Local and regional leaders held today a debate with Dubravka Šuica, European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography. The members of the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) praised the role the Commission is playing in making sure that the voice of regions, cities and villages are represented in an adequate manner within the Conference. They reiterated their call to ensure that the debate on Europe's future reaches citizens through local and regional authorities, responding to their demands. 

In an opinion adopted by the plenary session today, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) welcomes the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy but warns that we are at the same time experiencing regression in respect of EU values, with some authorities continuously using anti-LGBTIQ rhetoric and even adopting discriminatory policies and legislation. The assembly of EU's regions and cities argues that European funds should not be granted to governments promoting structural discrimination mechanisms against LGBTIQ people and suggests providing more financial support to equality and diversity programmes at local level. 

Members of the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) discussed with Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira the new programming period 2021-27 and the territorial aspects of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). They asked the European Commission to ensure the full respect of the partnership principle and the multilevel governance, and to provide recommendations to Member States and relevant managing authorities to improve partnership processes. They also called on Member States to guarantee a broader territorial implementation of the RRF, and on the European Commission to guarantee that the National Recovery Plans will be built in full respect of articles 175 and 174 TFEU and prioritise less developed and transition regions, as well as the Regions most impacted by the socio-economic repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis. 

At the event "Cities fostering democracy in the European Union: Urban perspectives for the Conference on the Future of Europe", co-organised by the European Committee of the Regions, Eurocities and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), local and regional leaders set out their expectations for the Conference on the Future of Europe, and shared their experiences on strengthening local democracy. Examples of innovative participative exercises, green projects, digital services to citizens or integration of communities were discussed. The event led to the adoption of conclusions which will feed the Conference on the future of Europe. 

Ein neues EU-weites System zum Schutz geografischer Angaben für gewerbliche und handwerkliche Erzeugnisse, das sich an das erfolgreiche Modell für landwirtschaftliche Erzeugnisse und Lebensmittel anlehnt, käme sowohl Handwerkern als auch der örtlichen Wirtschaft zugute. Das neue System würde den rechtlichen Schutz von Qualitätserzeugnissen stärken, zur Bekämpfung von Nachahmungen beitragen und Arbeitsplätze schaffen und erhalten. Der Vorschlag stammt aus einer von Martine Pinville, Mitglied des Regionalrates von Nouvelle-Aquitaine, erarbeiteten Stellungnahme, die am Mittwoch, den 13. Oktober, vom Plenum des Europäischen Ausschusses der Regionen (AdR) einstimmig verabschiedet wurde. 

Janez Janša, Prime Minister of Slovenia, currently holding the Presidency of the EU Council, remotely attended the Plenary of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), discussing with regional and local authorities how to address local communities' needs. He told local and regional politicians that the top priority of his country's presidency of the Council of the European Union is to stop the pandemic and support the EU's economic recovery. Prime Minister Janša also thanked the European Committee of the Regions for excellent cooperation during the first half of the Presidency and for a great discussion in June already when State Secretary Gašper Dovžan presented the Presidency priorities to the Bureau, as well as congratulating the Committee members on their flagship "European Week of Regions and Cities" event.