Since March 2016, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has been listening to citizens from across Europe. At the heart of the exercise have been the active members of the CoR, who initiated dialogues with citizens in town halls, regional parliaments, local councils, schools and universities. In parallel, the CoR also asked “citizens to have their say on Europe” via an online survey and a mobile app, which was made available in the 24 official languages of the EU. Preliminary results of the exercise are presented in this report, which covers the period from March 2016 to March 2018.

The #CohesionAlliance is a coalition of those who believe that EU cohesion policy must continue to be a pillar of the EU’s future. The Alliance was created through cooperation between the leading European associations of cities and regions and the European Committee of the Regions. This brochure communicates Europe's added value and outlines our shared desire for an ambitious budget that matches our ambitions.

As representative of the interests of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the EU policymaking process, the CoR is actively committed to targeted simplification, drawing on the experiences of its members in the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI). Our recent opinions presented in this leaflet place the spotlight on the benefits of closer partnership between EU authorities and national, local and regional authorities and the importance of appropriate flexibility to take account of diverse local requirements.

Roadmap of activities for the period of 2018 to 2020 of the European Committee of the Regions presented in a visual timeline.

This brochure sets out the main thematic priorities for each one of the European Committee of Regions' (CoR) policy commissions. It shows that locally the impact of EU policy matters but it needs the wealth of knowledge by local and regional governments to direct it. Includes foreword from CoR President Karl-Heinz Lambertz, the four "chantiers" as identified by the President to guide the CoR, the communication priorities 2018 and quotes from the chairs of each commission.

Reflecting on Europe is a listening exercise created together with the European Committee of the Regions and its members. CoR members propose the time and the place; and citizens put the questions to CoR members and others on topics of their interest or importance. This brochure is a summary of some key figures and events held since the beginning of this listening exercise.

Across Europe and across the globe, cities and regions are showing a level of conviction on climate change that often surpasses national ambitions. In this brochure, members of the European Committee of the Regions show how they are cutting emissions – and, frequently, setting in motion a virtuous circle for their communities. Such examples underpin calls for the European Committee of the Regions for the EU to be more ambitious push in its efforts to curb climate change.

This infographic/factsheets outlines the top roles at the European Committee of the Regions, including the President, the First Vice-President, presidents of the political groups and the presidents of the commissions. This infographic is double-sided and is in English and French.

This brochure sets out the main thematic priorities for each one of the European Committee of Regions' (CoR) policy commissions. It shows that locally the impact of EU policy matters but it needs the wealth of knowledge by local and regional governments to direct it. Includes foreword from CoR President Karl-Heinz Lambertz, and quotes from the chairs of each commission.

This brochure outlines the priorities of Estonia who holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in the second half of 2017. It contains a foreword by CoR president, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, an introduction by Estonian minister for public administration, Jaak Aab, and articles on the future of the European Union, digital services at the local level, the EU's climate and energy objectives and the merger of the two Estonian local associations. There is also a list of Estonian members and opinions drafted by them.

This leaflet contains basic information on the composition and areas of responsibility for the European Committee of the Regions and includes map of the multilevel governance of the EU. With a new graphic presentation, it is targeted for all publics (CoR Members, conference participants, visitors, students, etc.).

This book is a snapshot of the plethora of activities carried out by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) Members over the past 30 months - starting with a new mandate (2015- 2020) and the election of Markku Markkula, CoR Member and Member of the Espoo city council in Finland, as President, and Karl-Heinz Lambertz, CoR Member and President of the German-speaking Community’s Parliament in Belgium, as First Vice-President, to this the half way point.

CoR event on the Future of Cohesion Policy | 18 May 2017

CoR infographic explaining what the cohesion policy is, why we need it more than ever, and how the CoR proposes to make it better.

Updated on the occasion of the new CoR visual identity, this infographic/factsheets outlines the top roles at the European Committee of the Regions, including the President, the First Vice-President, presidents of the political groups and the presidents of the commissions. This infographic is double-sided and is in English and French.

Why a white paper on rurality? The European Committee of the Regions' Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) paper comes from the perspective of local and regional authorities through an integrated approach. With forewords from NAT chair, Francina Armengol i Socias, Rapporteur and member of the CoR, Randel Länts, the brochure contains a questions and answers from the other European institutions and proposals from European and international associations.

CoR infographic explaining how important local and regional authorities are for investment, what is blocking orpreventing investment, and how the CoR proposes to tackle these challenges.

'Invest and Connect' - Proceedings of the 7th European Summit of Regions and Cities in Bratislava 8-9 July 2016

This brochure covers the priorities of the Slovak Presidency in the second half of 2016. It also contains foreword by the CoR President, Marku Markkula, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, an editorial by the Minister responsible for the Slovak EU Presidency, Ivan Korčok, conversations with the head of the Slovak delegation, Milan Belica, among others. There is also an infographic on the Slovak model of division of powers and EU funding in Latvia, a chapter on EU-funded projects and EGTC partnerships.

Edited by the Committee of the Regions at the occasion of the European Year of Citizens 2016

The joint OECD-CoR publication presents the results of a survey (March-July 2015) of sub-national governments (SNGs) in the European Union to assess the challenges linked to infrastructure investment. The detailed results with several graphs highlight the challenges in both financing and managing infrastructure investment at the sub-national level in the EU. Interestingly, results show that cuts in infrastructure investment are greater in regions and large cities than in small cities. The survey's results also show that governance challenges for infrastructure investment are prominent at the sub-national level, essentially at the planning stage. The survey’s results also highlight that many SNGs are making efforts to strengthen the governance of infrastructure investment at the sub-national level. There is potential for increased sharing of good and innovative practices in this field at the national, EU and global level.

This brochure covers the priorities of the Dutch Presidency for the first half of 2016. It contains a editorial by the CoR President, Markku Markkula, a foreword by the Dutch Minister of the Interior, Ronald Plasterk, an interview with chair and vice-chair of the Dutch delegation, a double interview with the presidents of the VNG and the IPO, and an article on the EU urban agenda. Check out the link to the web documentary on the EU urban agenda

Europe’s local and regional governments are contributing to tackling climate change with concerted action. The European Committee of the Regions supports this process and represents the local and regional levels in debates within the European Union.

The Directorate for Translation is glad to present you this brochure on local and regional government levels in the EU member states. Every Member State has a different – sometimes highly complex – government structure. With this brochure the translation service aims to give you a general overview of the local and regional government structures in EU Member States, providing the terms in 24 EU languages.

This edition of the Political Priorities 2015-2020 focuses on the top five priorities of the CoR. It contains forewords from President Markkula and the First Vice President Lambertz, messages from the five political groups and a description of the top five priorities for this term of office.

This brochure, in French, German and English, outlines the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency. It includes a description of the Luxembourg members of the CoR and provides their viewpoints on the priorities. There are also examples of some successful cross-border cooperation within the greater region, and a recipe to make pretzels.

This booklet is intended as a follow-up to the initial publication The EU funds available for Local and Regional Authorities from the Eastern Partnership Countries, issued by the European Committee of the Regions in 2012. It contains updated information on the new local and regional funds available for the EaP initiative under the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020. The booklet is divided into two main sections.

This brochure covers the priorities of the Latvian Presidency. It also contains editorial by the CoR President, an editorial with the Prime Minister of Latvia, an interview with Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Corina Creţu, conversations with the Latvian delegation, the Latvian model of decentralisation and EU funding in Latvia.

Produced at the beginning of the new mandate, this infographic/factsheets briefly outlines the top roles at the European Committee of the Regions, including the President, the First Vice-President, presidents of the political groups and the presidents of the commissions. This infographic is double-sided and is in English and French.

This year, the CoR will be joining, as observer, the EU delegation to the UNFCCC's COP20. This brochure outlines the position of the CoR as the voice of European local and regional governments in the EU and shares a number of EU best practices including two lighthouse initiatives of the EU. There are also forewords from CoR President, Michel Lebrun, EU Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete, Member of the European Parliament, Giovanni La Vie, and Climate Alliance President Joachim Lorenz.

This brochure is the result of fruitful cooperation between the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the Committee of the Regions over recent years towards the practical implementation of fundamental rights at all levels of governance. It aims to provide local and regional officials with a framework for understanding more about fundamental rights and applying them when making decisions and completing their regular tasks and activities.

The mid-term review of the Europe 2020 Strategy was launched by the European Commission in March 2014 with the aim to collect ideas to guarantee more effectiveness to the strategy in the years 2015-2020. The results are expected to be delivered before the 2015 Spring European Council. In this regard, the Committee of the Regions publishes The Blueprint Europe 2020, based on its local and regional expertise, to contribute to the achievement of the Strategy.

Largely based on two documents, CoR Outlook Opinion "Multilevel governance in promoting the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and implementing the international Aichi Targets" and the study "Multilevel-governance of our natural capital", this publication outlines the role of multi-level governance and the work of the CoR in regards to biodiversity, including its main recommendations. There are also a number of best practise cases to consult.

This brochure covers the priorities of the Italian Presidency, some key activities of the CoR, a dialogue among Italian associations of local and regional authorities and a chapter on a new model of territorial organisation in Italy.

Report on the Future of the Committee of the Regions: 50 Recommendations

Key successes 2012/2013

This brochure covers the priorities of the Italian Presidency and presents the key activities of the Committee of the Regions and its Greek Members. There is also a chapter on the Hellenic model of decentralisation.

Credible, growing and open Europe. The Committee of the Regions and the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

This handbook contains information about Europe 2020 and its policy cycle, how other local and regional authorities have developed their Europe 2020 agenda, and EU policy and financial tools to boost smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

This Political Priorities 2012-2015 brochure focuses on the top five priorities of the Valcárcel Presidency. It also contains forewords from the President and the First Vice President, messages from the five political groups and a description of the CoR.

Regions and cities supporting growth and jobs

The Committee of the Regions and the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Your event at the Committee of the Regions - A practical guide for event organisers

This brochure provides a brief history of cohesion policy, the European Commission's proposal of October 2011, and the Committee's contribution to the debate.