Last month, the European Commission launched its Big Buyers for Climate and Environment (BBCE) initiative, which aims to promote cooperation between big public buyers in implementing strategic public procurement for sustainable solutions. Regions and cities can join this initiative to share knowledge and develop new products and services leveraging their buying power.  

The #CohesionAlliance partners met online on 26 November to discuss the current state of the trilogue negotiations of the cohesion policy package with representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the German Council Presidency. The partner organisations representing cities, regions and regional assemblies voiced their concern about macroeconomic conditionality, the risk of centralisation and the full implementation of cohesion and REACT EU programmes over the upcoming years and urged for cohesion as a fundamental value. 

​The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Parliament Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas (RUMRA)&smart villages intergroup at the European Parliament with the supports of the International Association Rurality-Environment-Development (R.E.D) and Euromontana have organised a conference in Brussels on 27 November to talk about the specific needs of rural areas post-2020. 

ARLEM at 5th UfM Regional Forum. On 27 November 2020, ARLEM co-chair Musa Hadid, Mayor of Ramallah (Palestine), addressed the co-presidency of the Union for the Mediterranean and ministers of foreign affairs at the UfM Fifth Regional Forum – Building a stronger Mediterranean.  

Kommissionen indkalder forslag til arrangementer til det officielle program for det europæiske år for jernbanetransport 2021. Første runde af forslag skal være indsendt senest den 11. december 2020. 

På det første plenarmøde i Fit for Future (F4F)-platformen , der blev ledet af Kommissionens næstformand med ansvar for interinstitutionelle forbindelser og fremsyn Maroš Šefčovič deltog tre RU-medlemmer, Mark Speich (DE/EPP), Anne Karjalainen (FI/PSE) og Ulrika Landergren (SE/RE). F4F-platformen er det vigtigste redskab for Kommissionens dagsorden for bedre regulering , der har til formål at mindske unødvendige administrative byrder for borgere og virksomheder og bidrage til at gøre EU-lovgivningen fremtidssikret, mere digital og bedre egnet til at tackle fremtidige udfordringer. De lokale og regionale myndigheder er det myndighedsniveau, der er tættest på borgerne, og er repræsenteret på møderne i F4F-platformen i de tidlige faser af udformningen og evalueringen af EU-lovgivningen. Det er et af resultaterne af RU's arbejde i taskforcen om nærhedsprincippet og proportionalitetsprincippet . 

The members of the commission for territorial cohesion and EU budget (COTER) discussed the future of cross-border cooperation including their participation in the Cross Border Citizens' Alliance and adopted the draft opinion on cross-border public services prepared by rapporteur Pavel Branda (ECR/CZ). During their meeting members agreed that a minimum of cross-border cooperation needs to be guaranteed in times of crisis. 

Climate change is having wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems, economic sectors, human health and well-being in Europe. From 1980 to 2016, the total reported economic losses caused by weather and other climate-related extremes in Europe amounted to over EUR 436 billion, according to the European Commission. In this interview, Markku Markkula (FI/EPP) answers four questions on climate adaptation. The Chair of Espoo City Board and President of the Helsinki Region is the rapporteur of a draft opinion on climate adaptation to be adopted at the next plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions on 8, 9 and 10 December 2020. 

Onsdag den 25. november er den internationale dag for afskaffelse af vold mod kvinder . I den forbindelse har Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg (RU) gentaget sin opfordring til at vedtage lovgivningsmæssige foranstaltninger på EU-plan for at forebygge og bekæmpe alle former for vold mod kvinder og piger. Ifølge FN's database havde 48 lande i september 2020 integreret foranstaltninger til forebyggelse og bekæmpelse af vold mod kvinder og piger i deres covid-19-beredskabsplaner, og 121 lande havde vedtaget foranstaltninger for at styrke tjenesterne for kvinder, der har været ofre for vold under denne globale krise. 

The European Committee of the Regions has given its preliminary backing to a set of recommendations aimed at ensuring that the European Union embraces agro-ecological principles and techniques in its efforts to reduce agriculture's contribution to climate change, secure the EU's food supplies, and support rural communities. 

For at styrke Europas videnbase på lokalt og regionalt plan og støtte genopretningen efter covid-19-krisen vil Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg (RU) styrke sit samarbejde med Kommissionens tjenestegrene inden for forskning og innovation, uddannelse og kultur. En ny handlingsplan undertegnet af de to institutioner skal give regionerne og byerne de seneste data og den nyeste viden og hjælpe dem med at tage hånd om innovationskløften og hjerneflugten, bekæmpe uligheder på uddannelsesområdet og opfylde EU's politiske målsætninger, såsom den grønne pagt. 

​​​The current EU budget and recovery plan impasse, the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the cohesion policy package 2021-2027 and the need to establish cohesion as a fundamental value for rural areas are keeping the demands of the #CohesionAlliance relevant. It is time for another push! 

Now Published : EUR37.2m Call for Proposals to fund transnational projects. Deadline: February 16, 2021 

​The European Commission started a public consultation in October​. The goal is to aid economic recovery and tackle climate change, by promoting sustainable products and services – e.g. marine renewable energy – that preserve the marine environment and maintain ocean health.​ ​The online feedback form is open and the EC shows real interest in input from LRAs.​ It will result in a communication planned for 2021.​ ​​​NAT commission invites Members and stakeholders to take part in the initiative. 

Med over 11 millioner smittede og mere end 270.000 døde i Europa har pandemien understreget, at alle myndigheder på regionalt, lokalt og andre mellemliggende niveauer spiller en helt afgørende rolle i leveringen af offentlige tjenester så tæt som muligt på borgerne. De administrerer alle de nødvendige sundhedsmæssige tiltag på lokalt niveau som f.eks. karantæneforanstaltninger og kontaktopsporing. 

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the socio-economic crisis it has engendered have a strong territorial dimension with a profound impact on subnational governments. To better understand and assess it, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the CoR joined forces to carry out an online survey on "The impact of COVID-19 on regional and local governments: governance, finance and recovery plans". It gathered 300 responses from representatives of regional, intermediate, and municipal governments in 24 Member States of the EU.  

Covid-19-pandemien har store konsekvenser for de europæiske økonomier. ECON underudvalget i Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg udarbejder regelmæssige økonomiske nyhedsbreve om den seneste forskning, artikler og drøftelser om de socioøkonomiske konsekvenser af pandemien i Europa og om de forskellige økonomiske foranstaltninger, der er planlagt og gennemført i EU samt på nationalt, regionalt og lokalt plan. 

ARLEM welcomes the launch of a set of indicators to assess progress of gender equality in the Mediterranean region. The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) welcomed the launch at the UfM Conference Women for the Mediterranean of the UfM Institutional Ministerial follow-up mechanism and its indicators, adopted this year by the UfM Member States, that will allow to monitor and measure for the coming years gender equality progress in the region. 

​Montenegro will need the strong support of the European Union to cope with major economic and political changes and to ensure that it becomes a member of the EU, local and regional politicians from the EU and Montenegro agreed at a meeting on 18 November. 

Against the backdrop of the second corona wave, cities and regions represented in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) back the German Presidency efforts and emphasise the urgent need for agreement on the next EU long-term budget and the recovery funds. These funds are vital for local and regional authorities to enact measures against the impact of COVID-19 as well as to accelerate a sustainable recovery. 

Covid-19-krisen rammer i høj grad regioner og byer rundt om i Europa. Ifølge en fælles RU - OECD - undersøgelse, der blev præsenteret på ECON-underudvalgets møde i dag, forventer de fleste lokale og regionale myndigheder, at den socioøkonomiske krise vil få alvorlige konsekvenser for deres økonomier. På kort og mellemlang sigt frygter de en "sakseeffekt" i form af stigende udgifter og faldende indtægter, som kan underminere deres kapacitet til at foretage offentlige investeringer. Regionerne og byerne har stået i spidsen for håndteringen af pandemien og dens socioøkonomiske konsekvenser. 

The principle of partnership is a key feature in the programming and implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), building on the multi-level governance approach and ensuring the involvement of civil society and social partners. The Common Provisions Regulation, together with the European Code of Conduct on Partnership (ECCP), sets out the common standards for partner involvement in ESIF Partnership Agreements and programme preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In order to provide the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) with the necessary evidence it has commissioned a study on this important matter. 

On 16 November CoR member Declan McDonnell, Member of Galway City Council (IE/EA) kicked off together with other institutional representatives the European Citizens' Initiative Week organised by the European Commission. He stressed that the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) facilitates and underpins CoR's political priority of bringing Europe closer to its people. The CoR is committed to supporting ECIs which fall into its political remits and which are deemed politically relevant for local and regional authorities. Such initiatives could be discussed at the CoR Plenary sessions. They could also be integrated in the CitizEN - Citizen Engagement in the EU Network – a tool proposed by the European Committee of the Regions which aims at involving citizens in policy-making. 

Lokale og regionale politikere fra Det Forenede Kongerige mødtes for første gang med medlemmer af Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg i en kontaktgruppe, der er blevet oprettet for at sikre, at de kommunikationslinjer, der har udviklet sig i løbet af de næsten 47 år, UK har været medlem af EU, fortsat vil være åbne på regionalt og lokalt niveau, også efter 2020. Efter at Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg blev oprettet i 1994, blev udvalget det vigtigste kontaktpunkt mellem regioner og byer i UK og EU's øvrige medlemsstater. 

The European Committee of the Regions has warmly welcomed a political agreement, endorsed on 12 November by the European Parliament, that would see the European Union dedicate over €5 billion to its flagship health programme over the next seven years. Creation of the EU4Health programme was announced in May as a direct response to the coronavirus, which has now killed over 200,000 people across the EU's 27 member states. 

Udvalget roser Europa-Parlamentets bestræbelser på at sikre en større indsats fra EU's side inden for sundhedsforskning og Erasmus+, genopretningsplanernes demokratiske kontrol og nye finansielle midler til Unionen. 

Som meddelt i dag , er der indgået en politisk aftale om EU's langsigtede budget og covid - 19 - genopretningspakken mellem det tyske rådsformandskab og Europa-Parlamentets forhandlere. Byer og regioner glæder sig over aftalen, men understreger behovet for at omsætte aftalen i praksis så hurtigt som muligt, så der kan tages hånd om den hidtil usete krise, som pandemien har skabt. Aftalen blev offentliggjort samtidig med at Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs Underudvalg for Miljø, Klimaforandring og Energi (ENVE) holdt et videomøde tirsdag, den 10. november 2020. 

​Almost 700 people attending the 1st Borders Forum, organised by the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT), in partnership with the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions, along with France 24. 

On 21 October, the European Committee of the Regions, EUROCITIES, CEMR, PLATFORMA and Regions4 organised a workshop on the role of the SDGs in the crisis recovery. Estelle Göger, member of Cabinet of Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, represented the European Commission and intervened following a debate with speakers representing the diversity of local and regional authorities in the EU – regions, cities, big and small, south, north, East and West of the EU. 

The Commission for the Environment, Climate change and Energy (ENVE) has released the fourth edition of ENVOY, its bulletin.  

For snart to år siden lancerede RU pilotfasen af RegHub. Efter en positiv evaluering af RegHubs indsats lancerer RU nu hovedfasen af netværket (RegHub 2.0) og har offentliggjort en indkaldelse af nye ansøgninger om at blive en del af netværket. 

After a very busy period, the European Week of Regions and Cities (which this year spread over three weeks) has now passed. The presentation of the first EU annual Regional and Local Barometer was given, showing the diverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cities and regions in Europe, as well as the ongoing Trilogue negotiations between the EC, EP and the Council.  

The European Union and the Union for the Mediterranean should consider developing a macro-regional strategy for food security in the Mediterranean, promote an agro-ecological transition towards practices that preserve soil and agro-biodiversity, and consider introducing a 'Mediterranean products' or 'Mediterranean diet' label. 

Following the adoption of the CoR opinion on biodiversity "“Bio-diverse cities and regions beyond 2020 at the UN CBD COP 15 and in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030" by rapporteur Roby Biwer (LU/PES), the ENVE commission co-organised with ICLEI and Regions4 three events on the topic as part of the 18th EU Regions Week and the Green Week 2020. 

As it stands, the legislative proposal on the future CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) is of concern to the European Committee of the Regions rapporteur Guillaume Cros (FR/Verts), as it tends to marginalise – or even undermine – the role and autonomy of the European regions in managing this EU policy, by simply charging them with implementing measures established at national level. 

EU's strategi for ligestilling mellem kønnene bør også omhandle konsekvenserne af covid-19-pandemien, understreger Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg (RU) i en udtalelse , som blev vedtaget på udvalgets plenarforsamling den 14. oktober. De lokale og regionale myndigheder skal inddrages i forvaltningen af EU's strategi Et EU med ligestilling: strategi for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder 2020-2025 , da de med deres specifikke kompetencer spiller en afgørende rolle og kan være vigtige nøgleaktører, når det gælder om at sikre ligestilling mellem kønnene, siger RU. 

Mens landene i hele Europa oplever en genopblussen af covid-19-tilfælde, samarbejder EU's byer og regioner løbende om at gøre den grønne pagt til kernen i genopretningen. Direkte adgang til EU-midler med henblik på at gennemføre den grønne pagt og en retfærdig omstilling på lokalt plan er fortsat en topprioritet for de lokale og regionale myndigheder i hele EU. 

Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA) svarer i dette interview på fem spørgsmål om konsekvenserne af klimaforandringerne i byer og regioner og om den europæiske grønne pagts rolle, når det gælder om at håndtere den globale opvarmning og samtidig lede omstillingen til et mere bæredygtigt og modstandsdygtigt samfund. Andries Gryffroy, som er medlem af det flamske parlament, efterlyser en europæisk regional resultattavle for at følge byernes og regionernes klimaindsats og vurdere virkningerne. Det er et af hovedforslagene i hans udtalelse Konsekvenserne af klimaforandringerne for regionerne: en vurdering af den europæiske grønne pagt , der forventes vedtaget på Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs plenarforsamling i december. 

Speaking at the Congress of the Regions of France, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, president of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), called for the regions to be brought into the governance of the EU recovery plan in order to act effectively against the coronavirus pandemic and urgently speed up the economic recovery 

Under en dialog med formanden for Det Europæiske Råd påpegede RU's formand Apostolos Tzitzikostas, at adgangen til EU's budget og investeringsplaner bør være betinget af, at retsstatsprincippet overholdes fuldt ud. Dog bør regionale og lokale myndigheder ikke straffes, hvis nationale regeringer bryder reglerne. Formanden for Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg opfordrede også Europa-Parlamentet til at hjælpe med at komme ud af det dødvande, der bringer EU's genopretning i fare, ved at indgå aftale om EU's budget og genopretningsplanerne. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Entrepreneurial Regions 2020 demonstrated how the EER label could be used as a tool to stimulate an entrepreneurial and sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.  

Politiske ledere fra regioner med bilindustri (CoRAI) mødtes med EU-kommissær for budget, Johannes Hahn, medlemmer af Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs Underudvalg for Territorial Samhørighed (COTER) og repræsentanter for bilindustrien for at drøfte den rolle, som de bilproducerende regioner spiller i realiseringen af en vellykket grøn omstilling. Arrangementet fandt sted den 14. oktober i forbindelse med den europæiske uge for regioner og byer (se en optagelse fra mødet her ). 

De nationale regeringer bør blive enige om en større pakke med økonomisk støtte til sundhedssystemerne i Den Europæiske Union, udtalte Det Europæiske Regionsudvalg den 14. oktober. Opfordringen indgår i tre anbefalinger, hvori EU's regioner og byer fastlægger metoder til udbedring af de mangler i de lokale sundhedssystemer, der kom for dagens lys under covid-19-pandemien. 

EU og medlemsstaterne skal give byerne og regionerne beføjelse til at beskytte beskæftigelsen og de sociale rettigheder: Dette er Det Europæiske Regionsudvalgs opfordring, der skal modvirke de katastrofale sociale virkninger af covid-19-pandemien. Forsamlingen af EU's lokale og regionale repræsentanter opfordrer også til, at kvalifikationsgrundlaget for genopretning styrkes, og at de regionale og lokale myndigheder støttes i forvaltningen af den grønne og den digitale omstilling. 

Through an opinion drafted by János Adám Karácsony (HU/EPP), Member of Tahitótfalu Local Council, EU's local and regional governments call for measures to ensure that the ongoing Covid-19 crisis will not accelerate Europe's demographic decline. The Annual Local and Regional Barometer published by the European Committee of the Regions this week estimates that the pandemic may affect family planning and increase the brain drain from rural, peripheral and remote regions.  

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted in its October plenary an opinion on the "European Year of Rail 2021", calling for an EU-wide strategy to encourage investment and reduce disparities and gaps in rail systems. Rapporteur Jarosław Stawiarski (PL/ECR), Marshal of Lubelskie Region, will also present the CoR's suggestions in a workshop, which will bring together top representatives of the European rail sector on 20 October as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2020.  

CitizEN network would be a repository for information and sharing of best practices of national, regional and local participation initiatives from across the European Union and could be a key contribution to the Conference on the future of Europe.  

CoR's president Tzitzikostas: "Rising costs and shrinking revenues threaten regions' and cities' ability to protect people and help businesses" 

Covid-19-krisen og nedlukningerne i Europa har gjort det klart, at der mere end nogensinde før er behov for digitale infrastrukturer og løsninger. Den digitale omstilling spiller en afgørende rolle i EU's reaktion på pandemien og for den fremtidige genopretning. Der bør i særlig grad fokuseres på at forhindre voksende ulighed, og at der opstår en digital kløft. Digitale færdigheder bør udvikles. Der bør stilles passende infrastruktur og skræddersyede løsninger til rådighed, navnlig for SMV'er. En omfattende og fælles EU-tilgang til fremme af 5G-nettenes sikkerhed og robusthed er af afgørende betydning. Således lyder hovedbudskaberne i en udtalelse om digitalisering og data, som er vedtaget på RU's plenarforsamling. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that it is of utmost importance to strengthen coordination between Member States, between all levels of government and across borders. Solidarity and cooperation are crucial to overcome the current crisis and tackle any future outbreak or major disaster. Therefore, mayors and governors call for a long-term commitment to further reinforce the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its instruments. The appeal was sent by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 13 October, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.