The second plenary meeting of the Fit for Future (F4F) Platform for better and less burdensome EU legislation chaired by European Commission’s Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič took place on 4 March with three CoR members Mark Speich (DE/EPP), Anne Karjalainen (FI/PSE) and Ulrika Landergren (SE/RE) and 27 representatives of EU Member States. Purpose of the meeting was to discuss and agree on the annual work programme of the Platform and its rules of procedures. The CoR advocated for having topics in the work programme in the fields of public procurement, ambient air quality legislation, cross-border healthcare and state aid legislation. All these proposals were taken up by the Platform.  

​​​Regions and cities are ready to play their part in building a strong Social Europe which will ensure just transitions and recovery after the Covid-19 crisis. The Action Plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights , which was presented today by the European Commission, sets three ambitious headline targets which should guide policy decisions in the Member States and their regions to achieve the objectives of the Pillar, also by making full use of different EU funds to unlock social investment. 

​The European Committee of the Regions launched today a new generation of Regional Hubs to monitor EU legislation on the ground and make sure the voice of hundreds of regional and local stakeholders is taken into account in EU policy evaluation. The new hubs include 46 members, 10 observers and 1 associated body and are established as a sub-group of the European Commission's Fit For Future Platform (F4F). The launch was also attended by European Commission’s Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič . It follows a pilot phase that proved the effectiveness of the RegHubs in monitoring the implementation of legislation in five EU policies and communicating their findings via the CoR back to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. 

​​​In preparation of a new opinion on the SDGs scheduled for adoption at the Plenary Session of 30 June/1July 2021, the European Committee of the Regions gathered more than one hundred participants on 25 February 2021 for an online stakeholder consultation on delivering the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. COR Rapporteur Ricardo Rio (PT/EPP), Mayor of Braga, welcomed this opportunity to collect contributions from representatives of local and regional governments, civil society organisations, associations of regions and cities and other international actors working on the 2030 Agenda. 

​​The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) welcomes the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change adopted by the European Commission on 24 February 2021. The CoR regrets, however, that even though it enables the move from planning to action it still lacks concrete climate adaptation targets. The new strategy sets out how the European Union (EU) can adapt to the impacts of climate change. From 1980 to 2016, the total economic losses caused by extreme weather in Europe amounted to over EUR 436 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the need to build a healthier and safer environment for all. The CoR called for a new EU climate adaptation strategy in an opinion adopted at the December 2020 plenary session.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected our world and our way of living, with the loss of thousands of lives and unprecedented consequences for every aspect of our daily existence. The Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC) at the European Committee of the Regions produces regular bulletins on the policy fields within its remit, reflecting recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different actions and response measures being planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level.