​The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and UEFA have joined forces to improve accessibility to EU funding for sports. The two bodies highlighted the importance that EU regional investment – EU cohesion policy – plays in supporting regions deliver sports locally, and its subsequent role in promoting territorial cohesion across Europe. This message was set out in a joint declaration signed by the CoR's President Karl-Heinz Lambertz and UEFA First Vice-President Karl-Erik Nilsson during a high-level conference held in Brussels today.

In Brussels on 8 October the European Week of Regions and Cities will be opened with a debate entitled "The Future of Europe is Cohesion" led by European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) President Karl-Heinz Lambertz, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commissioner, Corinna Creţu and the European Parliament's Vice-President Pavel Telicka. The following day in the presence of the EU Parliament's President, President Lambertz will set out his vision for the future of Europe during his annual "State of the European Union: the View of Regions and Cities" address. During its plenary the CoR will also adopt its position on the EU Budget and topics such as migration, research, climate action and single-use plastics.

To mark the beginning of the European Week of Sport, taking place between 23 and 30 September, the Austrian presidency of the Council of the EU organised an international conference on the economic dimension of sport in Vienna last week. One of the speakers was Roberto Pella (IT/EPP), Vice-President of the Italian National Association of Municipalities (ANCI) and current rapporteur of the CoR opinion on Mainstreaming sport into the EU agenda post-2020.

Cities will play an important role in promoting good health in the because of increasing urbanisation. European cities are amongst the best places in the world to live and are known for their competitiveness, innovation and quality of life. Simultaneously in the urban context the rates of chronic and non-communicable diseases is on the rise due to not only genetic, physiological but also environmental and unhealthy lifestyle factors. The European Committee of the Regions highlights the critical importance of European cities in improving public health during Plenary Session on 11 May.