On the #CoRplenary agenda: local and regional leaders outline concerns and hopes for the future of Europe, debate climate and 2019 European Entrepreneurial Regions Award winners announced.
EU local and regional leaders will gather in Brussels on 4-5 July to debate the issues that matter most to regions and cities. On the first day of its plenary, members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) will be joined by leaders of national associations of local and regional authorities x to propose how to create a sustainable, inclusive and innovative Europe. The next day, and not long after the EU raised its energy and climate targets for 2030, Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU's Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Poland's Special Envoy for Climate Change and the city leaders from Bonn (host of the COP23 climate talks) and Katowice (the COP24 host) will lead discussions on what the EU must to deliver commitments made in the Paris climate accord.
The winners of the European Entrepreneurial Region Award 2019 will also be announced, celebrating those regions with the most successful entrepreneurial strategies in Europe. The CoR's members will also focus attention on two of the most pressing local and regional issues – EU migration and regional policy – and discuss Austria's plans for its forthcoming six-month EU Presidency.
Watch the plenary streamed live in all EU languages
The future of Europe: the view of local and regional governments (4 July)
As part of its reflection on the future of Europe, the CoR has invited leaders of European and national associations of local and regional authorities to debate the main challenges confronting cities, towns and regions. The plenary debate will be preceded in the morning by an event with representatives of associations of local and regional government and CoR members, with roundtables focused on developing an inclusive, sustainable and innovative European Union. The meetings are part of the ' Reflecting on Europe ' process launched in 2016, which will contribute to a report on the Future of Europe that the CoR will adopt at its 8-10 October plenary, at the request of Donald Tusk, President of the European Council. Taken together, the CoR's activities should enrich the deliberations of EU decision-makers and the European Parliament elections in 2019, by setting out the perspective of local and regional politicians.
Migration and cohesion: EU matters for local and regional authorities (4 July)
Building on the debate on the future of Europe with associations of local and regional governments, members of the CoR will share their views on migration and EU cohesion policy, as well as on other local challenges and solutions that have an EU dimension. One hour has been set aside for an exchange of views.
The Austrian EU Presidency Priorities (4 July)
Karoline Edtstadler, State Secretary within the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, will present the priorities of Austria's six-month presidency of the Council of European Union, which begins on 1 July. The CoR's plenary will be held five days after a summit of EU leaders devoted to migration, economic and monetary union, the EU's long-term budget, taxation and innovation, NATO, and the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Winners of the European Entrepreneurial Region 2019 Award (4 July)
Each year, the CoR identifies and rewards EU regions with outstanding and innovative entrepreneurial policy strategies. The prize helps them to demonstrate how entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized companies can increase the vitality and resilience of local and regional economies. The 2019 winners will be announced on 4 July, at the end of the first day of the CoR's plenary. The winners of the 2018 Award were Central Macedonia, Ile-de-France and Northern and Western Region of Ireland
The fight against climate change (5 July)
Commissioner Cañete will present the EU's global climate objectives, the implications of the EU's revised climate and energy targets, and how the EU plans to support local and regional authorities' climate action after 2020. The Mayor of Bonn and newly elected President of Local Governments for Sustainability ( ICLEI ), Ashok Alexander Sridharan , will discuss the results of the COP23 talks held in Bonn in 2017; while Mariusz Skiba , Deputy Mayor of Katowice, and Tomasz Chruszczow , Poland's Special Envoy for Climate Change, will set out hopes for COP24, which will be held in December. There is an urgent need in Katowice to turn the global climate objectives agreed by national governments in Paris in 2015 into rules and guidelines, which have major implications for municipal and regional governments.
At its plenary, the COR will adopt recommendations on " Climate governance after 2020 ", drafted by Andrew Cooper (UK/EA), member of Kirklees Council. CoR members will also adopt its opinion on " Delivering on low-emission mobility ", drafted by Michiel Scheffer (NL/ALDE) from the Province of Gelderland.
The CoR will also debate and adopt a number of opinions during its plenary:
" Reform proposals for the economic and monetary union ". Rapporteur: Christophe Rouillon (FR/PES), Mayor of Coulaines.
" Implementation assessment of the Urban Agenda for the EU ". Rapporteur: Kieran McCarthy (IE/EA) of Cork City Council.
" Transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union ". Rapporteur: Isolde Ries (DE/PES) of the Saarland Regional Parliament.
" Action Plan to support the protection of public spaces ". Rapporteur: Jean-François Barnier (FR/ALDE), Mayor of Chambon-Feugerolles.
" Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions ". Rapporteur: János Ádám Karácsony (HU/EPP), representing the community of Tahitótfalu.
" The public procurement package ". Rapporteur: Adrian Ovidiu Teban (RO/EPP), Mayor of Cugir.
" Local and regional incentives to promote healthy and sustainable diets ". Rapporteur: Nikolaos Chiotakis (GR/EPP) of Kifissia Municipal Council.
" Unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain ". Rapporteur-General: Jacques Blanc (FR/EPP), Mayor of La Canourgue.
" Eastern Partnership deliverables for 2020: The contribution of local and regional authorities ". Rapporteur: Sören Herbst (DE/EPP) of Magdeburg City Council.
Practical information:
Where : Paul Henri Spaak building – Hemicycle, European Parliament, 60 rue Wiertz, B−1047 Brussels
When : 4 July, 3pm-9pm – 5 July, 9am-1pm
See the plenary's agenda & documents
Watch the plenary streamed live on the CoR's website
Plenary Session media programme
Contact: PresseCdr@cor.europa.eu