Our planet is running out of resources. With global consumption expected to double in the next decades and without signs of global warming decreasing anytime soon, there is an urgent need to decouple economic growth from resource use by manufacturing products that are durable, reusable and reparable. Boosting circularity will help the environment, but will also be pivotal to the post COVID-19 economic recovery. With an upcoming opinion by Tjisse STELPSTRA (NL/ECR), regional minister of the Province of Drenthe, the CoR aims at strengthening the local and regional pillar of the new Circular Economy Action plan to place cities and regions at its core. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has substantial repercussions on the European economies. The ECON Commission of the European Committee of the Regions prepares regular economic bulletins on recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different economic response measures planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level. 

​​​CoR NAT Commission Bulletin​: Updates on the COVID-19 crisis from Committee of the Regions' Commission for natural resources, with focus on health, food production and disaster response, from and for the European regions.  

The call for partners of the European Week of Regions and Cities remains open. The organizers have extended the application deadline until 17 April 2020. The #EURegionsWeek 2020 will offer a timely occasion to debate on the challenges the worldwide pandemic paused to our European ways of living including the solutions for a European recovery. The digital dimension of the event will be reinforced. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has substantial repercussions on the European economies. The SEDEC Commission of the European Committee of the Regions prepares regular bulletins on recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-cultural impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different response measures planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level. 

How are cities and regions across Europe reaching out out to migrants and refugees and what other measures are being taken? Please share your good practices by sending us an e-mail to: integration@cor.europa.eu 

The political groups in the European Committee of the Regions have collected many of the examples of the challenges faced by their members, and their responses, as well as ideas about how the EU could help them. 

Members can also share their experiences directly via the European Committee of the Regions and its COVID-19 Exchange Platform. Please write to covid19@cor.europa.eu. A thanks to all those who have provided input, including First Vice-President Vasco Cordeiro, Governor of the Azores and a range of national associations. The following is a sample of the responses so far.  

Statement of the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, on the measures proposed by the European Commission on 02/04/2020 

The European Union's formal decision on 25 March to start accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania has been welcomed as "the right decision for the EU and an excellent opportunity for the Western Balkans". 

The European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions will take part in the worldwide Earth Hour initiative over the last weekend of March. The lights in their buildings will be switched off from 10 p.m. on Friday 27 March to 6 a.m. on Monday 30 March.  

Το αυτοματοποιημένο εργαλείο eTranslation της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής είναι πλέον διαθέσιμο σε όλες τις ευρωπαϊκές μικρές και μεσαίες επιχειρήσεις (ΜΜΕ). 

​An exchange platform will help sharing needs and solutions, will enhance mutual support and act as a feedback mechanism to enable a reality check of the EU measures from the local and regional angle. The CoR will provide local communities with regular and practical information about EU actions. 

Every day across Europe, thousands local and regional leaders are leading the battle to limit the spread of the virus and manage its impact on the ground. As President of the European Committee of the Regions, and as Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia, I can see the professionalism, the dedication and the courage of all those who are leading the battle against COVID-19. We are mobilising our communities to protect the weakest citizens and ensure as much continuity as possible to our economies. ​ 

​All local and regional leaders are working together with EU and national authorities to fight the #CoronaVirus and help all the citizens of the EU. ​​Here are somes messages from young local leaders around Europe.  

​In this brand new podcast​, powered by Interact, you’ll hear how the Interreg community works with everyone from fisherman to farmers, city planners to entrepreneurs, forging stronger bonds across borders, tackling pressing issues such as climate change and investing in young Europeans. Join us on our journey across this great continent.  

The deadline for submitting applications to become partners of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2020 was extended until 17 April. 

Απέναντι στην επιδημία του κορονοϊού, τα θεσμικά όργανα, τα κράτη μέλη και οι περιφερειακές και οι τοπικές αρχές της ΕΕ αξιολογούν την κατάσταση σε καθημερινή βάση και προβαίνουν τόσο σε άμεσες δράσεις όσο και σε μεσοπρόθεσμες προτάσεις για την αντιστάθμιση των επιπτώσεων της κρίσης. 

Λόγω της επιδημίας του κορονοϊού, η σύνοδος ολομέλειας της ΕτΠ της 25ης και 26ης Μαρτίου αναβάλλεται για μεταγενέστερη ημερομηνία, όπως και όλες οι άλλες συνεδριάσεις και δραστηριότητες των επιτροπών και των λοιπών οργάνων της ΕτΠ, έως και τις 4 Μαΐου 2020. 

Following the measures introduced in many EU countries in relation to the Covid-19 epidemic outbreak, the secretariat of the European Entrepreneurial Region secretariat has decided to extend the deadline for applications for the EER 2021 award to 15 April by midnight. 

«Κατόπιν ενδελεχούς διαβούλευσης, αποφάσισα να αναβάλω την προγραμματισμένη για τις 25 και 26 Μαρτίου σύνοδο ολομέλειας της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής των Περιφερειών, ως συμβολή στις προσπάθειες για την πρόληψη και την αναχαίτιση της περαιτέρω εξάπλωσης της πανδημίας του κορωνοϊού. Η συγκεκριμένη επιλογή αντικατοπτρίζει τα μέτρα που έχουν ήδη τεθεί σε εφαρμογή από πολλές τοπικές, περιφερειακές, εθνικές και ενωσιακές αρχές. Η απόφαση αυτή έχει ήδη κοινοποιηθεί σε όλα τα μέλη της ΕτΠ, στο προσωπικό της και στα άλλα θεσμικά όργανα και τους εταίρους της ΕΕ, με το σύνολο των οποίων βρισκόμαστε σε στενή επαφή. 

​​In October 2019, the CoR adopted an opinion on the Socioeconomic structural change in Europe's coal regions. As follow up to this work, the ECON secretariat conducted a survey among European coal regions in transition, to gather their feedback on state aid rules, and on the need to better address the challenges they face at local and regional level.  

​Today we celebrate the International Women's Day, in the spirit of United Nations #GenerationEquality campaign, to drive actions that create the gender-equal world we all deserve. Gender inequality isn't only a women's issue, but a societal and economic one – as it is essential for democracy, and for economies and communities to thrive. 

The President of the European Committee of the Regions has called on the EU to set out a 5-year action plan to ensure all regions and cities are supported in achieving climate neutrality. President Apostolos Tzitzikostas said that monitoring, investment and support in the short-term at regional level were necessary to ensure Europe is on track to deliver its Climate Law, just unveiled by the European Commission, which would legally commit the EU to being climate-neutral by 2050. 

Η επιτροπή ΝΑΤ της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής των Περιφερειών ξεκίνησε τη νέα της θητεία εξετάζοντας με την Παγκόσμια Οργάνωση Υγείας το ζήτημα του κορωναϊού και του αντικτύπου του στις τοπικές κοινότητες. Κατά τη συνεδρίαση της 5ης Μαρτίου, τα μέλη υιοθέτησαν επίσης γνωμοδότηση σχετικά με τη δασοκομία και συζήτησαν σχετικά με τη διασυνοριακή υγειονομική περίθαλψη, τον βιώσιμο τουρισμό και την πολιτική για τα τρόφιμα. Η αγροτική ανάπτυξη, η κοινή γεωργική πολιτική (ΚΓΠ), η αλιεία, η δασοκομία, η παραγωγή τροφίμων και η δημόσια υγεία συγκαταλέγονται στα κύρια θέματα της ημερήσιας διάταξης της επιτροπής «Φυσικοί πόροι» (ΝΑΤ) για τη νέα αυτή εντολή. 

​Ms. Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth and Mr. Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and member of the Committee of the Regions, participated in a Citizens’ Dialogue on “Horizon Europe – challenges and perspectives”. 

​​Statement of Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the Committee of the regions, following the meeting with David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament. 

On 3 March, two topics marked the agenda of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) of the European Committee of the Regions. First, the Committee's recommendations on the Just Transition Fund that is to assist carbon-intense regions in their path towards climate-neutrality. Second, the renewal of the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities, the multi-level governance model that needs to drive – and boost, sustainable urban development for the decades to come. Members of the European Parliament joined the afternoon session to debate on how to decarbonise the transport sector as a key factor to reach the objectives of the European Green Deal. 

The deadline to apply online to become a partner of the #EURegionsWeek 2020 is 27 March. 

Η μεταναστευτική κρίση στην ημερήσια διάταξη της συνόδου ολομέλειας της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής των Περιφερειών Δήλωση του Προέδρου της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής των Περιφερειών Απόστολου Τζιτζικώστα