The Union of Equality builds on local communities' work on the ground: this is the key message that members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) stressed today in a debate with European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli. Local and regional politicians from across Europe welcomed the inclusion of an equality perspective into all EU policies, legislation and funding programmes.

António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, and European Parliament President, David Sassoli, will attend on 5 May the CoR Plenary session to discuss social Europe and the upcoming Conference on the future of Europe. On 6 May regional and local leaders will discuss with Commissioner Helena Dalli how to strengthen a Europe of equality. On 7 May a debate on the recovery in the hotel and catering sector will take place with Jens Zimmer Christensen, President of the HOTREC Association, the umbrella association of hotels, restaurants and cafés in Europe. On 7 May Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Council, will discuss with regional and local authorities the CoR contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe, in his capacity as chairman of the High-Level Group on European Democracy recently created by the CoR.

Local and regional decision-makers, who gathered virtually together for the 7th meeting of the European Committee of the Regions' SEDEC Commission on 22 April, have backed the European Parliament's resolution that declares the entire EU a LGBTIQ Freedom Zone. They called the European Commission to ensure that the fundamental values of the European Union are observed and that no municipality, region or state introduces systemic discriminatory mechanisms, such as "LGBT-free zones" or resolutions "against LGBT ideology" like those adopted by certain local and regional authorities in Poland.

Regio’s en steden zien uit naar de presentatie van het actieplan voor de uitvoering van de Europese pijler van sociale rechten op 3 maart. Dit zou een krachtig signaal moeten geven aan de staatshoofden en regeringsleiders, die op 7 en 8 mei in Porto bijeenkomen om hun ambities op te voeren en te zorgen voor rechtvaardige transities na de COVID-19-pandemie. De leden van het Europees Comité van de Regio’s (CvdR) benadrukten een en ander in een debat met de vertegenwoordiger van het Portugese voorzitterschap van de Raad.