The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro, met today the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, in an exchange meant to present the priorities of President Cordeiro at the helm of the CoR for 2022-2025. 

The European Commission has just published its 2021 Annual Burden Survey, explaining and taking stock of the EU's better regulation efforts in 2021, their concrete findings and follow-up. 

The presidents of the European Committee of the Regions and the Association of Ukrainian Cities have congratulated cities and regions that are organising summer camps in the European Union for Ukrainian children, saying that this is an act of solidarity that offers a sense of normality to some of the millions of Ukrainian children whose lives have been shaken by the war.  

The European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee are launching the call for expression of interest to participate to the 7th meeting of the European Migration Forum, which will take place on 20-21 October 2022 in Brussels . The European Migration Forum is a platform for dialogue between civil society and the European institutions on issues relating to migration, asylum and the integratio n of non-EU country nationals. 

​The ENVE commission meeting on 15 July showed that the prospect of the energy crisis is worsening as the approaching winter is a major concern for EU local and regional authorities. The severe droughts across the EU and the tragic collapse of the Marmolada glacier confirm the urgent need to adapt to global warming. The ENVE commission adopted two draft opinions on the energy package on gas, hydrogen and methane, and the role of cities and regions in global climate governance ahead of the United Nations climate summit to take place in November in Egypt. The priorities of the Czech Presidency were also on the discussion table.  

​​​How to better finance the decarbonisation of public transport through cohesion policy and other EU instruments, remove administrative bottlenecks and give cities direct access to EU funds: these were the main issues discussed during a two-day meeting that gathered to Prague local and regional leaders from all over the European Union at the start of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.​ ​ 

The European Union and any country wishing to join the EU need to do more to address the concerns of young people and secure their participation in politics, local and regional politicians from the EU, the western Balkans, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia at a two-day conference focused on EU enlargement. 

The growing digital divide between urban and rural areas is one of the major challenges faced by citizens and businesses in Europe. EU, national, regional and local governments must therefore intensify cooperation to ensure a decent access to internet and digital services in key areas such as healthcare, education, public services, social inclusion. This was one of the main messages that emerged from the meeting of the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 8 July.  

​With the New European Innovation Agenda , the European Commission wants to position Europe as a leading player on the global innovation scene, capable to develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges. The European Committee of the Regions welcomes that the communication published on 5 July puts an important focus on closing the innovation divide between EU regions and reinforcing the links between regional smart specialization strategies, Horizon Europe and other funding mechanisms. 

​With antisemitism worryingly on the rise in Europe and beyond, the European Union is beginning to implement the first ever EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. EU regions and cities have a crucial role in protecting and promoting Jewish cultural heritage as a vital part of Europe's culture and way of life. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 29 June welcomed the increasing attention paid to local and regional government in the European Union's enlargement process, but added that the European Commission should now go further by focusing on encouraging national governments to cooperate more with regional and local governments. The recommendations are contained in the Committee's response to the European Commission's 2021 reports on reforms made by countries wishing to join the European Union.  

One of the Czech Republic's top priority during its six months in the chair of the Council of the European Union will be to cope with the influx of displaced Ukrainians forced to flee because of Russia's invasion, Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bartoš told the European Committee of the Regions on 30 June. He also pledged to try to make it easier for regions and cities to secure EU funding for the support of refugees and speed up the transition towards safe and sustainable energy. 

Local and regional leaders adopted a resolution on the outcome and follow-up of the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFE) at their Plenary session. They call for the swift follow-up and implementation of the recommendations expressed in the report in order to meet citizens' expectations and they consider that an ambitious reform of the functioning of the EU to meet the challenges ahead requires Treaty revisions. A future Convention should fully involve members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) to represent the voices of the over 1 million regionally and locally elected politicians in Europe, in order also to strengthen the local and regional dimensions of EU policies. 

On Thursday, the European assembly of local and regional representatives adopted a series of recommendations on the new proposal for a European directive on the energy performance of buildings. The rapporteur for the opinion is André Viola, representative of Aude Departmental Council. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a cornerstone of the Fit for 55 package, which aims to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. 

At the request of the Council of the European Union, the EU's assembly of cities and regions has adopted an opinion on the environmental imperatives and social acceptability of the ecological transition. The European Committee of the Regions has greenlighted the proposals of the rapporteur Hanna Zdanowska (PL/EPP), Mayor of Lodz, which puts forward a series of economic and social measures to ensure that the European Green Deal – the EU's sustainable growth strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050, is grounded in a strong social acceptability and leaves no citizen, territory nor business behind. 

On Thursday, the European assembly of regional and local representatives adopted a series of recommendations to support the implementation of green budgets at local and regional level. The recommendations were prepared at the request of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union. The rapporteur for the opinion is Vincent Chauvet (FR/Renew Europe), Mayor of Autun and member of the Green Deal working group of the European Committee of the Regions. The Committee calls on the European Commission and the Member States to exempt green investments from the regional public deficit calculation and to establish effective, participatory and transparent green budgeting, with a clear methodology linked to specific environmental performance indicators. 

V nadväznosti na prijatie všeobecného smerovania Rady ku kľúčovým spisom balíka Fit for 55 prijal Európsky výbor regiónov štyri stanoviská, ktoré sa priamo týkajú úlohy miest a regiónov pri napĺňaní Európskej zelenej dohody ako stratégie rastu EÚ na dosiahnutie klimatickej neutrality do roku 2050. Pozornosť sa v nich venuje viacerým témam počnúc hospodárskymi a finančnými opatreniami, či zvýšením miestnych zelených rozpočtov až po vykonávanie smernice o energetickej hospodárnosti budov a potrebu vypracovať sociálne opatrenia na ochranu najzraniteľnejších osôb a posilniť úlohu občanov v zelenej transformácii. 

Európsky výbor regiónov (VR) vytvoril Alianciu regiónov s automobilovým priemyslom ako politickú sieť regiónov, ktoré sa angažujú v záujme úspešnej transformácie európskeho automobilového a dodávateľského odvetvia. Cieľom aliancie je začleniť regionálnu perspektívu do prebiehajúcich diskusií o dekarbonizácii dopravy EÚ a zároveň zabezpečiť pracovné miesta, konkurencieschopnosť a hospodársku a sociálnu súdržnosť na všetkých európskych územiach ovplyvnených transformáciou. Obrat automobilového priemyslu dosahuje vyše 7 % HDP EÚ, pričom je v tomto sektore zamestnaných viac ako 14 miliónov Európanov, čo predstavuje 6,1 % celkovej zamestnanosti v EÚ. Úvodné podujatie sa uskutočnilo počas plenárneho zasadnutia VR 30. júna a je východiskovým bodom pre ďalšie činnosti aliancie, ktorú doteraz tvorí 20 regiónov so silným automobilovým a dodávateľským odvetvím zo siedmich členských štátov: Rakúsko, Francúzsko, Nemecko, Taliansko, Slovensko, Španielsko a Holandsko. Aliancia je otvorená pre ktorýkoľvek nový región, ktorý sa k tejto novej sieti chce pripojiť. 

Európsky výbor regiónov a združenia zastupujúce európske mestá, obce a regióny spustili 30. júna Európsku alianciu miest a regiónov pre obnovu Ukrajiny s cieľom pomôcť ukrajinským miestnym a regionálnym samosprávam pri obnove domov, škôl, infraštruktúry a služieb, ktoré Rusko zničilo od začiatku invázie 24. februára. Aliancia vznikla len sedem dní po rozhodnutí členských štátov EÚ udeliť Ukrajine štatút kandidátskej krajiny. Ukrajinský minister pre komunity a územný rozvoj alianciu uvítal a označil ju za potenciálny „základ európskej integrácie našej krajiny“. 

Barcelona (Spain), Penela Municipality (Portugal) and West Pomerania Region (Poland) have been named European Entrepreneurial Regions (EER) for 2023. The three European territories have been awarded this excellence label by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) for their outstanding entrepreneurial and intelligent growth strategies while taking into account societal challenges. The 2023 edition of the EER revolves around the lead theme "Entrepreneurship and resilient communities".  

The Arctic can provide Europe with knowledge, products, resources and energy which are crucial for achieving the EU's climate goals. At its plenary session on 29 June, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion drafted by Mirja Vehkaperä (FI/Renew Europe), Chair of Oulu City Board, underlining that EU funding must support the Arctic's potential as a driver of green growth and the digital transition in the EU, while striking a balance with protecting the Arctic nature and fighting climate change. 

Členovia Európskeho výboru regiónov (VR) zvolili Vasca Alvesa Cordeira za svojho nového predsedu na nasledujúce dvaapolročné obdobie. Poslanec regionálneho parlamentu Azorských ostrovov bude viesť zhromaždenie EÚ združujúce regionálnych a miestnych zástupcov, pričom sa zameria na posilnenie demokracie, obranu politiky súdržnosti, dosiahnutie cieľov Európskej zelenej dohody a posilnenie regionálnej podpory pre Ukrajinu. Členovia VR si tiež za nového prvého podpredsedu zvolili Apostolosa Tzitzikostasa, predsedu regiónu Stredné Macedónsko v Grécku. 

Today, in a ceremony at the European Committee of the Regions premises in the presence of Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, outgoing President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), donated an olive tree to praise democracy and peace as European fundamental values and as a symbol of commitment to a greener future.  

EU cities and regions call on the European Commission to strengthen the criteria for defining the employment status of digital platform workers in order to improve their working conditions. In an opinion drafted by Yonnec Polet (BE/PES), First Deputy Mayor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, the European Committee of the Regions also voices its concern about the use of algorithms and stresses that workers must always have the right to a decision taken by a human manager or supervisor. The opinion was adopted by the plenary session on 29 June. 

​​​Members of the European Committee of the Regions, members of the European Parliament, citizens' consultations experts and citizens draft a checklist to be used for future citizens' consultations. 

​​The European Union's response to the refugee crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows that it "can learn lessons", the president of the European Committee of the Regions said at a conference on 24 June, going on to call for the EU to reform the its asylum and migration system "to have more justice in the distribution of responsibilities". Such reforms would, he said, also respond to the opinion of EU citizens, articulated in recommendations that recently emerged from the 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 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. 

Oceňujeme výsledky Konferencie o budúcnosti Európy, a najmä návrh vytvoriť systém miestnych zástupcov EÚ ako prostriedok, ktorý by mohol pomôcť priblížiť Európu k občanom v jej regiónoch, mestách a obciach a zlepšiť európsku demokraciu. 

​​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. 

Komisia dnes oznámila 63 regiónov, sedem miest a štyri členské štáty, ktoré boli vybraté v rámci pilotného projektu iniciatívy Partnerstvá pre regionálne inovácie, vytvorenej v spolupráci s Výborom regiónov. Účastníci pilotnej akcie si môžu vymieňať osvedčené postupy a spoločne vyvíjať a testovať nástroje na mobilizáciu viacerých zdrojov financovania a politík a na prepájanie regionálnych a vnútroštátnych programov s iniciatívami EÚ v záujme dosiahnutia zelenej a digitálnej transformácie. Tieto partnerstvá prispejú k novému Programu inovácií pre Európu, v ktorom inovácie podnecujú transformáciu v záujme udržateľnosti, pričom prepájajú miestne stratégie s iniciatívami na úrovni EÚ. 

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