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

Klimaændringer: gennemførelse af Parisaftalen kræver større ambitioner og ny forvaltningsmodel

Press release06.07.2018 | Climate change policy;

Her fem måneder inden FN's klimaforhandlinger på COP24 i Katowice, Polen, holdt Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg (RU) en debat på højt niveau om klimaindsatsen. EU's lokale og regionale ledere vedtog en udtalelse om klimaforvaltningen efter 2020 , hvori de skitserer, hvordan Parisaftalen efter deres opfattelse skal omsættes til praksis – det såkaldte Parisregelsæt. Uden formel inddragelse af de lokale og regionale myndigheder vil der fortsat være et misforhold mellem klimatilsagnene og den indsats, der er nødvendig for at holde temperaturstigningen et godt stykke under 2° C. RU slutter op om forslaget fra ordfører Andrew Cooper (UK/EA) om at lukke emissionshullet ved hjælp af lokalt bestemte bidrag. 

Den Økonomiske og Monetære Union skal være vækstfremmende, gennemsigtig og demokratisk

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

En styrkelse af Den Europæiske Monetære Union skal bruges til at rette op på det nuværende demokratiske underskud og få sat gang i de offentlige investeringer, som fortsat ligger på et foruroligende lavt niveau. Det er det vigtigste budskab fra EU's regioner og byer i en udtalelse vedtaget den 5. juli på plenarforsamlingen i Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg (RU), som er EU's forsamling af lokale og regionale myndigheder. 

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. 

Migration, samhørighed og klima: ‎ lokale og regionale ledere diskuterer Europas fremtid

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

Lokale og regionale ledere fra EU samles i Bruxelles den 4. og 5. juli for at diskutere de emner, der betyder mest for regionerne og byerne. På plenarforsamlingens første dag får Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs (RU) medlemmer besøg af en række ledere af nationale sammenslutninger af lokale og regionale myndigheder, og sammen skal de komme med forslag til, hvordan vi kan skabe et bæredygtigt, inklusivt og innovativt Europa. Dagen efter – og altså ganske kort efter at EU har sat et mere ambitiøst energi- og klimamål for 2030 – vil EU's klima- og energikommissær Miguel Arias Cañete, Polens særlige udsending for klimaændringer og repræsentanter for Bonn (vært for COP23-klimaforhandlingerne) og Katowice (vært for COP24) lede debatten om, hvordan EU kan opfylde klimaforpligtelserne i Parisaftalen. Vinderne af den europæiske iværksætterregionspris 2019 – som er en hyldest af de regioner, der har de mest succesrige iværksætterstrategier i Europa – vil også blive afsløret. RU's medlemmer vil desuden sætte fokus på to af de mest presserende emner af lokal og regional karakter, nemlig EU's migrations- og regionalpolitik, og diskutere Østrigs planer for formandskabet for de næste seks måneder.