Opinion Factsheet 

Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis

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Opinion Number: CDR 4155/2020
Rapporteur: SCHAUVLIEGE Joke
Commission: NAT
Status: Adopted
Date: 07/05/2021
 
The objective of this opinion is to gather the experience of the cities and regions affected by the first waves of the COVID-19 virus and highlight their strategies to cope, as well as their expectations from the national and Europeean level.

These voices will shape the CoR response to the request of the European Commission's Secretary General who asked the Committee in its letter of 2 July to come forward with the dedicated opinion providing insights into the local and regional responses to corona virus.
The opinion, requested by the Secretariat General of the European Commission, fed into the communication published by the EC in June 2021.

Beyond this immediate use, the opinion's essential points are also reflected in the range of other documents and activities.

The call to discuss the EU competence in the field of health is clearly heard and "Health" is the 2nd of nine priority areas for debate under the Conference on the Future of Europe process.

The concerns about medicine shortages and dependency on third country providers find their clear echo in the draft proposal for HERA.

The question of urban-rural divide has meanwhile been taken up by the French Presidency and will be discussed during the Marseille Summit in March 2022.

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS



 is convinced that the question of EU competences in the field of health should be discussed during the debate on the future of Europe;

 calls on the European institutions and national governments to involve local and regional authorities in the preparation of the national and EU-level Recovery and Resilience plans;

 is convinced that the EU must address medicine shortages and reduce its dependency on third countries by bringing back the production of certain medicines, critical substances, including vaccines, and protective equipment to European soil;

 calls for further measures to increase the flexibility of the EU budget, State Aid framework as well as de minimis regime;

 warns of the risk of "digital divide" and calls for policies and funding that support high digital connectivity especially in rural areas;

 asks for development of sustainable mobility linkages between rural, intermediate and urban areas;

 asks for local and regional authorities to be involved in setting up the new EU instruments, such as the Next Generation EU recovery plans and the food crisis response mechanism proposed by the Commission in the Farm to Fork Strategy.

Importance

High
Medium
Low
 

European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) 2021

The rapporteur will participate as a speaker at the EFDRR 2021 session on 'COVID-19 and Systemic Risk'. The session aims to discuss how the region can respond and recover from COVID-19, building the
resilience of those hardest hit by the pandemic, while managing other risks, including the threats of climate-related and other hazards. It will also examine the current lessons learnt, best practices and strategies identified, innovations achieved, and knowledge and experience gained in combating the pandemic and potential systemic risks.

 
25 Nov
 

EWRC Workshop "Lessons learnt for a resilient recovery and to build a better future"

The rapporteur participated as a panellist at the workshop on "Lessons learnt for a resilient recovery and to build a better future" organised jointly by UNDRR and the CoR NAT commission during European Week of Regions and Cities. The session aimed for an exchange on lessons learnt from the pandemic and take stock of measures taken so far in building up the EU's resilience in view of better preparedness for the future.

 
13 Oct
 

COTER Commission Meeting

Debate on the NAT opinion on Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis within the CIVEX Commission meeting with a presentation of draft opinion by NAT Rapporteur Joke Schauvliege

 
26 Feb
 

SEDEC Commission meeting

Debate on the NAT opinion on Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis within the SEDEC Commission meeting with a presentation of draft opinion by NAT Rapporteur Joke Schauvliege​

 
17 Feb
 

ENVE Commission Meeting

Debate on the NAT opinion on Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis within the ENVE Commission meeting with a presentation of draft opinion by NAT Rapporteur Joke Schauvliege

 
01 Feb
 

ECON Commission Meeting

Debate on the NAT opinion on Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis within the ECON Commission meeting with a presentation of draft opinion by NAT Rapporteur Joke Schauvliege

 
22 Jan
 

Stakeholder consultation

On 15 December 2020, the rapporteur and her expert hosted an online stakeholder consultation on experiences and lessons learned from COVID-19. Over 20 participants representing regions and local authorities, European associations and other relevant organisations shared their experiences and views during the interactive meeting which will provide input to the opinion.

 
15 Dec
 

CIVEX Commission Meeting

Debate on the NAT opinion on Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis within the CIVEX Commission meeting with a presentation of draft opinion by NAT Rapporteur Joke Schauvliege
​

 
04 Dec
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