The Knowledge Exchange Platform, a joint initiative of the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission, held its first meeting of 2022 on 22 June with the topic of Building Synergies for Successful Green and Digital Transitions. 

The European Committee of the Regions expresses its full and unequivocal support to the decision taken today by the EU Heads of State and Government to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine and to the Republic of Moldova. This important signal of political support will encourage our Ukrainian and Moldovan partners to advance on the way of democracy, the rule of law, and ability to provide a safe future for their citizens. 

​As the European Year of Youth 2022 is soon reaching the halfway mark, debates at the CoR's SEDEC Commission meeting on 21 June focused around youth policy. Mainstreaming the youth dimension across EU policies, improving the young people's participation in democratic life and promoting the social inclusion of vulnerable young people into the educational system are among the key elements of an upcoming opinion which will be prepared by Tine Radinja (SI/The Greens), Mayor of Škofja Loka. 

Salutăm rezultatele Conferinței privind viitorul Europei (CoFoE) și, în special, apelurile la crearea unui sistem de consilieri locali ai UE ca modalitate de a aduce Europa mai aproape de cetățenii din regiunile, orașele și satele sale și de a îmbunătăți democrația europeană. 

​​On the 21st and 22nd of June 2022,EU40 - the Network of Young MEPs &, MEPs Kympouropoulos (EL-EPP), Peter-Hansen (DK-G/EFA), Vedrenne (FR-RE), and Moretti (IT-S&D), will host a two-day in-person conference of young elected politicians from right across the European Union. The initiative, which falls under the high patronage of the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), is also actively supported by the CoRYoung Elected Politicians Programme (YEPs) and the European Local Leaders Group (ELL). European Commission Vice-President, Mr. Margaritis Schinas, will open the conference. 

On 15-16 June, over 450 participants representing EU, national, and regional policy makers along with local authorities, social and economic stakeholders gathered for the first Rural Pact conference . They agreed on the governance of the Rural Pact and committed to achieving the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas . Over these two days, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) together with other participants and members of the Rural Pact community started making commitments to make the EU’s rural areas stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous by 2040. As the institution that represents the million or more local and regional politicians across the EU, the CoR is a key player in ensuring that the long-term vision becomes a reality, demonstrating that cohesion is a fundamental value of the European Union. 

On 14 June, the European Committee of the Regions rapporteur on a Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood - A new Agenda for the Mediterranean, Vincenzo BIANCO (IT/PES), exchanged views with members of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on the role of regions in the EU strategy on Southern Neighbourhood. 

​The Mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, announced the opening of nominations for the 2022 Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for local champions of freedom and solidarity and the fight against intolerance, oppression and xenophobia. She was speaking today, at the general assembly of International Cities of Refuge Network. 

The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions encourage other applicants from all Member States to become new signatories for the broadest uptake of adaptation measures in Europe and lead the way towards a climate-resilient future  

Tourism has been one of the sectors worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic: hotels, restaurants, airlines and travel agencies had to stop their activity almost completely during a long period and only now touristic activity is slowly recovering back to pre-2020 levels. However, the pandemic has also accelerated the transition to a more sustainable models of tourism. This was the topic of a conference organised by the CoR's NAT Commission in Santiago de Compostela on 3 June. The host city is known for the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James), which provides a perfect example of sustainable, low-impact tourism combining cultural heritage and bringing together people from across Europe. 

​​As Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine is putting global food supply at risk and European consumers are already experiencing a rise of food prices, many believe that Europe's food system could be made more resilient against crisis by investing on sustainable local quality production and shortening supply chains. The European Committee of the Regions is currently preparing an opinion on Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of the EU food system. Members of the NAT Commission discussed this highly relevant topic in the external meeting held in Santiago de Compostela on 2 June. 

​The energy crisis remains a major concern for local and regional leaders across the EU. Therefore, it is crucial to empower regions and cities to strengthen their capacity to build resilient communities in order to limit the EU's dependency on fossil fuels. Decentralised energy production, energy efficiency and saving plans on a local and regional level will ensure the achievement of the REPowerEU plan . Current threats to Europe’s energy security and supply are not an alternative to the climate-neutral transition, local leaders recalled. 

​In this interview, Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA), Member of the Flemish Parliament, and the European Committee of the Regions rapporteur of the opinion ' Amending the Renewable Energy Directive to meet the new 2030 climate target ', adopted during the 27-29 April plenary session, answers four questions on the role of local and regional authorities in the revision of the Directive and their contribution to the EU's energy independence. The opinion called on the European Commission to assess the feasibility of further raising the Directive's targets, based on a detailed impact assessment that takes into account its asymmetric impact on regions across the EU. 

As EU leaders gather in Brussels for an extraordinary summit and the European Parliament prepares to present its assessment on the implementation of post-COVID 19 recovery plans, a new CoR-CEMR joint consultation sounds the alarm about the worrying lack of involvement of EU territories in the governance, execution and monitoring of National Recovery and Resilience Plans. 

​On 19 May, the European Commission, the Covenant of Mayors – Europe and the European Committee of the Regions launched The Cities Energy Saving Sprint , a joint initiative for cities to immediately reduce energy consumption and be better prepared for next winter by using a simple energy saving toolkit. The “Sprint” will last for 4 months, until the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), to be held from 26 to 30 September 2022. 

Ukrainian local leaders have voiced strong support for the involvement of European cities and regions in the reconstruction of Ukraine. They have also urged them to help with rebuilding key infrastructure even while the war continues, highlighting that the war has also brought destruction to parts of the country far from the current lines of contact between Ukrainian and Russian troops. 

The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, the President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and the Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Emil Boc, exchanged views today with young people in Cluj-Napoca on Europe's future and on the role youth can play in the democratic process at EU, national and regional/local level. The local dialogue " Europe unfolds in Transylvania: Building on democracy, education and youth – What's next after the CoFE " took place as a follow up to the Conference on the Future of Europe and is the 4th EU-local dialogue hosted in Cluj-Napoca. 

​​​​​The European Committee of the Regions welcomes the European Union’s pledge today to help Ukraine rebuild its cities, villages and infrastructure. As the voice of regions and municipalities within the EU and given our long-standing cooperation with our Ukrainian partners, our Committee is ready to firmly engage in the reconstruction process. We consider that the direct involvement of EU and Ukrainian local authorities must be the building block of the reconstruction. We stand ready to launch an Alliance to provide Ukraine’s regional and local authorities with the practical support that they will need over the coming years to rebuild Ukraine in Europe. 

Astăzi, Comisia a anunțat cele 63 de regiuni, șapte orașe și patru state membre selectate în cadrul proiectului-pilot pentru Parteneriatele pentru inovare regională, o inițiativă elaborată împreună cu Comitetul Regiunilor. Participanții la acțiunea-pilot sunt deschiși să facă schimb de bune practici, precum și să dezvolte în comun și să testeze instrumente de mobilizare a mai multor surse de finanțare și politici și să conecteze programele regionale și naționale la inițiativele UE pentru transformarea verde și cea digitală. Aceste parteneriate contribuie la noua Agendă de inovare pentru Europa, în care inovarea stimulează transformarea pentru sustenabilitate, conectând strategiile locale cu inițiativele de la nivelul UE. 

On 3-4 May a delegation of the European Committee of the Regions visited the scientific site of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission based in Ispra, Italy. It was the first official visit of a delegation from a European institution to JRC Ispra after the Covid break. 

Upon the invitation of the Regional Hub of Alentejo, the European Committee of the Regions' Network of Regional Hubs (RegHub) organised its first external workshop, in the World Heritage City of Évora (Alentejo, Portugal) in the framework of the EU Smart Communities Summit. 

​Markku Markkula (FI/EPP), member of Espoo City Council and President of the Helsinki Region, has drafted the European Committee of the Regions' opinion on European missions. The opinion was adopted at the CoR plenary session on 27-28 April. In this interview, Markkula explains how the missions can contribute to the EU's efforts to accelerate the green and digital transitions and move towards climate neutralit 

At the occasion of the 5th United Nations' International Day of Living Together in Peace on 16 May 2022, the European Committee of the Regions would like to encourage you to watch the documentary film “All of Us” (Nous Tous by Pierre Pirard, 2021) and to sign the Universal Declaration of Living Together in Peace. 

Would you like to organise a side event of the #EURegionsWeek 2022? The side events are related to the thematic priorities of the #EURegionsWeek 2022 and they must be organised between 10 October and 10 November 2022 in a hybrid or digital format. 

Facilitating cities and regions’ access to finance and boost investment opportunities in sustainable energy and climate action is part of the joint Action Plan of the European Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank.  

​​Economic support and long-term financial programmes are needed to overcome ongoing raising energy prices and inflation across Europe caused by the war in Ukraine. Members of the Commission for Economic Policy of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) underlined the urgency of further collaboration between local and regional authorities to become independent from Russian trade and energy supplies.  

​Local and regional authorities spearheading the implementation of Local Green Deals and civil society organisations advancing the sustainable urban transformation in Europe can now apply and win 10,000 EUR. 

​The European Committee of the Regions, Régions de France and the Grand Est region discussed on 9 May with 200 young people their expectations of the Conference on the future of Europe and how to encourage the participation of young people in public debate 

The European Committee of the Regions and European Commission held the 4th meeting of the Broadband Platform on 6 May, focusing on ways to improve the digital infrastructure in the European Union by adding the concept of digital cohesion to the ones of social, economic and territorial cohesion recognised by the Treaties. 

Invazia brutală din Ucraina ne-a reamintit că, în ciuda diferențelor dintre ele, cele 27 de state membre ale UE sunt strâns legate de un angajament față de pace, valori fundamentale comune, democrație și solidaritate. Cu toate acestea, încrederea publicului în UE rămâne la cote joase: rezultatele recentelor alegeri prezidențiale din Franța sunt un moment în care să răsuflăm ușurați, nicidecum să sărbătorim, dat fiind că 41 % au votat pentru extrema dreaptă. Astăzi, cu ocazia Zilei Europei, după un an de discuții purtate în cadrul Conferinței privind viitorul Europei, este momentul să reflectăm sincer la reformarea modului în care funcționează UE, astfel încât aceasta să fie mai eficientă, mai reactivă și mai apropiată de cetățenii săi. 

The Publications Office of the EU has created a visual booklet in all EU languages to help Ukrainian and English speakers overcome the first communication barriers. It is proving very popular in classrooms around Europe. 

The European Parliament has established a new award scheme, the European Democracy Sites, run by the House of European History. For 2022, the goal is to nominate one site per member state of the European Union. The scheme will support the visibility of a historical site and its efforts to connect with other historical sites and educational institutions.  

On 29 and 30 April, the Conference on the Future of Europe Plenary session met for the last time and agreed to a set of 49 proposals which include more than 300 measures on how to achieve them, across 9 topics - from European democracy to climate change via economic growth and jobs,- based on 178 recommendations from the European Citizens' Panels, input from the National Panels and events, and 43 734 contributions on 16 274 ideas recorded on the multilingual digital platform.  

On 9 May, we mark the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration, which laid the foundation for what is now the European Union. Given Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, Europe Day 2022 is an even more important moment to reaffirm our attachment to peace, showcase our unity and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and stand up for universal values, like freedom and democracy in a rules-based global order. 

While the EU is focusing on reducing its energy dependence from Russian fossil fuels through REPowerEU,cities and regions remain crucial to speed up the deployment of renewable energies and improve energy efficiency while ensuring citizens' engagement and support through open participatory processes. In an event organised by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission (EC), local and regional leaders have shared their experiences in delivering the European Green Deal locally – including through EU flagship initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayors and the European Climate Pact . The meeting also included a presentation of Green Deal Going Local , the CoR campaign to place cities and regions at the heart of the EU's transition towards climate-neutrality.  

The European Committee of the Regions has called for the European Union to create a "vulnerability scoreboard" as part of efforts to increase the resilience of regions. Recent crises demonstrate that health is not only an internal policy but an important element of Europe's geopolitical security. Achieving strategic autonomy in health means being able to protect its citizens against all types of disasters, to foresight and analyse threats and to act swiftly when a crisis arises. 

The energy crisis and Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlight the importance of alternative energy sources and rapid decarbonisation in the EU in order to ensure greater environmental justice in cities and municipalities, and to avoid inequalities caused by energy crises. By adopting an opinion at the CoR plenary session on 28 April calling for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to be adapted to the needs of EU cities and regions, the members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) sent a clear signal. ​ 

Platforma părților interesate privind reducerea la zero a poluării, o inițiativă comună a Comitetului European al Regiunilor (CoR) și a Comisiei Europene (CE), a organizat cea de a doua ședință la 25 aprilie, fiind axată pe sănătate și pe Planul de acțiune privind reducerea la zero a poluării, ca factor-cheie pentru reducerea poluării apei, aerului și solului, precum și a inegalităților în materie de sănătate în UE. 

Hundred European cities were selected on Thursday by the European Commission to participate in the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2030 through the development of smart solutions. In addition to EUR 360 million of Horizon Europe funding for 2022 and 2023, the cities involved will benefit from tailor-made advice and assistance, as well as opportunities to participate in large innovation actions and pilot projects. The European Committee of the Regions' rapporteur Markku Markkula, Member of Espoo City Council, considers this as a huge opportunity for these cities. 

Fiind nivelul de guvernare cel mai apropiat de cetățeni, autoritățile locale și regionale din UE joacă un rol esențial în promovarea valorilor europene și în încurajarea participării cetățenilor la procesele democratice. Liderii locali și regionali sunt de acord în ceea ce privește necesitatea urgentă de a promova democrația europeană în educație, astfel cum solicită cetățenii în cadrul Conferinței privind viitorul Europei. Acesta a fost principalul mesaj transmis în timpul dezbaterii privind promovarea valorilor europene prin educație pentru promovarea cetățeniei UE, desfășurată în cadrul sesiunii plenare a Comitetului European al Regiunilor (CoR) din 28 aprilie. Membrii CoR au adoptat, de asemenea, un aviz privind consolidarea democrației și a integrității alegerilor, care subliniază necesitatea unei participări deschise, echitabile, pluraliste și democratice la nivel local și regional. 

Maroš Šefčovič, vicepreședinte al Comisiei Europene, a salutat ambiția Comitetului Regiunilor și a membrilor săi de a coopera cu Regatul Unit la nivel local și regional, chiar dacă această cooperare se plasează în limitele tipului de Brexit pentru care a optat guvernul Regatului Unit. 

Primarii și guvernatorii din Europa colaborează cu colegii lor ucraineni pentru a organiza transferul și sejurul copiilor din comunitățile locale din Ucraina cele mai grav afectate de război. Proiectul a fost prezentat în cadrul sesiunii plenare a Comitetului European al Regiunilor (CoR), Adunarea UE a autorităților locale și regionale. 

The New European Bauhaus initiative, which connects the European Green Deal to our daily lives and living spaces, is as a key opportunity to harness the creative potential of regions and municipalities, provide jobs locally and create accepted and sustainable solutions, the European Committee of the Regions believes. The opinion drafted by Cork City Councillor Kieran McCarthy (IE/EA) points out, however, that this requires strong local and regional engagement, which is why the European Commission must ensure that cities and regions are at the centre of the initiative and receive technical assistance and appropriate funding. In this regard, the Commission has confirmed it is developing a voucher scheme as proposed in McCarthy's opinion. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has underlined the major flaws of the current European economic governance and said that it is imperative to avoid new austerity policies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine. In recommendations adopted at the plenary session, local and regional leaders called for the establishment of a "golden co-financing rule" for structural funds and welcomed the steps made so far towards a fairer tax system, including a proposal for a global minimum level of taxation for multinational groups in the Union. They expressed concern, however, that the new rules could increase red tape for businesses.  

Într-un aviz elaborat de Emil Boc (RO-PPE), primarul orașului Cluj-Napoca, Comitetul European al Regiunilor (CoR) subliniază importanța ancorării strategiei europene pentru universități la nivel local. Comitetul subliniază că universitățile au un rol esențial în abordarea provocărilor globale: prin generarea de noi cunoștințe în domeniul cercetării și prin promovarea de noi inovații, acestea sprijină tranziția verde și cea digitală, precum și celelalte obiective de politică esențiale ale UE. Universitățile pot oferi soluții și instrumente în abordarea unora dintre problemele majore cu care se confruntă UE, precum exodul creierelor și exodul rural. 

Gestionarea durabilă și eficientă a agriculturii și silviculturii este esențială pentru conservarea și protejarea peisajului, menținerea în viață a economiilor rurale, contracararea depopulării și, astfel, eliminarea disparităților în materie de dezvoltare. Liderii locali și regionali solicită Uniunii Europene să sprijine IMM-urile și microîntreprinderile din zonele rurale, în special prin proceduri simplificate privind normele pentru ajutoare de stat. 

Criza energetică provocată de invadarea Ucrainei de către Putin a exacerbat necesitatea ca UE să își elimine treptat dependența de petrol, gaze și cărbune. Având în vedere situația geopolitică actuală și consecințele sale asupra piețelor energiei, Comitetul European al Regiunilor – Adunarea UE a liderilor locali și regionali aleși – a adoptat o rezoluție privind planul REPowerEU, care contribuie la strategia energetică a Comisiei Europene vizând obținerea independenței de importurile de energie din Rusia până în 2030. Amenințările actuale la adresa securității și aprovizionării cu energie a Europei nu lasă nicio alternativă la tranziția către neutralitatea climatică, subliniază liderii locali. 

At its Plenary Session of 27 April, the CoR adopted an opinion on Strengthening the EU-UK relationship at subnational level and remedying the territorial impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, presented by rapporteur Michael Murphy (IE/EPP), Councillor, Tipperary County Council, Mayor of Clonmel Borough District. 

Karl-Heinz Lambertz, coordinator of the Subsidiarity Steering Group at the European Committee of the Regions, addressed the Interparliamentary Committee Meeting with National Parliaments on "The EU Subsidiarity Mechanism", which the European Parliament's JURI Committee held in Brussels on 25 April 2022. 

În cursul unei dezbateri cu lideri locali și regionali ucraineni, care a avut loc la 27 aprilie, Comitetul European al Regiunilor (CoR) a solicitat „sancțiuni substanțiale împotriva Rusiei”, a cerut „eliberarea imediată a primarilor și funcționarilor publici ucraineni răpiți de forțele de ocupație rusești” și a oferit expertiza regiunilor și orașelor UE pentru a ajuta autoritățile locale și regionale din Ucraina în eforturile de reconstrucție. Acest mesaj a fost transmis mai târziu de președintele CoR, dl Tzitzikostas, președintelui Ucrainei, Volodîmîr Zelenski, la Congresul ucrainean al autorităților locale și regionale.