Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, has been elected chair of the European Committee of the Regions' Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) , in charge of the European Green Deal including energy and climate policies, biodiversity, circular economy and zero pollution. His mandate will last for two and a half years. Mayor Trzaskowski will also chair the Green Deal Going Local Working Group, leading the CoR's efforts to place cities and regions at the heart of the EU's transition towards climate neutrality.  

 

Българката Таня Христова (BG/ЕНП) беше избрана днес за председател на Комисията по социална политика, образование, заетост, научни изследвания и култура (SEDEC) на Европейския комитет на регионите. Кметът на Габрово ще председателства работата на комисия SEDEC в продължение на две години и половина — през втората половина от настоящия петгодишен мандат на Комитета. В новата си роля г-жа Христова ще ръководи работата на регионите и градовете в ЕС по широк кръг от теми, включително политиката за заетостта и социалната политика, образованието и обучението, културата, равенството и политиката за младежта, както и научните изследвания, иновациите и изкуствения интелект. 

Local and regional politicians from across the political spectrum have voiced preliminary support for a fast-tracked set of recommendations intended to ensure that the regions and cities of the European Union can become deeply and effectively involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine. The rapporteur, Mayor of Florence Daria Nardella , said that "rebuilding is a re-birth" for Ukraine and that the EU's local and regional authorities "should be proud" to help this re-birth, a process that would include a sharp focus on helping Ukraine's transition to a greener and more sustainable economy. 

Rental and housing markets in European cities and regions have significantly come under pressure since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Members of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget ( COTER ) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) call for increased support for European regions and cities on the frontline of the refugee income to ensure the long-term integration through affordable and accessible housing to all citizens.  

​Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca and former Prime Minister of Romania, was elected chair of the European Committee of the Regions' commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER). His mandate will last two and a half years. 

Enzo Bianco (IT/PES) was elected chair of the European Committee of the Regions' Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) at the commission´s meeting on 28 September. Mr Bianco, a member of the Catania Municipal Council, will chair the CIVEX commission work for 2.5 years, the second half of the CoR's current five-year mandate. 

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".  

Европейският комитет на регионите (КР) публикува първия Наръчник за Зеления пакт с акцент върху адаптирането към изменението на климата. Наръчникът представлява интерактивен инструментариум, който предоставя информация относно финансовата помощ и техническите инструменти за прилагането на мерки за адаптиране към изменението на климата в зависимост от различните географски райони и регионални особености. Целта е МРВ да разполагат с набор от инструменти и препоръки за по-добро адаптиране към изменението на климата, свеждане до минимум на уязвимостите и изграждане на издръжливост с цел намаляване на рисковете от бедствия, както и на загубите и щетите.Всяка държава — членка на ЕС, разполага със свой наръчник. 

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

Европейският комитет на регионите предлага пълната си и категорична подкрепа на украинските градове и региони, заяви неговият председател Вашку Кордейру на 16 септември, подчертавайки, че регионите и градовете в ЕС ще продължат да подкрепят украинските местни и регионални власти в дългосрочен план. 

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. 

Европейският комитет на регионите (КР) отправя нов призив към своите членове и заместниците им, участниците в програмата „Млади политици на изборна длъжност“ членовете на Мрежата на КР на регионалните и местните съветници по въпросите на ЕС за събиране и популяризиране на нисковъглеродни и устойчиви проекти, както и ангажименти в областта на климата за намаляване на емисиите на парникови газове от местните и регионалните власти в целия ЕС. Ако Вашият регион или град има конкретен проект, насочен към постигането на целите на Европейския зелен пакт, или е определил цел за намаляване на емисиите на парникови газове до 2030 г. или 2050 г., тогава тази нова покана е точно за Вас. 

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. 

След като Съветът прие своите общи подходи по ключови досиета от пакета „Подготвени за цел 55“, Европейският комитет на регионите прие четири становища, пряко свързани с ролята на градовете и регионите в изпълнението на Европейския зелен пакт — стратегията за растеж на ЕС за постигане на неутралност по отношение на климата до 2050 г. От икономически и финансови мерки за увеличаване на местните екологосъобразни бюджети до прилагането на Директивата относно енергийните характеристики на сградите (ДЕХС) и необходимостта от разработване на социални мерки за защита на най-уязвимите и засилване на ролята на гражданите в екологичния преход. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has launched the Automotive Regions Alliance – a political network of regions engaged for the successful transition of the European automotive and supply industry. The Alliance aims to bring in the regional perspective into the ongoing debates on decarbonisation of EU transport while securing jobs, competitiveness and ensuring economic and social cohesion in every European territory impacted by the transition. The automotive industry reached a turnover of over 7% of the EU GDP and currently employs over 14 million Europeans, representing 6.1% of total EU employment. The launch event took place during the CoR's plenary session on 30 June and is the starting point for further actions of the Alliance, which is so far composed of 20 regions with a strong automotive and supply sector from seven Member States: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and The Netherlands. The Alliance is open to any new region to join the network. 

На 30 юни Европейският комитет на регионите и сдруженията, представляващи европейските градове и региони, стартираха Европейския алианс на градовете и регионите за възстановяване на Украйна, за да помогнат на местните и регионалните власти в Украйна да възстановят домовете, училищата, инфраструктурата и услугите, разрушени от Русия след нахлуването ѝ на 24 февруари. Алиансът, чието начало беше поставено едва седем дни след като държавите — членки на ЕС, се споразумяха да приемат Украйна като страна кандидатка, беше приветстван от украинския министър на общностите и развитието на териториите като потенциална „основа за европейската интеграция на нашата страна“. 

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. 

Членовете на Европейския комитет на регионите (КР) избраха Вашку Алвъш Кордейру за свой нов председател за следващите две години и половина. Членът на Регионалния парламент на Азорските острови ще ръководи асамблеята на представителите на регионалните и местните власти в ЕС, като акцентира върху укрепването на демокрацията, защитата на политиката на сближаване, постигането на целите на Зеления пакт на ЕС и засилването на регионалната подкрепа за Украйна. Членовете на КР избраха за първи заместник-председател Апостолос Цицикостас, управител на Централна Македония в Гърция. 

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.