie o finančnej pomoci a technických možnostiach na zavádzanie opatrení na prispôsobenie sa zmene klímy v závislosti od rôznych geografických oblastí a regionálnych špecifík. Cieľom je poskytnúť miestnym a regionálnym samosprávam súbor nástrojov a odporúčaní na lepšiu adaptáciu na zmenu klímy, minimalizáciu zraniteľnosti a budovanie odolnosti s cieľom znížiť riziká katastrof a zmierniť straty a škody.Príručka je k dispozícii pre každý členský štát. 

​The registration to EuroPCom 2022 is now open. The 13th edition of the annual European Public Communication Conference takes place fully digitally in the morning on Friday 28 October 2022 under the slogan "Communicating Climate Action". 

Ukrajinské mestá a regióny majú plnú a rozhodnú podporu Európskeho výboru regiónov. Ako uviedol 16. septembra jeho predseda Vasco Cordeiro, regióny a mestá EÚ budú i naďalej a dlhodobo pomáhať ukrajinským miestnym a regionálnym samosprávam. 

President von der Leyen' speech on the State of the European Union is a good sum up of the challenges Europe is facing and a clear demonstration of political will and ambition to overcome them. On behalf of regions and cities from all the Union, represented by the European Committee of Regions I would like to make it clear that we answer her call to win over these challenges and we stand ready to do our part in the European common effort. 

​Europe is rich in diversity. All territories face the same societal challenges, such as climate change, energy crisis, or the interruption of supply chains, but these impact on regions in different ways. Every region has different priorities, different conditions and different assets in face of such challenges. The uniqueness of each territory requires bespoke actions that are tailored to both the specific territorial needs and the availability of tools at the disposal of each region. For example, some places may have a greater need to support the creation of new industries, while others to help existing industries become more sustainable. 

​​ As part of the delegation of the European Union to COP27, local and regional leaders have discussed with the Czech Presidency, the European Commission, and the European Parliament concrete ways to strengthen climate governance and help citizens face global warming and unprecedented energy prices  

Vasco Alves Cordeiro, President of the Committee of the Regions, met yesterday with a delegation of the National Conference of State Legislatures of the United States (NCSL), led by Speaker Scott Saiki, from Hawaii, and discussed opportunities for cooperation on key common challenges. 

 

The 20th edition of EURegionsWeek under the motto New Challenges for Europe's cohesion is ready to take off. 

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, more and more areas in the country are cut off the electricity supply, including hospitals and other places which urgently require access to power. In order to help civilians, the World Wind Energy Association WWEA and the Global 100% Renewable Energy Platform Global100RE (http://www.global100re.org/), supported by Global100RE Ambassador Ruslana (https://ruslana.ua/en/), are calling for donations of equipment which can supply power independently from the national grid, after all small and stand alone solar systems including batteries, power banks etc. 

Európsky výbor regiónov (VR) iniciuje novú výzvu na predkladanie osvedčených postupov určenú svojim členom a náhradníkom, mladým voleným politikom a členom siete VR združujúcej predstaviteľov územných samospráv. Cieľom je zhromaždiť a podporiť nízkouhlíkové a udržateľné projekty miestnych a regionálnych samospráv, ako aj ich klimatické záväzky zamerané na zníženie emisií skleníkových plynov. Má Váš región alebo mesto konkrétny projekt, ktorý sa zameriava na ciele Európskej zelenej dohody? Stanovil si Váš región alebo mesto cieľ znížiť emisie skleníkových plynov do roku 2030 alebo 2050? Potom je táto nová výzva určená práve Vám. 

The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro, met today the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, in an exchange meant to present the priorities of President Cordeiro at the helm of the CoR for 2022-2025. 

The European Commission has just published its 2021 Annual Burden Survey, explaining and taking stock of the EU's better regulation efforts in 2021, their concrete findings and follow-up. 

The presidents of the European Committee of the Regions and the Association of Ukrainian Cities have congratulated cities and regions that are organising summer camps in the European Union for Ukrainian children, saying that this is an act of solidarity that offers a sense of normality to some of the millions of Ukrainian children whose lives have been shaken by the war.  

The European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee are launching the call for expression of interest to participate to the 7th meeting of the European Migration Forum, which will take place on 20-21 October 2022 in Brussels. The European Migration Forum is a platform for dialogue between civil society and the European institutions on issues relating to migration, asylum and the integratio n of non-EU country nationals. 

​The ENVE commission meeting on 15 July showed that the prospect of the energy crisis is worsening as the approaching winter is a major concern for EU local and regional authorities. The severe droughts across the EU and the tragic collapse of the Marmolada glacier confirm the urgent need to adapt to global warming. The ENVE commission adopted two draft opinions on the energy package on gas, hydrogen and methane, and the role of cities and regions in global climate governance ahead of the United Nations climate summit to take place in November in Egypt. The priorities of the Czech Presidency were also on the discussion table.  

​​​How to better finance the decarbonisation of public transport through cohesion policy and other EU instruments, remove administrative bottlenecks and give cities direct access to EU funds: these were the main issues discussed during a two-day meeting that gathered to Prague local and regional leaders from all over the European Union at the start of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.​ ​ 

The European Union and any country wishing to join the EU need to do more to address the concerns of young people and secure their participation in politics, local and regional politicians from the EU, the western Balkans, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia at a two-day conference focused on EU enlargement. 

The growing digital divide between urban and rural areas is one of the major challenges faced by citizens and businesses in Europe. EU, national, regional and local governments must therefore intensify cooperation to ensure a decent access to internet and digital services in key areas such as healthcare, education, public services, social inclusion. This was one of the main messages that emerged from the meeting of the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 8 July.  

​With the New European Innovation Agenda , the European Commission wants to position Europe as a leading player on the global innovation scene, capable to develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges. The European Committee of the Regions welcomes that the communication published on 5 July puts an important focus on closing the innovation divide between EU regions and reinforcing the links between regional smart specialization strategies, Horizon Europe and other funding mechanisms. 

​With antisemitism worryingly on the rise in Europe and beyond, the European Union is beginning to implement the first ever EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. EU regions and cities have a crucial role in protecting and promoting Jewish cultural heritage as a vital part of Europe's culture and way of life. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 29 June welcomed the increasing attention paid to local and regional government in the European Union's enlargement process, but added that the European Commission should now go further by focusing on encouraging national governments to cooperate more with regional and local governments. The recommendations are contained in the Committee's response to the European Commission's 2021 reports on reforms made by countries wishing to join the European Union.  

One of the Czech Republic's top priority during its six months in the chair of the Council of the European Union will be to cope with the influx of displaced Ukrainians forced to flee because of Russia's invasion, Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bartoš told the European Committee of the Regions on 30 June. He also pledged to try to make it easier for regions and cities to secure EU funding for the support of refugees and speed up the transition towards safe and sustainable energy. 

Local and regional leaders adopted a resolution on the outcome and follow-up of the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFE) at their Plenary session. They call for the swift follow-up and implementation of the recommendations expressed in the report in order to meet citizens' expectations and they consider that an ambitious reform of the functioning of the EU to meet the challenges ahead requires Treaty revisions. A future Convention should fully involve members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) to represent the voices of the over 1 million regionally and locally elected politicians in Europe, in order also to strengthen the local and regional dimensions of EU policies. 

On Thursday, the European assembly of local and regional representatives adopted a series of recommendations on the new proposal for a European directive on the energy performance of buildings. The rapporteur for the opinion is André Viola, representative of Aude Departmental Council. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a cornerstone of the Fit for 55 package, which aims to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. 

At the request of the Council of the European Union, the EU's assembly of cities and regions has adopted an opinion on the environmental imperatives and social acceptability of the ecological transition. The European Committee of the Regions has greenlighted the proposals of the rapporteur Hanna Zdanowska (PL/EPP), Mayor of Lodz, which puts forward a series of economic and social measures to ensure that the European Green Deal – the EU's sustainable growth strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050, is grounded in a strong social acceptability and leaves no citizen, territory nor business behind. 

On Thursday, the European assembly of regional and local representatives adopted a series of recommendations to support the implementation of green budgets at local and regional level. The recommendations were prepared at the request of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union. The rapporteur for the opinion is Vincent Chauvet (FR/Renew Europe), Mayor of Autun and member of the Green Deal working group of the European Committee of the Regions. The Committee calls on the European Commission and the Member States to exempt green investments from the regional public deficit calculation and to establish effective, participatory and transparent green budgeting, with a clear methodology linked to specific environmental performance indicators. 

V nadväznosti na prijatie všeobecného smerovania Rady ku kľúčovým spisom balíka Fit for 55 prijal Európsky výbor regiónov štyri stanoviská, ktoré sa priamo týkajú úlohy miest a regiónov pri napĺňaní Európskej zelenej dohody ako stratégie rastu EÚ na dosiahnutie klimatickej neutrality do roku 2050. Pozornosť sa v nich venuje viacerým témam počnúc hospodárskymi a finančnými opatreniami, či zvýšením miestnych zelených rozpočtov až po vykonávanie smernice o energetickej hospodárnosti budov a potrebu vypracovať sociálne opatrenia na ochranu najzraniteľnejších osôb a posilniť úlohu občanov v zelenej transformácii. 

Európsky výbor regiónov (VR) vytvoril Alianciu regiónov s automobilovým priemyslom ako politickú sieť regiónov, ktoré sa angažujú v záujme úspešnej transformácie európskeho automobilového a dodávateľského odvetvia. Cieľom aliancie je začleniť regionálnu perspektívu do prebiehajúcich diskusií o dekarbonizácii dopravy EÚ a zároveň zabezpečiť pracovné miesta, konkurencieschopnosť a hospodársku a sociálnu súdržnosť na všetkých európskych územiach ovplyvnených transformáciou. Obrat automobilového priemyslu dosahuje vyše 7 % HDP EÚ, pričom je v tomto sektore zamestnaných viac ako 14 miliónov Európanov, čo predstavuje 6,1 % celkovej zamestnanosti v EÚ. Úvodné podujatie sa uskutočnilo počas plenárneho zasadnutia VR 30. júna a je východiskovým bodom pre ďalšie činnosti aliancie, ktorú doteraz tvorí 20 regiónov so silným automobilovým a dodávateľským odvetvím zo siedmich členských štátov: Rakúsko, Francúzsko, Nemecko, Taliansko, Slovensko, Španielsko a Holandsko. Aliancia je otvorená pre ktorýkoľvek nový región, ktorý sa k tejto novej sieti chce pripojiť. 

Európsky výbor regiónov a združenia zastupujúce európske mestá, obce a regióny spustili 30. júna Európsku alianciu miest a regiónov pre obnovu Ukrajiny s cieľom pomôcť ukrajinským miestnym a regionálnym samosprávam pri obnove domov, škôl, infraštruktúry a služieb, ktoré Rusko zničilo od začiatku invázie 24. februára. Aliancia vznikla len sedem dní po rozhodnutí členských štátov EÚ udeliť Ukrajine štatút kandidátskej krajiny. Ukrajinský minister pre komunity a územný rozvoj alianciu uvítal a označil ju za potenciálny „základ európskej integrácie našej krajiny“. 

Barcelona (Spain), Penela Municipality (Portugal) and West Pomerania Region (Poland) have been named European Entrepreneurial Regions (EER) for 2023. The three European territories have been awarded this excellence label by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) for their outstanding entrepreneurial and intelligent growth strategies while taking into account societal challenges. The 2023 edition of the EER revolves around the lead theme "Entrepreneurship and resilient communities".  

The Arctic can provide Europe with knowledge, products, resources and energy which are crucial for achieving the EU's climate goals. At its plenary session on 29 June, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion drafted by Mirja Vehkaperä (FI/Renew Europe), Chair of Oulu City Board, underlining that EU funding must support the Arctic's potential as a driver of green growth and the digital transition in the EU, while striking a balance with protecting the Arctic nature and fighting climate change. 

Členovia Európskeho výboru regiónov (VR) zvolili Vasca Alvesa Cordeira za svojho nového predsedu na nasledujúce dvaapolročné obdobie. Poslanec regionálneho parlamentu Azorských ostrovov bude viesť zhromaždenie EÚ združujúce regionálnych a miestnych zástupcov, pričom sa zameria na posilnenie demokracie, obranu politiky súdržnosti, dosiahnutie cieľov Európskej zelenej dohody a posilnenie regionálnej podpory pre Ukrajinu. Členovia VR si tiež za nového prvého podpredsedu zvolili Apostolosa Tzitzikostasa, predsedu regiónu Stredné Macedónsko v Grécku. 

Today, in a ceremony at the European Committee of the Regions premises in the presence of Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, outgoing President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), donated an olive tree to praise democracy and peace as European fundamental values and as a symbol of commitment to a greener future.  

EU cities and regions call on the European Commission to strengthen the criteria for defining the employment status of digital platform workers in order to improve their working conditions. In an opinion drafted by Yonnec Polet (BE/PES), First Deputy Mayor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, the European Committee of the Regions also voices its concern about the use of algorithms and stresses that workers must always have the right to a decision taken by a human manager or supervisor. The opinion was adopted by the plenary session on 29 June. 

​​​Members of the European Committee of the Regions, members of the European Parliament, citizens' consultations experts and citizens draft a checklist to be used for future citizens' consultations. 

​​The European Union's response to the refugee crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows that it "can learn lessons", the president of the European Committee of the Regions said at a conference on 24 June, going on to call for the EU to reform the its asylum and migration system "to have more justice in the distribution of responsibilities". Such reforms would, he said, also respond to the opinion of EU citizens, articulated in recommendations that recently emerged from the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

​The European Committee of the Regions will at its plenary on 29-30 June elect a new president for the second half of the Committee's 2020-25 mandate, to replace Apostolos Tzitzikostas. The current First Vice-President Vasco Alves Cordeiro is standing for the presidency. The newly-elected president will over the following two days launch a European alliance of cities and regions for the reconstruction of Ukraine, welcome a bottom-up alliance to support regions with a strong automotive industry as they move away from the combustion engine, and honour the three winners of this year's European Entrepreneurial Regions Awards. 

The Knowledge Exchange Platform, a joint initiative of the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission, held its first meeting of 2022 on 22 June with the topic of Building Synergies for Successful Green and Digital Transitions. 

The European Committee of the Regions expresses its full and unequivocal support to the decision taken today by the EU Heads of State and Government to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine and to the Republic of Moldova. This important signal of political support will encourage our Ukrainian and Moldovan partners to advance on the way of democracy, the rule of law, and ability to provide a safe future for their citizens. 

​As the European Year of Youth 2022 is soon reaching the halfway mark, debates at the CoR's SEDEC Commission meeting on 21 June focused around youth policy. Mainstreaming the youth dimension across EU policies, improving the young people's participation in democratic life and promoting the social inclusion of vulnerable young people into the educational system are among the key elements of an upcoming opinion which will be prepared by Tine Radinja (SI/The Greens), Mayor of Škofja Loka. 

Oceňujeme výsledky Konferencie o budúcnosti Európy, a najmä návrh vytvoriť systém miestnych zástupcov EÚ ako prostriedok, ktorý by mohol pomôcť priblížiť Európu k občanom v jej regiónoch, mestách a obciach a zlepšiť európsku demokraciu. 

​​On the 21st and 22nd of June 2022,EU40 - the Network of Young MEPs &, MEPs Kympouropoulos (EL-EPP), Peter-Hansen (DK-G/EFA), Vedrenne (FR-RE), and Moretti (IT-S&D), will host a two-day in-person conference of young elected politicians from right across the European Union. The initiative, which falls under the high patronage of the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), is also actively supported by the CoRYoung Elected Politicians Programme (YEPs) and the European Local Leaders Group (ELL). European Commission Vice-President, Mr. Margaritis Schinas, will open the conference. 

On 15-16 June, over 450 participants representing EU, national, and regional policy makers along with local authorities, social and economic stakeholders gathered for the first Rural Pact conference . They agreed on the governance of the Rural Pact and committed to achieving the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas . Over these two days, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) together with other participants and members of the Rural Pact community started making commitments to make the EU’s rural areas stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous by 2040. As the institution that represents the million or more local and regional politicians across the EU, the CoR is a key player in ensuring that the long-term vision becomes a reality, demonstrating that cohesion is a fundamental value of the European Union.