The members of the commission for economic policy (ECON) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) discussed and adopted draft opinions on the collaborative economy, the European Commission's annual competition report as well as plans on how to improve the administrative capacity of local and regional authorities to support investment and reforms. The full assembly will vote on the three draft opinions during the plenary session in December. 

The projects Circular Berlin (Germany), Leuven2030 (Belgium) and the City of Lousada (Portugal) have been shortlisted as the finalists of the 2019 Transformative Action Award. Now in its third year, the Award recognises projects that contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and the achievement of the socio-cultural, socio-economic and technological transformation of societies, using the 15 pathways outlined in the Basque Declaration .  

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR), at the initiative of member of Dalarna County Council Birgitta Sacrédeus (SE/EPP), has adopted an opinion on Active and Healthy Ageing at its October plenary session. Europe is growing older and so the CoR stresses the need for preventive action and the crucial role that new technologies play in ensuring the active and healthy ageing of EU citizens. "Physical and mental balance as well as the silver economy will make it easier to meet this challenge, in the face of a demographic imbalance," said rapporteur Birgitta Sacrédeus. 

During the 136th European Committee of the Regions (CoR) Plenary, that took place on 7-9 October in Brussels, regional and local leaders delivered their recommendations for the preparation of the next generation of cohesion programmes, which set the basis for cohesion policy implementation for the 2021-2027 period. In the opinion on "Recommendations for the successful design of regional development strategies beyond 2020", drafted by Adam Struzik (PL/EPP), President of Mazovia Region, the CoR recognises the urgent need to develop a long-term policy framework at EU level to replace the Europe 2020 strategy. 

The European Union needs to invest into policies and programmes that support the development and connectivity of entrepreneurial ecosystems in European regions and cities also in the next EU programming period 2021-27. Furthermore, entrepreneurial education should be embedded in both SME and education policies in Europe – these were the main messages of the final conference of the Interreg Europe-funded iEER project, organised in Brussels during the European Week of Regions and Cities. ​The conference, organised as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities, gathered close to 100 local and regional experts, policy makers and political representatives. 

The international Athens Democracy Forum prize has been awarded posthumously to the Mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz. His wife Magdalena and their daughters Antonina and Teresa received the award from the Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis at a ceremony in the Greek capital on Thursday, 10 October.