On 12 October the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas (EL/EPP), will present the 2021 Regional and Local Barometer to local leaders and the European Commissioner Vice-President, Maroš Šefčovič. The comprehensive report measures the impact of the pandemic on EU's regions, cities and villages, providing key findings, facts and figures on the economic, social, health and digital consequences. WATCH LIVE 

The 7th meeting of the European Committee of the Regions' Green Deal Going Local Working Group focused on the role of subnational governments to effectively deliver on the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Members also exchanged views on the new European Commission's Horizon Europe mission on 100 Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030 and the future of the Covenant of Mayors, the world's largest city coalition on climate action. During a plenary session debate with Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, next Wednesday 13 October, the European Committee of the Regions will debate and adopt its resolution on COP26, which gathers the key messages that EU cities and regions will put on the table of the global climate negotiations. The UN's climate summit is due to kick off in Glasgow on 31 October 2021. 

The prospect of assembly for members of the UK and European parliaments was on 5 October welcomed by members of the European Committee of the Regions, who called for its evolution into a forum to which regions and cities could also have access. 

​Today, the European Commission Joint Research (JRC) Centre launched the Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy (CC). It aims at providing tools, resources, research and methodologies to build capacity and best practice in participatory and deliberative democracy across different levels of governance in the EU. Mark Speich, Chair of the CoR commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs – CIVEX - stated that the cooperation between the CC and regions and cities could be mutual: On the one hand the CoR can be a full partner of the JRC in its work on the EC policy priority "A new push for European democracy" by contributing with regional and local best practices to the community of practitioners around the CC. On the other hand the CC could develop a mechanism to mainstream citizens' participation in the EU policy making and support the local and regional level to systematize the use of participatory tools on a permanent basis. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has a long and fruitful cooperation with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), which turns 70 this year. Many joint initiatives, consultations and activities have been developed by the CoR and the CEMR so far and many others are already in the pipeline. Just a few days ahead of the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities, which will take place from 11 to 14 October, we spoke with the President of Emilia-Romagna and CEMR, Stefano Bonaccini, on how local and regional governments take up the new challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disruption and territorial inequalities. 

Herman Van Rompuy shares his vision for the Conference on the Future of Europe and points out the main challenges facing it. 

Homelessness is probably the most severe manifestation of social exclusion in Europe. There were at least 700 000 people who slept rough or in shelter accommodation on any given night in 2019, which represents an increase of 70% in 10 years. An opinion adopted by the European Committee of the Regions' SEDEC Commission points out that the multiple causes and facets of this urgent societal problem need to be addressed at all levels of government. At the meeting held on 1 October, SEDEC members also adopted an opinion on the European Commission's Artificial Intelligence (AI) package, which seeks to regulate the deployment of AI and prohibit certain AI practices while largely ignoring the contribution of local and regional authorities. 

​During the 11th Annual meeting of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Platform hosted in Innsbruck (Austria) by the Region of Tyrol, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) celebrated the ten years of the EGTC Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino and welcomed the foundation of the new EGTC Euregio Connect between Austria and Italy. The CoR recently adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to present a proposal for maintaining cross-border cooperation and life in the event of future crises. The resolution contains multiple proposals to improve cross-border collaboration and calls on the Commission to follow up on already existing legislation and treaties, whose implementation could often still be improved. 

Kas Teil on vaja tekste ja dokumente kiiresti tõlkida? Kas soovite kasutada turvalist ELi tõlkevahendit, nii et Teil oleks igal ajal ja igal pool ülevaade oma tõlgetest? Lahendus on masintõlkerakendus . Külastage meie hiljuti avatud lehekülge eTranslation webpage ja lugege lähemalt, kuidas eTranslationi rakendust oma igapäevatöös lihtsalt ja turvaliselt kasutada. 

The European Committee of the Regions' Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) met on 27 September to discuss the EU health policy and the resilience of cities. During the meeting, members also analysed how to boost consumption, increase production and further improve sustainability in the organic sector as well as in the blue economy. Both sectors can ensure a green and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Representatives of Europe's local and regional authorities have again voiced their concerns over the lack of sub-national involvement in the implementation, further planning and evaluation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans. In an opinion drafted by Rob Jonkman (NL/ECR), Alderman of the municipality of Opsterland, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) underlines that local and regional authorities are responsible for more than half of public investment in the EU and that the objectives of the EU's €750 billion recovery package Next Generation EU can't be reached without their involvement. The opinion was adopted by the CoR's Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) on Wednesday following a debate with Maarten Verwey, European Commission's Director-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN). 

​​In the framework of the debates that feed into the Conference on the Future of Europe, members of the CoR commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs – CIVEX – discussed on equality as a building block of European democracy. They argued that local and regional authorities play an important role in building up an inclusive democracy and equality because they are the level of governance closest to citizens and can have an influence on these issues. The CIVEX commission also adopted an opinion on better EU law-making emphasising that the territorial dimension of EU policies must be bolstered and that local and regional authorities should be involved in every stage of the EU decision-making process, notably by using the RegHub implementation reports as a tool for examining the legislative proposals. 

We must step up the fight against cancer, was the main message shared by Brigitta Sacrédeus (SE/EPP), rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) at the Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on Europe's Beating Cancer Plan on 27th September. The CoR calls for a debate on how to improve people's health awareness so that patients can reduce their exposure to risk factors to get ahead of the disease while making use of research and available digital tools. 

Kohalikud ja piirkondlikud juhid kogunesid 24. septembril Lipicasse (Sloveenia), et arutada, kuidas majanduse taastamisse tehtavaid investeeringuid kohapeal õigel ajal ellu viia ning vältida viivitusi ja kattuvusi ELi poliitikavaldkondade vahel. Majandusvolinik Paolo Gentiloni, Sloveenia rahandusminister Andrej Šircelj ning Euroopa Parlamendi juhtivad liikmed rõhutasid, et riiklikud taastekavad kujunevad edukaks ainult siis, kui tehakse koostööd piirkondade ja linnadega. 

Cities and regions in the Mediterranean and the EU should try to develop a more integrated approach to the provision of basic public services for migrants, senior members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) have said. They also urged public authorities at all levels, including the EU, to make the personal day-to-day challenges faced by migrants, particularly women and the vulnerable, central to how they design policies.  

One year after the launch of the Green City Accord, the European Commission organised a ceremony to celebrate new signatories joining this flagship initiative, which reunites cities committing to ambitious environmental protection goals by 2030. The high-level signatory ceremony took place on 22 September 2021. 

The #EURegionsWeek 2021 will consist of 300 sessions spread over 4 days: in total, about 850 speakers will take the floor from all over the EU and beyond during 365 hours of interactive conferences, and more than 100 video clips will show stories and testimonials about concrete projects. 

The United Nations' climate summit is to kick off in Glasgow in less than two months. Six years after the signature of the Paris Agreement, national governments are to provide concrete answers on how they plan to meet their climate targets. As the world goes through unprecedented heat waves, fires and floods, COP26 will put the spotlight on the need for higher climate ambition to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. The formal inclusion of local and regional governments and their climate contributions remains a key demand that EU cities and regions will put forward in Glasgow, in close cooperation with international networks of sub-national government actors.  

 

COVID-19 kriis on näidanud, et ühtekuuluvuspoliitikat on praegu vaja rohkem kui kunagi varem, et tugevdada Euroopa vastupanuvõimet, kaitsta kodanikke, tuua taastumine igasse Euroopa Liidu nurka, jätmata kedagi kõrvale. Ühtekuuluvuspoliitika allianss #CohesionAlliance on oma loomisest 2017. aasta oktoobris olnud kogu ELi hõlmav 12 000 allakirjutanust koosnev liit, mis toetab tugevamat ühtekuuluvuspoliitikat, ning suutnud pärast 2020. aastat vältida teravaid eelarvekärpeid, säilitada ühtekuuluvuspoliitika kõigi liidu piirkondade jaoks ning esitada lihtsamad ja paindlikumad eeskirjad. Ühtekuuluvuspoliitika alliansi uuele kursile pühendatud videokonverentsil kinnitasid asutajaliikmed oma pühendumust ühendada jõud ja säilitada ühtekuuluvuspoliitika ELi peamise prioriteedina. Allianss jälgib tähelepanelikult, et liikmesriigid kohaldaksid 2021.–2027. aasta ühtekuuluvuspoliitika kavandamisel ja rakendamisel täielikult partnerluse põhimõtet. Taastevahendite ja struktuurifondide sidusus ja nendevaheline sünergia on äärmiselt olulised, et vältida kattuvusi ja maksimeerida Euroopa meetmete mõju. 

European Committee of the Regions critical of New Pact on Migration and Asylum at a European Parliament hearing​ Antje Grotheer (DE/PES), rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and Vice-President of Germany's Bremen City Parliament, presented the opinion of EU's cities and regions on the asylum & migration reform package at the hearing of European Parliament's LIBE Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, on 2nd September. She was highly critical of the importance of the first entry criterion in the analysis of asylum applications, a criterion on which Member States “waste too much time", as well as of the failure to take account of the realities of the regions, particularly those on the front line of migration. She urged to this effect for a greater consideration of regional specificities in every aspect of the process. 

​​As rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on the opinion on rural areas, the President of the Region of Andalusia Juanma Moreno, today took part in an exchange meeting between the European Commission and the EU Ministers of Agriculture on the future of rural areas. President Moreno stressed the need to further involve regions and local communities in the implementation of the Next Generation EU funds so as to ensure the sustainable development of rural areas in Europe. The CoR will organise a high-level forum in December dedicated to the recovery of rural areas in the Union.​ 

The deadline for nominations for the 2021 edition of the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award has been extended to the end of September. 

Cities are on the frontline for promoting diversity, inclusiveness, social cohesion, and sustainable development and the coronavirus pandemic has even deepened some of the existing social challenges. Thus within its Intercultural Cities and Learning Programme, the Anna Lindh Foundation launches the EuroMed Capital for Dialogue Award – Call for Candidatures. 

The Connecting Europe Express is one of the key initiatives of the European Year of Rail 2021 and aims to draw attention to the many benefits of rail in both the passenger and freight sectors. It also feeds into the EU's overarching goal set out under the European Green Deal of encouraging a 'shift to rail' across the EU in order to decarbonise transport flows and increase sustainable mobility. The importance of the territorial dimension of the initiative has been underlined by the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valean, in a letter sent to the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) President Apostolos Tzitzikostas, which invited all members of the CoR to join the project and visit the train at one of its destinations. 

Under the heading "Together for recovery", this year programme is focused on the capacity of the EU and of national and regional governments to support European citizens and their local communities with practical measures and public policies aimed at investing in a fairer, greener and more digital future for recovery 

Trade effects of Brexit likely to become clearer only after 1 October, senior EU official tells EU and UK local and regional politicians at meeting that puts spotlight on Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. Movement across the United Kingdom's borders with Ireland and Spain were central issues discussed at a meeting of British and EU local and regional politicians that focused on connections at risk of being lost by the UK's withdrawal from the EU. 

The results of a survey carried out by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) show a clear demand among local and regional authorities to extend the flexibility measures introduced last year to mobilise EU structural funds and state aid in the fight against COVID-19. Regions and cities need extraordinary rules to be maintained in order to secure the continuity of emergency investment and the deployment of crucial initiatives such as job retention schemes. This request is included in a letter co-signed by the CoR President Apostolos Tzitzikostas and the chair of the CoR's COTER commission Isabelle Boudineau, addressed to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the commissioners responsible for the relevant policies.  

Euroopa Komisjoni paketiga „Eesmärk 55“ soovitakse vähendada ELi CO 2 heidet 2030. aastaks 55%. Euroopa Regioonide Komitee kutsub üles tagama, et uute ja ajakohastatud õigusnormidega kindlustataks linnadele ja piirkondadele keskne roll ja otserahastamine, sest neil on kliimaneutraalsusele üleminekul õiguslik pädevus ja nad on kodanikele lähedal. 

​​​Countries in the Western Balkans should use significant new financial support from the European Union to make their economies greener and more digital and to advance their case for EU membership, local and regional leaders heard at the Enlargement Day conference held by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 13 July. The conference – which was addressed by the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission's Acting Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations – also identified the post-pandemic recovery as a major milestone in the history of regions' and cities' involvement in the EU accession process.  

Bringing cross-border cooperation back to the forefront of the EU’s policy agenda is one of the European Committee of the Region’s (CoR) top priorities. The Conference on the Future of Cross-Border Cooperation, organized together with the other founding partners of the European Cross-Border Citizens' Alliance, feeds into this objective. During the event, which took place on 5 July, participants reflected on the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, identified the ongoing and future challenges for cross-border regions, and held a debate on the vision for cross-border cooperation as part of the future of Europe. The event took place just a few days after CoR's plenary adopted a resolution on cross-border cooperation which will serve as a contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

The EU's regions and cities are looking forward to the Social Economy Action Plan, which the European Commission is expected to publish before the end of the year. The opinion adopted by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on Thursday underlines that it is essential to harness the full potential of social economy enterprises and organisations to ensure economic recovery, to promote collective entrepreneurship and to create high-quality jobs after the COVID-19 crisis. 

​Aviation has been one of the sectors worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Smaller regional airports have recorded the greatest decline in direct flight connections, particularly in passenger flights. Treviso (Italy) lost 95% of its connections, Vaasa (Finland) 91%, Quimper (France) 87%, and Burgas (Bulgaria) 82%. 

While the climate emergency is still very much a pressing matter, the path towards carbon neutrality must take into account the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis and the specific features of each region. Against this backdrop, rapporteur and Mayor of Autun Vincent Chauvet presented an opinion in today's plenary session that sets out the European Committee of the Regions' positions and demands regarding climate change in view of COP26, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which will take place in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. 

The work of the European Commission's Fit for Future Platform (F4F) has taken on speed and its subgroups and experts are about to carry out consultations on selected EU legislation in order to check whether it is futureproof and fit for purpose. 

Euroopa transpordisektori edukaks ümberkujundamiseks ja säästvamaks muutmiseks peavad ELi linnad ja piirkonnad pöörama suuremat tähelepanu heitevaba liikuvuse edendamisele, aktiivsete ja jagatud transpordiliikide edendamisele, linnalise liikumiskeskkonna ümberkujundamisele ja maapiirkondade paremale ühendamisele. Need ettepanekud on pärit arvamusest „Säästva ja aruka liikuvuse strateegia“, mille võttis vastu Euroopa Regioonide Komitee ja mida tutvustas raportöör Robert van Asten (NL/Renew Europe) komitee täiskogu istungjärgul kolmapäeval, 30. juunil. 

Euroopa Liit peab looma uue demokraatliku taristu, et tagada vabad ja õiglased valimised, parandada meedia pluralismi ja suurendada kodanike kaasatust, öeldi Euroopa Regioonide Komitees 30. juunil. Soovitustes, mille eesmärk on tugevdada demokraatiat, võrdsust ja inimõiguste järgimist, rõhutasid kohalike ja piirkondlike omavalitsuste juhid, et omavalitsustel võib olla oluline roll meediapädevuse, kriitilise mõtlemise ja läbipaistvuse edendamisel poliitilistes kampaaniates ning kodanike poliitikas osalemise toetamisel. 

The European Union should make improving the health of the Mediterranean Sea one of the priorities of its cooperation with countries in its southern neighbourhood, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has said in recommendations that also praise the EU for making support for youth entrepreneurship central to its new strategy for the region.  

Euroopa kohalikud ja piirkondlikud juhid nõuavad, et ÜRO kestliku arengu eesmärgid seataks taas Euroopa Liidu tegevuskava keskmesse, ning paluvad ELi institutsioonidel ja liikmesriikidel tagada nende elluviimine 2030. aastaks. Euroopa Regioonide Komitee võttis tänasel täiskogu istungil vastu arvamuse , milles rõhutatakse, et COVID-19 pandeemia on toonud esile kestliku arengu tähtsuse ning et kestliku arengu eesmärgid võivad aidata teel sidusa ja tervikliku visiooni suunas taasterahastu „NextGenerationEU“ raames. Komitee hiljutises uuringus juhitakse siiski tähelepanu sellele, et paljudes riiklikes taaste- ja vastupidavuskavades puudub selge ja läbipaistev viide ÜRO kestliku arengu eesmärkidele. 

In a bid to put cross-border cooperation back at the top of the EU's policy agenda, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has adopted a resolution today calling on the European Commission to present a proposal for maintaining cross-border cooperation and cross-border life in the event of future crises. The resolution contains multiple proposals to improve cross-border cooperation and calls on the European Commission to follow up on already existing legislation and treaties, whose implementation could often still be improved. The future of cross-border cooperation will be further discussed during an event organised by the CoR, together with other key European partners, on 5 July. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has adopted its proposals on climate adaptation in the opinion Forging a climate-resilient Europe - the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change. The CoR calls for demand-based policies, market incentives, carbon footprints and handprints in public procurement criteria and to accelerate cooperation with academia and businesses to boost broad-scale innovation, sustainable products, services and nature-based solutions. Despite net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020 estimated to drop 35% below 1990 levels, the economic rebound from the COVID-19 risks bringing emissions back up. Around 40% of EU cities with more than 150 000 inhabitants have adopted climate adaptation plans.  

The European energy infrastructure update and expansion is a key enabler for the green energy transition and must be consistent with the Green Deal objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Therefore, last December 2020 the European Commission adopted a proposal to revise the 2013 Trans-European Energy Infrastructure Regulation (TEN-E). In an opinion drafted by the rapporteur Robert Sorin Negoiță (RO/PES) and discussed today, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) calls on the European Commission to ensure that the new regulation takes into account the needs and specificities of EU regions and that it stimulates sustainable energy security, market integration, fair competition, diversification of energy supply and affordable energy for all.  

As Europe's population is ageing, the need for care services is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. In an opinion drafted by Heinrich Dorner (AT/PES), Member of the State Government of Burgenland, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) calls on the European Commission to support cities and regions in addressing care worker shortages and highlights that family members – most often women – carrying out informal care work need adequate social rights and protection. 

The European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) discussed the role of cities and regions in reinforcing the resilience of critical entities during its plenary session on 1 July. To ensure a comprehensive approach, each Member State should have a strategy prepared in cooperation with local and regional authorities, setting out objectives and policy measures based on an assessment of all natural and man-made risks that may affect the provision of essential services. 

Kuna paljudel piirkondlikel lennujaamadel on keeruline pandeemiast tingitud majandusraskustest taastuda, võtsid Euroopa Regioonide Komitee liikmed 1. juulil vastu arvamuse, milles Euroopa Komisjoni kutsutakse üles töötama välja paindlikumad ja tõhusamad riigiabi eeskirjad, mis võimaldavad liikmesriikidel anda piirkondlikele lennujaamadele rahalist abi. Arvamuses , mille koostas Władysław Ortyl (PL/ECR), rõhutas komitee samuti, et Euroopa rohelises kokkuleppes sätestatud eesmärkide saavutamiseks tuleb rahaline toetus investeerida lennujaamade säästvamaks muutmisse. 

COVIDi kriis rõhutab vajadust siduda ELi poliitika kujundamine kohalike kogukondade vajadustega kohalikul tasandil valitud poliitikute ulatusliku kaasatuse kaudu: see on sõnum, mille Euroopa Regioonide Komitee liikmed edastasid täna Euroopa Komisjoni asepresidendile Maroš Šefčovičile. Täiskogu arutelu käigus kordasid kohalikud ja piirkondlikud juhid oma pühendumust ELi õigusaktide parandamisele, andes oma panuse tulevikukindluse platvormi . Resolutsioonis, mis sisaldab ettepanekuid Euroopa Komisjoni 2022. aasta tööprogrammi kohta , paluvad komitee liikmed Euroopa Komisjonil tagada kohalike ja piirkondlike omavalitsuste kaasamise riiklike taaste- ja vastupidavuskavade rakendamisse, et tegeleda tulemuslikult pandeemia tagajärgedega kohapeal. Samuti paluvad nad pikendada olulisi paindlikkusmeetmeid, mis kehtestati Euroopa struktuuri- ja investeerimisfondide kasutuselevõtmiseks COVIDi kriisi ajal. 

Kohaliku ja piirkondliku tasandi valitud poliitikud, keda ELis esindab Euroopa Regioonide Komitee, ja Euroopa Parlament, ainus ELi institutsioon, mille liikmed on kodanikud valinud otsevalimiste teel, peaksid ühendama jõud Euroopa tuleviku konverentsi raames. Nende ühine eesmärk peaks olema teha kuuldavaks kodanike nõudmine luua Euroopa Liit, mis peab olema neile lähemal, järgima subsidiaarsuse põhimõtet ja suunama pilgu tulevikku, reageerides uutele raskustele ülemaailmsel ja kohalikul tasandil. See oli Euroopa Regioonide Komitee liikmete läbiv sõnum komitee täiskogu 145. istungjärgul , millest võtsid osa ka Euroopa Parlamendi kolm esindajat Euroopa tuleviku konverentsi juhatuses – Guy Verhofstadt, Manfred Weber ja Iratxe Garcia Perez. Kolm parlamendiliiget rõhutasid, et Euroopa Regioonide Komitee liikmed on tugevad liitlased ulatuslikus, tõeliselt kaasavas, läbipaistvas ning geograafiliselt ja poliitiliselt tasakaalustatud arutelus Euroopa tuleviku üle. 

The publication of the long-term vision for rural areas by the European Commission is a major success for the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), which has been asking for a rural agenda since 2016. Local leaders welcome the proposal of a Rural Pact and Action Plan setting objectives and reinforcing the political ownership for investment on sustainable rural developments. The CoR appreciates the long-term vision of rural areas in all their diversity and the effort to revitalise them in a way that goes beyond agriculture and considers every policy area through the rural lens. As foreseen in the Commission's proposal, the Committee is ready to promote the mobilisation of local communities in the implementation of the rural action plan and vision. At the same time, the CoR demands that EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is coordinated not only with cohesion policy but also with the Recovery and Resilience Facility. 

Euroopa Regioonide Komitee tugevdab oma pühendumust ELi laiaulatuslikule õigusloomeprojektile, mille eesmärk on tugevdada demokraatlikku kontrolli turul domineerivate internetiplatvormide üle ja taastada tasakaalustatud veebipõhine majandus, mis toimib ühtmoodi nii VKEde kui ka üksiktarbijate heaks. Täiskogu juuni istungjärgul võtsid komitee liikmed vastu arvamuse , milles toetatakse Euroopa Komisjoni kavatsust karmistada digiturgude ja -teenuste reguleerimist, tõstes samal ajal esile linnade ja piirkondade pakutavaid uuendusi ja pädevusi, mis võivad aidata kaasa usaldusväärse ja tõhusa reguleerimise loomisele. Komitee arvamus digiteenuste õigusakti paketi kohta on osa laiemast algatuste kogumist, mille eesmärk on suurendada komitee nähtavust ühe ELi liikumapaneva jõuna kaasava digiülemineku saavutamisel. 

Euroopa Regioonide Komitee ja Euroopa Komisjon töötavad kohalike ja piirkondlike omavalitsuste kaasabil ja vabatahtlikkuse alusel välja ühisprojekte, et toetada ELi väärtuste õpetamist koolides. Täiskogu istungil toimunud arutelul euroopaliku eluviisi edendamise eest vastutava Euroopa Komisjoni asepresidendi Margaritis Schinasega rõhutasid ka kohalikud ja piirkondlikud juhid, et haridussüsteemides tuleks täielikult austada ja edendada vabadust, võrdsust, sallivust ja mittediskrimineerimist. Samuti rõhutasid nad, et Euroopa Liidu, selle väärtuste, kultuuripärandi ja mitmekesisuse tundmaõppimine on väga tähtis ning see peab kõigil ja igas vanuses ELi kodanikel olema võimalik kõigis kogukondades.