Also on #CoRplenary agenda: incoming Czech presidency, European Entrepreneurial Regions awards, automotive regions, European Green Deal, Conference on the Future of Europe.
The European Committee of the Regions will at its plenary on 29-30 June elect a new president for the second half of the Committee's 2020-25 mandate, to replace Apostolos Tzitzikostas. The current First Vice-President Vasco Alves Cordeiro is standing for the presidency. The newly-elected president will over the following two days launch a European alliance of cities and regions for the reconstruction of Ukraine, welcome a bottom-up alliance to support regions with a strong automotive industry as they move away from the combustion engine, and honour the three winners of this year's European Entrepreneurial Regions Awards.
The plenary will adopt two resolutions – on the Conference on the Future of
Europe and on the European Commission's work programme for 2023 – as well
as eight sets of legislative recommendations. Follow-up on the Conference
on the Future of Europe – a priority for the CoR – will be discussed with
MEP
Guy Verhofstadt
(BE/Renew Europe), co-chair of the Conference. The CoR's legislative
recommendations will focus on several major aspects of the European Green
Deal: the energy efficiency of buildings, a just transition, and green
budgeting.
Follow the plenary LIVE on the CoR website
ELECTION OF NEW PRESIDENT
Wednesday, 29 June, 3 p.m.:
Members of the European Committee of the Regions will elect a new
president, first vice-president and bureau members. The serving First
Vice-President –
Vasco Alves Cordeiro
(PT/PES), member of the regional parliament of the Azores and former
President of the regional government of the Azores – is standing for the
presidency and is currently unopposed. The outgoing president,
Apostolos Tzitzikostas
(EL/EPP), Governor of Central Macedonia, is expected to serve as First
Vice-President for the remaining two and a half years of the CoR's mandate.
The newly elected President will hold a press conference
immediately after the vote at 4 p.m. in the MANS room in the Charlemagne building to discuss the
political priorities for the new presidential mandate.
KEY DEBATES AND MOMENTS
-
Thursday, 30 June, 9–10 a.m.
– presentation of the priorities of the incoming Czech
Presidency of the Council of the European Union:
Ivan Bartoš
, Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalisation and Minister of Regional
Development, will discuss the local and regional dimensions of the
Czech Presidency, whose motto is "Europe as a task: rethink, rebuild,
repower". The Presidency has identified five priority dossiers:
Ukraine, energy security, defence, the economy and democracy.
- Thursday, 30 June, 3–4.30 p.m. – Launch of the Automotive Regions
Alliance:
The European Committee of the Regions and 22 EU regions have come
together to form an alliance aimed at ensuring that the decarbonisation
of road transport and the automotive sector in the EU leaves no region
behind.
Nicolas Schmit
, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, will discuss how
the sustainable transition away from fossil fuels can also become an
opportunity to strengthen regional industrial ecosystems and value
chains. The founding regions of the
Automotive Regions Alliance
come from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Slovakia, and the
Netherlands.
-
Thursday, 30 June, 4.30–5 p.m.:
Three regions – from Poland, Portugal and Spain – will become this
year's winners of the European Entrepreneurial Region Award. Each is of
varying nature, size and development, but each is pursuing an
ambitious, robust, sustainable and resilient entrepreneurial strategy
to build back their economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. Each has
secured strong stakeholder support and established effective
collaboration at the regional, national and European levels. The jury –
which includes representatives of the CoR, the European Commission, the
European Parliament and social partners – has rewarded regions that
particularly address the challenges and opportunities of accelerating
digitalisation and the shift to a low-carbon and circular economy.
-
Thursday, 30 June, 5–6 p.m.: Launch of the European Alliance of
Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine:
The mayors of two cities on the frontline of Russia's invasion of
Ukraine – Vitaly Klitschko of Kyiv, and Oleksandr Markushyn of Irpin – and Oleksiy Chernyshov,
Ukraine's Minister for Communities and Territories Development, will
speak at the launch of a European Alliance of Cities and Regions for
the Reconstruction of Ukraine. Mayor Klitschko, an honorary member of
the CoR, will also speak in his capacity as president of the
Association of Ukrainian Cities, one of the founding members of the
Alliance. The others are the CoR, six European associations of regions
and cities, and three Ukrainian local-government associations. The
Alliance is a response to a call by President Volodomyr Zelenskiy of
Ukraine, supported by the presidents of the European Council and
European Commission. Among the scheduled speakers are: Dario Nardella, President of
Eurocities; Cees Loggen, President of the Conference
of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR); Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Council of
European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR); Jean-Claude Marcourt, President of Conference of
European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE); Magnus Berntsson, President of the Assembly of
European Regions (AER); Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President
of the Association of European Border Regions.
OPINIONS AND RESOLUTIONS FOR ADOPTION
-
Resolution on the results of the Conference on the Future of Europe
and its follow-up
-
Resolution on the European Committee of the Regions' proposals
regarding the European Commission Work Programme for 2023
-
"Revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)"
. Rapporteur:
André Viola
(FR/PES), member of the Departmental Council of Aude.
-
"Ecological transition - What balance between social acceptability
and environmental imperatives from the point of view of cities and
regions with a view to building resilient communities?"
Rapporteur:
Hanna Zdanowska
(PL/EPP), mayor of Łódź.
-
"The implementation of green budgets at local and regional levels."
Rapporteur:
Vincent Chauvet
(FR/RE), mayor of Autun.
-
"
EU Data Act."
Rapporteur:
Anne Karjalainen
(FI/PES), member of Kerava City Council.
-
"Improving working conditions in platform work."
Yonnec Polet
(BE/PES), first deputy mayor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe.
-
"Enlargement Package 2021."
Rapporteur:
Anna Magyar
(HU/ECR), member of the County Council of Csongrád Megye.
-
"The new EU Artic strategy."
Rapporteur:
Mirja Vehkaperä
(FI/RE), member of Oulu City Council.
-
"EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
(2021-2030)."
Rapporteur:
Ádám Karacsony
(HU/ECR), member of the Local Government of Tahitótfalu.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Location
: Charlemagne building, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 170, 1000 Brussels / Online
Date
: Wednesday, 29 June – Thursday, June 2022.
Background material
: The plenary
agenda
, and
opinions and amendments
.
Webstreaming
: On the
website
of the CoR.
Contact
:
PresseCdr@cor.europa.eu