The members of the European Commitee of the Regions met on Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th July in the 130th plenary session.

On the first day, representatives of national associations of local and regional authorities discussed with CoR members about the Future of Europe. Ms Juliane Bogner-Strauss, Federal Minister for women, families and youth, presented the priorities of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

On the second day, Mr Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action & Energy, Mr Tomasz Chruszczow, High-Level Climate Champion of the Polish Ministry of the Environment, Mr Ashok Alexander Sridharan, President of ICLEI, and Mariusz Skiba, Deputy Mayor of Katowice, discussed with members about climate change.

Eleven opinions were on the agenda of the plenary session:

Eastern Partnership deliverables for 2020: The contribution of local and regional authorities, rapporteur Mr Sören Herbst (DE/EPP)

Action plan to support the protection of public spaces, rapporteur Mr Jean-François Barnier (FR/ALDE)

Implementation assessment of the urban agenda for the EU, rapporteur Mr Kieran McCarthy (IE/EA)

Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions, rapporteur Mr János Ádám Karácsony (HU/EPP)

Proposal for a Directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain, rapporteur Mr Jacques Blanc (FR/EPP)

The public procurement package, rapporteur Mr Adrian Ovidiu Teban (RO/EPP)

Reform proposals for the economic and monetary union, rapporteur Mr Christophe Rouillon (FR/PES)

Local and regional incentives to promote healthy and sustainable diets, rapporteur Mr Nikolaos Chiotakis (EL/EPP)

Transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union, rapporteur Ms Isolde Ries (DE/PES)

Climate governance after 2020, a European and global perspective – a contribution to the UNFCCC COP24, rapporteur Mr Andrew Varah Cooper (UK/EA)

Delivering on low-emission mobility, rapporteur Mr Michiel Scheffer (NL/ALDE)

 Associated Press Releases

Associated Press Releases

Změna klimatu – naplnění cílů Pařížské dohody vyžaduje více ambicí a novou správu

Press release06.07.2018 | Climate change policy;

Pět měsíců před jednáním OSN o klimatu na zasedání COP24 v polských Katovicích uspořádal Evropský výbor regionů (VR) debatu na vysoké úrovni o opatřeních v oblasti klimatu. Místní a regionální vedoucí představitelé ze zemí EU přijali stanovisko Správa v oblasti klimatu po roce 2020 , v němž vyjádřili svůj postoj k tomu, jak uvést Pařížskou dohodu do praxe, tj. jak postupovat ohledně souvisejícího souboru pravidel. Pokud nebudou zapojeny místní a regionální orgány, nebudou učiněné závazky v oblasti klimatu odpovídat skutečným výsledkům potřebným pro udržení nárůstu globální teploty pod 2°C. VR podporuje návrh zpravodaje Andrewa Coopera (UK/EA) na překlenutí rozdílu v emisích prostřednictvím místně stanovených příspěvků. 

Hospodářská a měnová unie musí podporovat růst a být transparentní a demokratická

Press release05.07.2018 | Economic and Monetary Union (EMU);

V rámci posílení evropské měnové unie (HMU) musí být odstraněn její současný demokratický deficit a musí být oživeny veřejné investice, jejichž objem je stále znepokojivě nízký. Toť hlavní myšlenka, již regiony a města EU vyjádřily ve stanovisku přijatém 5. července na plenárním zasedání Evropského výboru regionů (VR) – shromáždění zastupujícího místní a regionální orgány v EU. 

More transparency and predictability needed for new forms of non-standard employment

Press release05.07.2018 | Employment;

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has welcomed the proposal which should improve the transparency and predictability of working conditions across the EU for all different forms of employment contract. The opinion drafted by Isolde Ries (DE/PES), First Vice-President of the Saarland Regional Parliament, urges to pay special attention to non-standard forms of employment and to the estimated 4 to 6 million workers in the EU with on-demand and intermittent employment contracts. 

Strategic use of public procurement can help tackle global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity and ageing societies

Press release05.07.2018 | Public procurement;

​The complexity but also the potential of strategic public procurement and the need for improved administrative capacity is the centre of the opinion written by Adrian Ovidiu Teban (RO/EPP), Mayor of Cugir. The members of the European Committee of the Regions adopted the proposals on the Public Procurement Package during their plenary session on 4 July in Brussels. 

Local leaders call for mandatory European labelling system for food

Press release05.07.2018 | Food production;

How much cheese is in the cheese? Do we know what we are eating? Questions such as these – and, in particular, a wish to instil good eating habits at a young age – prompted the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 4 July to urge the creation of a mandatory European colour-coded labelling system.  

Future of Europe: European Committee of the Regions and local government associations join forces

Press release04.07.2018 | Multi-level governance and devolution;

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and local and regional government associations from across the European Union committed themselves on 4 July to working together towards a more sustainable, inclusive and innovative Europe. At the invitation of the CoR, and in cooperation with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), leaders of EU towns, cities and regions gathered in Brussels to debate the main challenges confronting them in the context of the ongoing political reflection on the Future of Europe.  

More protection for farmers targeted by unfair trading practices

Press release04.07.2018 | Agriculture;

In a series of recommendations adopted on 4 July concerning the proposal for a directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relations in the food supply chain, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) argues that the European Union must do more to safeguard farmers' incomes. The recommendations will cushion against the negative impact of the high volatility of agricultural product prices, in order to keep up agriculture throughout the EU and preserve vibrant rural communities. 

Asturias (Spain), Gelderland (Netherlands) and Thessaly (Greece) win European Entrepreneurial Region Award 2019

Press release04.07.2018 | Entrepreneurship;

​Only the regions with the most credible and promising entrepreneurial vision are awarded the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) each year, an initiative organised by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). This year the jury selected the principality of Asturias, province of Gelderland, and region of Thessaly as worthy winners for their outstanding strategies and commitment to boosting entrepreneurship within their territories. 

EU strives to improve cross-border cooperation

Press release04.07.2018 | Cross-border and territorial cooperation;

Europe's local and regional governments called on the EU today to step up its efforts to overcome the obstacles that are holding back cooperation across border regions. Members of the European Committee of the Regions – the EU's assembly of local and regional governments – argued that investing in cross-border cooperation is an investment in the future of Europe and welcomed the European Commission's recent set of proposals to improve the situation. The report presented by János Ádám Karácsony (HU/EPP) and adopted unanimously highlights the untapped potential of the European border regions and the legal, administrative, physical and cultural obstacles which still need to be overcome. Border regions reflect, the Committee argues, the diversity and richness of the European Union and can be laboratories when it comes to the resolution of problems that effect citizens' daily lives. 

The Urban Agenda for the EU must be more than a networking exercise

Press release04.07.2018 | Urban policy;

The strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of the Urban Agenda for the EU is the subject of an opinion adopted during the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 4 July in Brussels. Rapporteur and Cork city Councillor Kieran McCarthy (IE/EA) calls on the EU institutions to reaffirm their commitment to urban matters and place the process on a formal footing. He welcomes the early signs in this direction proposed in the framework for regional development and cohesion policy beyond 2020. 

Mayors in the front line in protecting public areas against terrorism

Press release04.07.2018 | Radicalisation, Terrorism and Security;

​The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) welcomes the recognition of the role of mayors in the European Action Plan to help local elected representatives protect public spaces against terrorist attacks. The CoR - the assembly of elected local and regional representatives of the European Union - calls on the European Commission to ensure the continuity of the new fund for supporting transnational projects protecting public spaces. It calls on the Member States, regions and cities to incorporate the protection of public spaces into the infrastructure investment carried out under the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund.  

Eastern Partnership needs more grassroots work

Press release04.07.2018 | Eastern Partnership;

The European Union's hopes of working more closely with countries on its eastern borders risk being undermined by inadequate funding, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) argues in a report that expresses "concern" that the European Commission has not set aside "more funding for new instruments" in its proposals for the 2021–27 budget. 

Migrace, soudržnost a klima: ‎ místní a regionální představitelé budou diskutovat o budoucnosti Evropy

Press release29.06.2018 | Cohesion policy reform;Migration, asylum and integration of migrants;Climate change policy;

Místní a regionální představitelé EU se ve dnech 4. a 5. července sejdou v Bruselu, aby zde prodiskutovali otázky, které mají pro regiony a města nejzásadnější význam. V první den plenárního zasedání se k členům Evropského výboru regionů (VR) připojí vedoucí činitelé vnitrostátních sdružení místních a regionálních orgánů a společně formulují návrhy, jak vytvořit udržitelnou, inkluzivní a inovativní Evropu. Další den pak budou evropský komisař pro opatření v oblasti klimatu a energetiku Miguel Arias Cañete, zvláštní vyslanec Polska pro problematiku změny klimatu a představitelé měst Bonn (ve kterém probíhala jednání o klimatu v rámci konference COP 23) a Katovice (v němž se bude konat konference COP 24) – s ohledem na nedávné zvýšení cílů EU v oblasti energie a klimatu stanovených pro rok 2030 – jednat o tom, jaká opatření musí EU přijmout, aby splnila své závazky plynoucí z Pařížské dohody o klimatu. Budou rovněž vyhlášeni vítězové soutěže Evropský podnikatelsky zaměřený region pro rok 2019, v jejímž rámci jsou oceňovány evropské regiony s nejúspěšnějšími podnikatelskými strategiemi. Mimoto se členové VR zaměří na dvě z nejnaléhavějších otázek z místního a regionálního hlediska, tj. migraci a regionální politiku EU, a budou se zabývat tím, co Rakousko zamýšlí uskutečnit během svého nadcházejícího půlročního předsednictví EU.