On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, called on Member States to redouble their efforts to stop all forms of gender-based violence and build on the role and capacity of local and regional authorities to reinforce the protection of women. 

The European Committee of the Regions will on 29 November lay out its position on the long-term future of cohesion policy – the largest item in the European Union's budget – with recommendations that emphasise the fundamental importance of maintaining substantial regionally targeted support so that the EU's regions can address structural challenges such as climate change, digitalisation and depopulation.  

​Members of the NAT commission met on November 23 to exchange views on mental health as a crucial aspect of the well-being of EU citizens and on the impact of new genomic techniques and of the plant reproductive material regulation's reform on agricultural and food production systems at local and regional level.  

CIVEX meeting discusses humanitarian support in conflict zones, enlargement, and democratic participation. Local and regional authorities can best provide emergency support during the humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Gaza by making in-kind donations through the European Union's civil-protection mechanism and by joining calls for the respect of international humanitarian law, members of the European Committee of the Regions heard on 21 November. 

Decentralisation, accountability and inclusiveness are key to Ukraine's reconstruction, mayors say. Ukraine should take a 'whole-of-society' approach, continue decentralisation, and increase the financial independence of local communities as it seeks to re-build and recover in the face of Russia's ongoing invasion, Ukrainian and EU politicians said at a conference that brought over 100 Ukrainian mayors to Brussels on 9-10 November. 

Le città, le regioni e i comuni europei che desiderano presentare, condividere ed arricchire la loro strategia e la loro esperienza nel promuovere la creazione di piccole e medie imprese (PMI), la loro innovazione e la loro crescita possono ora candidarsi all'edizione 2025 del premio Regione imprenditoriale europea (EER), organizzato dal Comitato europeo delle regioni (CdR) in collaborazione con la DG GROW della Commissione europea.