​The external seminar of the CoR's Commission for Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) was held in Tallinn on 6 June. The event was organized in cooperation with the City of Tallinn, European Green Capital 2023, and the OECD. CoR members joined the 5th OECD Roundtable on the circular economy in cities and regions, and had the opportunity to share and learn from relevant initiatives at local and regional level towards the implementation of circular economy solutions. At this occasion, an OECD report of Tallinn's circular economy was published, showing the current situation, indicating the challenges and suggesting recommendations for the transition to a circular economy in Tallinn.  

"Status quo is not an option: beware that the danger of pro-cyclical policies is still very real", rapporteur Elio Di Rupo says ahead of meeting of ministers for economic and financial affairs. Cities and regions representatives have called for European fiscal rules to be more effective and have greater democratic legitimacy. Members of the commission for economic policy on 7 June voiced support for the more country-specific approach of the recent European Commission proposal but insisted that the involvement of local and regional authorities in the definition of the new national mid-term fiscal plans must be mandatory.  

The impact on regions and cities of the EU's policy to reduce reliance on imports of critical raw materials, reducing dependency on net-zero industry technologies and the achievement of a just transition in the automotive industry were amongst the main topics discussed during the meeting of the commission for Economic Policy (ECON) on 7 June.  

Adapting food policy to increase the EU's self-sufficiency is essential in face of climate crisis and war in Ukraine. Russia's attempt to conquer Ukraine and the unfolding climate crisis should accelerate further far-reaching changes in the European Union's food-security policies, leading to changes in production, supply, and regulation, local and regional leaders agreed at a conference co-organised by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Polish region of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region on 2 June.  

The conference “Partnerships for Regional Innovation: From Pilot to Practice" held on 30-31 May brought together participants in the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) pilot and beyond to discuss further joint work, exchange good practices, co-shape the revised PRI Playbook and engage with interested stakeholders on the green and digital transitions. 

The Green Deal Going Local Working Group in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) held its 13th meeting on Tuesday 30 May, with the focus on the multilevel governance of the Green Deal. Participants underlined the need to recognise the engagement of all levels of government in international conventions on climate and biodiversity and to give sub-national authorities a designated role in negotiations and decision-making, as ambitious targets can only be reached through effective action at local and regional level. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission jointly held the sixth meeting of the Broadband Platform on 25 May. Members learnt about the latest policy initiatives on digital transformation, such as the European Commission's proposal on Gigabit Infrastructure, the proposal on the Cyber Solidarity Act and discussed challenges and opportunities linked to connectivity, digital resilience and a digital maturity assessment for cities, villages and regions in Europe.  

Important role of local government in reconstruction in spotlight ahead of international Ukraine Recovery Conference. The governments of Ukraine, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and representatives of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the European Commission and the OECD have agreed that continuing Ukraine's pre-war efforts to decentralise government will help to bolster Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction and to drive forward its ambition to join the EU. 

​At a joint debate at the Committee of the Regions' Plenary sitting, the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, and the newly elected President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Oliver Röpke, underlined their joint commitment for a social Europe that leaves no one behind, ahead of their participation in the Porto Social Forum on Saturday, 27 May, Portugal. 

With nearly 6 million Europeans who have been actively seeking employment for at least a year, long-term unemployment has a significant social impact. Its high cost to society would be offset by providing unemployed people with decent jobs at local level, the European Committee of the Regions underlines in an opinion drafted by Yonnec Polet (BE/PES), Deputy Mayor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. The opinion, which was adopted at the plenary session on 25 May, calls for the European Commission to take stock of the success of the Youth Guarantee, to earmark some ESF+ funds for local "zero long-term unemployment" initiatives and to set up ad hoc fund to combat long-term unemployment. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has thanked cities and regions in the European Union for giving shelter to Ukrainians following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He also urged the EU's cities and regions to join the work of ensuring an "effective recovery of Ukraine", saying that "we will recover every ruin that russia brought with its war… to show that our strength – the strength of our Europe – is obvious". 

Lokale en regionale politici roepen de Europese Commissie op om, zoals gepland, later dit jaar het wetgevingskader voor duurzame voedselsystemen te publiceren en om te zorgen voor samenhang tussen de verschillende voedselgerelateerde beleidsmaatregelen, volgens een geharmoniseerde aanpak op basis van ecologische, sociale en economische duurzaamheid. De lokale en regionale overheden willen ook ten volle worden betrokken bij het governancemodel dat de Commissie naar verwachting zal opzetten. Dit zijn de belangrijkste eisen die zijn opgenomen in het advies over hetwetgevingskader inzake duurzame voedselsystemen van Joke Schauvliege(BE/EVP), dat tijdens de zitting van het Europees Comité van de Regio’s (CvdR) op 26 mei is goedgekeurd. 

Two years after its adoption, it is clear that the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-27 does not offer sufficient responses to current crises such as the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, high inflation and the sharp rise in energy costs. The mid-term review of the long-term budget, planned by the European Commission for 20 June 2023, should therefore address regions' and cities' emerging needs and promote economic, social and territorial cohesion. These are the main demands discussed by CoR members with leading MEPs and included in an opinion adopted at the 24 May plenary session. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and UNICEF have signed an agreement to support regional and local administrations in the European Union in their work on child protection, and promote the European Child Guarantee with a focus on refugee children from Ukraine. 

Regional and local administrations have a "key" role to play in the European Union's efforts to promote discrimination-free societies, the President of the Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, defended in a debate focused on promoting diversity in the EU with EU Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli. 

The European Union cannot tackle social, economic and territorial disparities through Cohesion Policy alone. All EU initiatives and policies, like the post-COVID recovery plan NextGenerationEU, should fight against inequalities and promote cohesion, which must be a fundamental value of the European Union. This is the main message of the opinion on the "Do no harm to cohesion" principle, that was adopted by unanimity on 24 May at the Plenary of the European Committee of the Regions. 

Local administrations play a key role in implementing interoperability solutions close to citizens and provide a wide range of services at local level. Carrying out interoperability assessments incurs a significant financial burden, which, in particular in smaller municipalities, may be too high to be sustainable. Members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) therefore call in their opinion on the "Interoperable Europe Act" on the European Commission to use available resources under direct management to cover interoperability related tasks of smaller cities and municipalities to ensure a successful digital transition in the long term. 

The floods that devastated some regions in the north of Italy last week have once again demonstrated the urgency for the European Union to adopt a new collective approach to better deal with risks and crises and improve territorial resilience. This was the main message that local and regional leaders delivered to Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, during a debate held as part of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) plenary session on 24 May. Members of the Committee underlined that a particular focus should be given to tackling social and territorial vulnerabilities at local level, in order to reduce the impact of future crisis. The requests were included in an opinion adopted immediately after the debate, drafted by Christophe Clergeau (FR/PES), member of the Pays de la Loire Regional Council. 

An international conference – co-organised with the Ukrainian, Swiss and UK governments, the OECD and the European Commission – on the role of regions and cities in Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction will follow May's plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions. 

The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro, today brought the voice of regions and cities to the table of the High-Level Group set up by the European Commission few months ago. The aim of the group, which includes several local and regional representatives, is to reflect on how to maximise the effectiveness of Cohesion Policy in the future in terms of reducing economic, territorial and social disparities in Europe. 

Mr. Alin-Adrian Nica, President of Timiş County Council in Romania, and first vice-chair of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External affairs (CIVEX) represented the Committee of the Regions at the High-level political conference entitled "Embedding democratic values in Europe's communities" on 15 May 2023 in Reykjavík.  

​On 4 May 2023, ARLEM addressed the ministers at the third conference of the Union for the Mediterranean on Sustainable Urban Development through its rapporteur Abdelaziz Derouiche, president of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of the Councils of the Prefectures. The meeting took place in Zagreb under the Co-Presidency of the European Union (represented by Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms) and Jordan (represented by its Minister of Public Works and Housing Maher Hamdi Abuelsamen), and in the presence of UfM Secretary-General Nasser Kamel. 

Ukraine and the skills challenges in countries seeking membership of the European Union were centre-stage at the annual Enlargement Day conference organised by the European Committee of the Regions, following a year that has seen the EU recognise Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina as candidates for membership and start accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia. 

Setting stricter and more binding targets on urban wastewater treatment and ambient air quality are crucial steps for the EU's zero-pollution ambition and will improve citizen's health and wellbeing. Two draft opinions adopted by the Commission for Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) stress that local and regional authorities will need adequate support and flexibility for the implementation of these key directives that the European Commission is proposing to revise.  

Enlargement conference includes Ukraine for the first time, and Lviv opens representation in Brussels. 

A delegation of the European Union's local and regional representatives has gathered in Veszprém, Hungary, European Capital of Culture of 2023 for a study visit organised by the European Committee of the Regions' Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC). 

​"Our main challenge is to cement Cohesion Policy at the main EU investment instrument at the heart of the EU, whilst ensuring that it addresses new 'cohesion' challenges in all corners of Europe." 

The European Union's local and regional leaders gathering in Sweden's northernmost town Kiruna have today adopted a declaration which calls for the EU institutions to take account of the specific situation of remote areas in the EU budget and highlights the role of cohesion policy in ensuring sustainable place-based development in all corners of Europe.  

The monthly Green Deal Funding Alert gives you an overview of funding opportunities and initiatives that could be interesting for your region or city.  

​The European Committee of the Regions and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) are launching a survey on the role of local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). 

The earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria should galvanise countries in the Mediterranean to review their civil-protection mechanisms, members of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) said on 25 April at a meeting in Morocco. 

Sociale, economische en territoriale cohesie moet niet alleen worden bevorderd via het specifieke EU-beleid, maar ook door de Europese Unie als geheel, en gefinancierd worden met een toereikende Europees budget. Dit zijn de verzoeken die zijn opgenomen in twee ontwerpadviezen die de commissie Territoriale Samenhang en EU-begroting (COTER) op 24 april heeft goedgekeurd. Lokale en regionale leiders bespraken ook hoe het cohesiebeleid en andere EU-instrumenten moeten zorgen voor een rechtvaardige transitie van de regio’s met een sterk ontwikkelde automobielsector, die het zwaarst worden getroffen door de transitie naar een emissievrije economie. 

The European Committee of the Regions' SEDEC Commission held its external meeting in Tampere this week, allowing members to discover how Finland's third largest city is addressing the problem of homelessness. The consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine have increased poverty and precarity in Europe, including homelessness. In Tampere, representatives of cities and regions highlighted the success of the Finnish experience and called for more support from the EU and national governments to develop effective prevention measures and housing-led solutions. 

De Oekraïense president Volodymyr Zelenskyy heeft lokale en regionale leiders van over de hele wereld - waaronder België - ontmoet op een top in Kiev, die tot doel had de expertise van lokale en regionale autoriteiten in te zetten om de wederopbouw van Oekraïne te ondersteunen. 

​The Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform (ZPSP), a joint initiative of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission (EC), held its 4th meeting on Thursday, 20 April 2023, focusing on zero pollution production and consumption, on initiatives for developing local actions for green and digital transformation across Europe and on the efforts on zero pollution of the CoR's Green Deal Going Local campaign. 

The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro, met on 20 April with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, in the context of his participation in the International Summit of Regions and Cities, convened by the Ukrainian authorities, to debate the role of local and regional authorities to support Ukraine's reconstruction. 

The European Union's enlargement and its capacity to prepare for systemic shocks and to counter foreign interference in its information space were the focuses of attention when the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) met on 18 April. 

The registration to EuroPCom 2023 is now open. The 14th edition of the annual European Public Communication Conference will take place in a hybrid format in the afternoon on Monday 26 June and in the morning on Tuesday 27 June 2023. 

​The impact on regions and cities of the EU's policy to reduce reliance on imports of critical raw material, in particular from China, was among the main topics discussed during the meeting of the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 19 April. Local and regional leaders also adopted a draft opinion on the European Interoperable Act and were presented the LORDIMAS tool, an instrument to track the digital transformation that will be launched soon. 

The Enlargement Day is the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) annual flagship event on EU enlargement policy dialogue and capacity-building, first held in 2015. For programme and registration details, please go to the event website. The 2023 event is organized in co-operation with the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

In response to a request by the CoR, TAIEX has recently opened up to local authorities in the Western Balkans. For these peer-to-peer exchanges to succeed, TAIEX relies on public officials employed in EU Member States who are keen to share their knowledge and expertise with their peers in our partner countries – also at local level. The European Commission is now looking to expand its TAIEX expert database, particularly for local level expertise. 

Meeting the objectives of the EU Green Deal in an increasingly complex global context requires a simplified regulatory framework that guides and supports all businesses and does not stifle their competitiveness. To draw EU policymakers' attention to the importance of developing laws that are targeted, proportionate and meet the objectives for the most vulnerable economic actors, members of the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) held a seminar on reducing regulatory burdens on SMEs. 

In a context of multiplication of crises, EU local and regional leaders debated at the meeting of the European Committee of the Regions' commission for Natural Resources (NAT) on 30 March on how to make regions more resilient in agriculture, health and food systems. They argued that European Union should not only be reacting to crises but also be able to anticipate them by defining vulnerabilities criteria at local and regional level and integrating them into EU policy-making. Health claim labelling on food and alcoholic products was also discussed at the meeting. 

On Thursday 30 March, the 2023 high-level conference of the Covenant of Mayors was the opportunity to reflect on how local authorities are responding to the energy crisis and protecting citizens and local business from soaring energy prices. The conference was the occasion to demonstrate that EU local and regional authorities are the ones driving the EU energy and climate ambition forward - while calling for direct funds and innovative financial instruments to make the European Green Deal go local.  

Local and regional authorities, representatives of the European Commission and other European institutions, academia and civil society attending the European Committee of the Regions conference discussed how to promote the integration of migrants and refugees, intercultural interaction and social cohesion in increasingly diverse societies. 

The Commission launched the ninth edition of the European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital).The prize is awarded to European cities that are front-runners of innovations that benefit their citizens. 

Lead representatives of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) joined European Commissioners Mariya Gabriel and Elisa Ferreira for the launch of a call for expression of interest to establish 100 Regional Innovation Valleys in Europe. The launch took place on 28 March during a high-level event gathering EU territories that participate in the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) pilot action.  

On 29 March 2023, ENVE Chair Rafal Trzaskowski and Martin Horn, Mayor of Freiburg and President of ICLEI Europe and have presented the CoR-ICLEI action plan 2023-2024. The action plan has been designed with the aim to facilitate cooperation between the CoR and ICLEI and to promote their shared goals and objectives with respect to climate policies, biodiversity, regional development and citizens' engagement. 

Tijdens de presentatie van de indicator voor het regionale concurrentievermogen (2022) in het gebouw van het Europees Comité van de Regio’s (CvdR) zijn de Nederlandse provincies Utrecht en Zuid-Holland en de Franse hoofdstedelijke regio Île-de-France als de meest concurrerende regio’s van de Europese Unie uit de bus gekomen. Ook bleek dat regio’s in Oost- en Zuid-Europa bezig zijn aan een inhaalslag. Wel is in veel lidstaten nog altijd sprake van een enorme kloof tussen de hoofdstedelijke regio en de rest van het land. 

Vanaf nu kan worden meegedongen naar de EU-prijzen voor de biologische sector 2023. De prijzen, die een gezamenlijk initiatief zijn van het Europees Comité van de Regio’s, de Europese Commissie, het Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité, Copa-Cogeca en IFOAM Organics Europe, zijn bedoeld om spelers in de biologische waardeketen te belonen die innovatieve, duurzame en inspirerende projecten hebben ontwikkeld met een echte toegevoegde waarde voor de biologische productie en consumptie. Er zijn acht prijzen in zeven verschillende categorieën. Drie van de prijzen — die voor beste biologische regio, beste biologische stad en beste biodistrict — worden uitgereikt door het CvdR. De winnaars worden bekendgemaakt op de Biodag van de EU, die dit jaar op 25 september 2023 valt.Isilda Gomes, voorzitter van de CvdR-commissie Natuurlijke Hulpbronnen (NAT): “De steeds grotere vraag van de consument naar betere kwaliteit, duurzamere, meer lokale en gezonde voeding, met inbegrip van biologische producten, kan nieuwe kansen creëren voor de plattelandseconomie. De biologische landbouw is uitgegroeid tot een belangrijke bron van werkgelegenheid en inkomsten waarmee wordt bijgedragen tot de doelstellingen van de langetermijnvisie voor plattelandsgebieden. Daarom steunt het CvdR de in de “van boer tot bord”-strategie vastgestelde EU-doelstelling om tegen 2030 25 % van de landbouwgrond voor biologische landbouw te gebruiken. Deze ambitie kan alleen worden bereikt met beleidsinstrumenten die de ontwikkeling van de biologische sector ondersteunen, zoals prijzen die uitmuntendheid in de biologische voedselketen belonen en die zowel de productie als de consumptie van biologische producten stimuleren.In mijn woonplaats Portimão staan we volledig achter de doelstelling van de “van boer tot bord”-strategie en werken we samen met lokale producenten om deze doelstelling te verwezenlijken. Wij helpen hen de verkoop van hun producten op de markt te verbeteren en geven de plaatselijke bevolking toegang tot voedsel van betere kwaliteit, terwijl wij tegelijkertijd onze plattelandsgemeenschappen beschermen.”Aanvragen kunnen tot 14 mei worden ingediend via de volgende links:BiodistrictenRegio’sStedenVoor vragen in verband met de prijzen kunt u contact opnemen met EuorganicawardsCoR@cor.europa.eu