The #CohesionAlliance partners met online on 26 November to discuss the current state of the trilogue negotiations of the cohesion policy package with representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the German Council Presidency. The partner organisations representing cities, regions and regional assemblies voiced their concern about macroeconomic conditionality, the risk of centralisation and the full implementation of cohesion and REACT EU programmes over the upcoming years and urged for cohesion as a fundamental value. 

​The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Parliament Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas (RUMRA)&smart villages intergroup at the European Parliament with the supports of the International Association Rurality-Environment-Development (R.E.D) and Euromontana have organised a conference in Brussels on 27 November to talk about the specific needs of rural areas post-2020. 

ARLEM at 5th UfM Regional Forum. On 27 November 2020, ARLEM co-chair Musa Hadid, Mayor of Ramallah (Palestine), addressed the co-presidency of the Union for the Mediterranean and ministers of foreign affairs at the UfM Fifth Regional Forum – Building a stronger Mediterranean.  

Evropska komisija je objavila razpis za zbiranje predlogov za dogodke v okviru uradnega programa evropskega leta železnic 2021. Prvi krog zbiranja predlogov se bo zaključil 11. decembra 2020. 

The first plenary meeting of the Fit for Future (F4F) Platform chaired by European Commission’s Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič took place with three CoR members Mark Speich (DE/EPP), Anne Karjalainen (FI/PSE) and Ulrika Landergren (SE/RE). The F4F platform is the main instrument of the Better regulation agenda of the European Commission that aims at reducing unnecessary administrative burdens to citizens and businesses and to help make sure that EU legislation is future proof, more digital and better placed to tackle future challenges. The local and regional level of government, which is the closest to the citizens, is represented in the meetings of the F4F platform in the early drafting and the evaluation phases of EU legislation. This is the one of the achievements of the CoR work in the Task force on Subsidiarity and Proportionality.  

The members of the commission for territorial cohesion and EU budget (COTER) discussed the future of cross-border cooperation including their participation in the Cross Border Citizens' Alliance and adopted the draft opinion on cross-border public services prepared by rapporteur Pavel Branda (ECR/CZ). During their meeting members agreed that a minimum of cross-border cooperation needs to be guaranteed in times of crisis. 

Climate change is having wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems, economic sectors, human health and well-being in Europe. From 1980 to 2016, the total reported economic losses caused by weather and other climate-related extremes in Europe amounted to over EUR 436 billion, according to the European Commission. In this interview, Markku Markkula (FI/EPP) answers four questions on climate adaptation. The Chair of Espoo City Board and President of the Helsinki Region is the rapporteur of a draft opinion on climate adaptation to be adopted at the next plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions on 8, 9 and 10 December 2020. 

V sredo, 25. novembra, smo obeležili mednarodni dan za odpravo nasilja nad ženskami . Evropski odbor regij (OR) je ob tej priložnosti znova pozval k sprejetju zakonodajnih ukrepov na ravni EU za preprečevanje vseh oblik nasilja nad ženskami in dekleti ter za boj proti temu pojavu. V skladu s podatki Združenih narodov, zbranimi do septembra 2020, je 48 držav preprečevanje nasilja nad ženskami in dekleti ter odzivanje nanj vključilo v svoje načrte za obvladovanje krize zaradi COVID-19, 121 držav pa je sprejelo ukrepe za okrepitev storitev za ženske, ki so preživele nasilje med to svetovno krizo. 

The European Committee of the Regions has given its preliminary backing to a set of recommendations aimed at ensuring that the European Union embraces agro-ecological principles and techniques in its efforts to reduce agriculture's contribution to climate change, secure the EU's food supplies, and support rural communities. 

Evropski odbor regij (OR) bo okrepil sodelovanje s službami Evropske komisije na področju raziskav in inovacij, izobraževanja in kulture, da bi povečal evropsko bazo znanja na lokalni in regionalni ravni ter podprl okrevanje po krizi zaradi COVID-19. Namen novega akcijskega načrta, ki sta ga podpisali instituciji, je regijam in mestom zagotoviti najnovejše podatke in znanje ter jim pomagati pri odpravljanju inovacijskega razkoraka in preprečevanju bega možganov, obravnavanju neenakosti na področju izobraževanja in uresničevanju političnih prednostnih nalog EU, kot je zeleni dogovor. 

​​​The current EU budget and recovery plan impasse, the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the cohesion policy package 2021-2027 and the need to establish cohesion as a fundamental value for rural areas are keeping the demands of the #CohesionAlliance relevant. It is time for another push! 

Now Published : EUR37.2m Call for Proposals to fund transnational projects. Deadline: February 16, 2021 

​The European Commission started a public consultation in October​. The goal is to aid economic recovery and tackle climate change, by promoting sustainable products and services – e.g. marine renewable energy – that preserve the marine environment and maintain ocean health.​ ​The online feedback form is open and the EC shows real interest in input from LRAs.​ It will result in a communication planned for 2021.​ ​​​NAT commission invites Members and stakeholders to take part in the initiative. 

Med pandemično krizo z več kot 11 milijoni okuženih in več kot 270.000 smrtnimi žrtvami v Evropi je do izraza prišla bistvena vloga vseh regionalnih in lokalnih oblasti ter vmesne ravni pri zagotavljanju javnih storitev čim bliže državljanom. One so tiste, ki na lokalni ravni izvajajo vse potrebne ukrepe varovanja zdravja, kot sta karantena in sledenje stikom. 

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the socio-economic crisis it has engendered have a strong territorial dimension with a profound impact on subnational governments. To better understand and assess it, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the CoR joined forces to carry out an online survey on "The impact of COVID-19 on regional and local governments: governance, finance and recovery plans". It gathered 300 responses from representatives of regional, intermediate, and municipal governments in 24 Member States of the EU.  

Pandemija COVID-19 ima zelo velike škodljive posledice za evropska gospodarstva. Komisija ECON Evropskega odbora regij redno pripravlja ekonomske biltene, v katerih predstavlja najnovejše raziskave, članke in razprave o družbeno-gospodarskih posledicah pandemije v Evropi ter različne gospodarske ukrepe za odziv nanjo, ki se načrtujejo in izvajajo na ravni EU ter nacionalni, regionalni in lokalni ravni. 

ARLEM welcomes the launch of a set of indicators to assess progress of gender equality in the Mediterranean region. The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) welcomed the launch at the UfM Conference Women for the Mediterranean of the UfM Institutional Ministerial follow-up mechanism and its indicators, adopted this year by the UfM Member States, that will allow to monitor and measure for the coming years gender equality progress in the region. 

Črna gora bo potrebovala močno podporo Evropske unije, če želi obvladati velike gospodarske in politične spremembe ter si zagotoviti članstvo v EU. Na to so na seji 18. novembra opozorili lokalni in regionalni politiki iz EU in Črne gore. 

Against the backdrop of the second corona wave, cities and regions represented in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) back the German Presidency efforts and emphasise the urgent need for agreement on the next EU long-term budget and the recovery funds. These funds are vital for local and regional authorities to enact measures against the impact of COVID-19 as well as to accelerate a sustainable recovery. 

Kriza zaradi COVID-19 močno vpliva na regije in mesta v Evropi. Po ugotovitvah skupne ankete OR in OECD, ki je bila danes predstavljena na seji komisije ECON, večina lokalnih in regionalnih oblasti pričakuje, da bo socialno-ekonomska kriza resno vplivala na njihove finance. V kratkoročnem in srednjeročnem obdobju se bojijo „učinka škarij“ tj. hkratnega povečanja odhodkov in zmanjšanja prihodkov, kar bi lahko ogrozilo njihovo zmožnost izvajanja javnih naložb. Regije in mesta so v prvih vrstah boja za obvladovanje pandemije in njenih socialno-ekonomskih posledic. 

The principle of partnership is a key feature in the programming and implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), building on the multi-level governance approach and ensuring the involvement of civil society and social partners. The Common Provisions Regulation, together with the European Code of Conduct on Partnership (ECCP), sets out the common standards for partner involvement in ESIF Partnership Agreements and programme preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In order to provide the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) with the necessary evidence it has commissioned a study on this important matter. 

On 16 November CoR member Declan McDonnell, Member of Galway City Council (IE/EA) kicked off together with other institutional representatives the European Citizens' Initiative Week organised by the European Commission. He stressed that the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) facilitates and underpins CoR's political priority of bringing Europe closer to its people. The CoR is committed to supporting ECIs which fall into its political remits and which are deemed politically relevant for local and regional authorities. Such initiatives could be discussed at the CoR Plenary sessions. They could also be integrated in the CitizEN - Citizen Engagement in the EU Network – a tool proposed by the European Committee of the Regions which aims at involving citizens in policy-making. 

Lokalni in regionalni politiki iz Združenega kraljestva so se prvič srečali s člani Evropskega odbora regij v skupini za stike, katere namen je zagotoviti, da bodo komunikacijske poti, ki so se razvile v skoraj 47 letih članstva Združenega kraljestva v Evropski uniji, ostale odprte na regionalni in lokalni ravni tudi po letu 2020. Evropski odbor regij je bil ustanovljen leta 1994 in je postal ključna točka za stike med regijami in mesti Združenega kraljestva in drugih držav članic EU. 

The European Committee of the Regions has warmly welcomed a political agreement, endorsed on 12 November by the European Parliament, that would see the European Union dedicate over €5 billion to its flagship health programme over the next seven years. Creation of the EU4Health programme was announced in May as a direct response to the coronavirus, which has now killed over 200,000 people across the EU's 27 member states. 

Odbor pozdravlja prizadevanje Evropskega parlamenta za odločnejše ukrepe EU na področju zdravstvenih raziskav in programa Erasmus+, za demokratični nadzor načrtov okrevanja ter nova finančna sredstva za Unijo. 

Kot je bilo danes sporočeno, so pogajalci nemškega predsedstva Sveta in Evropskega parlamenta dosegli politični dogovor o dolgoročnem proračunu EU in svežnju ukrepov za okrevanje po krizi zaradi COVID-19. Mesta in regije dogovor pozdravljajo, vendar poudarjajo, da ga je nujno treba začeti izvajati, da bi odpravili krizo brez primere, ki jo je povzročila pandemija. Novica o dogovoru je bila objavljena ravno, ko je imela komisija za okolje, podnebne spremembe in energijo (ENVE) Evropskega odbora regij v torek, 10. novembra 2020, spletno sejo. 

​Almost 700 people attending the 1st Borders Forum, organised by the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT), in partnership with the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions, along with France 24. 

On 21 October, the European Committee of the Regions, EUROCITIES, CEMR, PLATFORMA and Regions4 organised a workshop on the role of the SDGs in the crisis recovery. Estelle Göger, member of Cabinet of Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, represented the European Commission and intervened following a debate with speakers representing the diversity of local and regional authorities in the EU – regions, cities, big and small, south, north, East and West of the EU. 

The Commission for the Environment, Climate change and Energy (ENVE) has released the fourth edition of ENVOY, its bulletin.  

Almost two years ago, the CoR launched the pilot phase of RegHub. After a positive evaluation of RegHub's performance, the CoR is now launching the mainstreaming phase of the network (RegHub 2.0) and has published a call for new applicants to become part of it. 

After a very busy period, the European Week of Regions and Cities (which this year spread over three weeks) has now passed. The presentation of the first EU annual Regional and Local Barometer was given, showing the diverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cities and regions in Europe, as well as the ongoing Trilogue negotiations between the EC, EP and the Council.  

Evropska unija in Unija za Sredozemlje bi morali razmisliti o oblikovanju makroregionalne strategije za prehransko varnost v Sredozemlju, spodbujati agroekološki prehod na prakse, ki ohranjajo prst in biotsko raznovrstnost v kmetijstvu, ter razmisliti o uvedbi oznake „sredozemski proizvod“ ali „sredozemska prehrana“. Takšen je poziv v mnenju, o katerem so 29. oktobra razpravljali člani Evro-sredozemske skupščine lokalnih in regionalnih oblasti (ARLEM). 

Following the adoption of the CoR opinion on biodiversity "“Bio-diverse cities and regions beyond 2020 at the UN CBD COP 15 and in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030" by rapporteur Roby Biwer (LU/PES), the ENVE commission co-organised with ICLEI and Regions4 three events on the topic as part of the 18th EU Regions Week and the Green Week 2020. 

As it stands, the legislative proposal on the future CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) is of concern to the European Committee of the Regions rapporteur Guillaume Cros (FR/Verts), as it tends to marginalise – or even undermine – the role and autonomy of the European regions in managing this EU policy, by simply charging them with implementing measures established at national level. 

Evropski odbor regij (OR) v mnenju , ki ga je sprejel na plenarnem zasedanju 14. oktobra, poudarja, da bi strategija EU za enakost spolov morala obravnavati tudi posledice pandemije COVID-19. Po mnenju OR je treba v upravljanje strategije, ki nosi naslov Unija enakosti: strategija za enakost spolov za obdobje 2020–2025 , vključiti lokalne in regionalne oblasti, saj imajo te ključno vlogo in so lahko zaradi svojih posebnih pristojnosti pomembni akterji pri zagotavljanju enakosti spolov. 

Medtem ko v državah po Evropi ponovno narašča število obolelih za COVID-19, si mesta in regije EU vztrajno prizadevajo, da bi s skupnimi močmi ohranili zeleni dogovor v središču okrevanja. Neposreden dostop do sredstev EU za uresničevanje zelenega dogovora in pravičen prehod na lokalni ravni ostajata glavni prednostni nalogi lokalnih in regionalnih oblasti po vsej EU. 

Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA) v tem intervjuju odgovarja na pet vprašanj o učinkih podnebnih sprememb v mestih in regijah ter vlogi evropskega zelenega dogovora v boju proti globalnemu segrevanju ter prehodu na bolj trajnostno in odporno družbo. Poslanec flamskega parlamenta poziva k pripravi evropskega regionalnega pregleda kazalnikov, ki bi omogočal spremljanje podnebnih ukrepov mest in regij ter oceno njihovega učinka. To je eden od osrednjih predlogov iz njegovega mnenja Vpliv podnebnih sprememb na regije: ocena evropskega zelenega dogovora , ki bo predvidoma sprejet na decembrskem plenarnem zasedanju Evropskega odbora regij. 

Speaking at the Congress of the Regions of France, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, president of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), called for the regions to be brought into the governance of the EU recovery plan in order to act effectively against the coronavirus pandemic and urgently speed up the economic recovery 

Predsednik Tzitzikostas je v dvostranskem pogovoru s predsednikom Evropskega sveta dejal, da je treba dostop do sredstev iz proračuna in naložbenih načrtov EU pogojevati s popolnim spoštovanjem načela pravne države. Obenem je menil, da lokalne in regionalne vlade ne bi smele nositi posledic, če nacionalne vlade kršijo pravila. Predsednik Evropskega odbora regij je tudi pozval Evropski parlament, naj pomaga odpraviti zastoj pri dogovoru o proračunu in naložbenih načrtih EU, sicer utegne biti ogroženo okrevanje Evrope. 

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Entrepreneurial Regions 2020 demonstrated how the EER label could be used as a tool to stimulate an entrepreneurial and sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.  

Politični voditelji iz avtomobilskih regij (CoRAI) so se sestali z evropskim komisarjem za proračun Johannesom Hahnom, člani komisije Evropskega odbora regij za politiko teritorialne kohezije (COTER) in predstavniki avtomobilske industrije, da bi razpravljali o vlogi avtomobilskih regij pri doseganju uspešne zelene preobrazbe. Dogodek je potekal 14. oktobra v okviru evropskega tedna regij in mest (posnetek si lahko ogledate tu ). 

Vlade držav bi se morale dogovoriti o večjem svežnju finančne podpore za zdravstvene sisteme v Evropski uniji. Ta poziv je Evropski odbor regij 14. oktobra izrazil v sklopu treh mnenj, v katerih regije in mesta EU predstavljajo načine za zapolnitev vrzeli v lokalnih zdravstvenih sistemih, ki jih je razkrila pandemija koronavirusa. 

EU in njene države članice morajo poskrbeti, da bodo njihova mesta in regije sposobni zaščititi delovna mesta in socialne pravice. Tako je Evropski odbor regij (OR) pozval k blažitvi uničujočih socialnih posledic pandemije COVID-19. Skupščina lokalnih in regionalnih predstavnikov EU poziva tudi k okrepitvi znanj in spretnosti za okrevanje ter podpori regionalnim in lokalnim oblastem pri upravljanju zelenega in digitalnega prehoda. 

Through an opinion drafted by János Adám Karácsony (HU/EPP), Member of Tahitótfalu Local Council, EU's local and regional governments call for measures to ensure that the ongoing Covid-19 crisis will not accelerate Europe's demographic decline. The Annual Local and Regional Barometer published by the European Committee of the Regions this week estimates that the pandemic may affect family planning and increase the brain drain from rural, peripheral and remote regions.  

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted in its October plenary an opinion on the "European Year of Rail 2021", calling for an EU-wide strategy to encourage investment and reduce disparities and gaps in rail systems. Rapporteur Jarosław Stawiarski (PL/ECR), Marshal of Lubelskie Region, will also present the CoR's suggestions in a workshop, which will bring together top representatives of the European rail sector on 20 October as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2020.  

CitizEN network would be a repository for information and sharing of best practices of national, regional and local participation initiatives from across the European Union and could be a key contribution to the Conference on the future of Europe.  

CoR's president Tzitzikostas: "Rising costs and shrinking revenues threaten regions' and cities' ability to protect people and help businesses" 

The COVID-19 crisis and the lockdowns across Europe have clearly demonstrated the need for digital infrastructures and solutions more than ever before. Digital transformation plays a crucial role in the EU's response to the pandemic and in the future recovery. Particular attention should be drawn to avoiding the growth of inequalities and the creation of a digital divide. Digital skills should be developed. Adequate infrastructure and tailored solutions should be made available, in particular to SMEs. A comprehensive and joint EU approach to boost the security and resilience of 5G networks is key. These are the main messages included in an opinion on digital and data, adopted by unanimity by the Committee of the Regions' Plenary. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that it is of utmost importance to strengthen coordination between Member States, between all levels of government and across borders. Solidarity and cooperation are crucial to overcome the current crisis and tackle any future outbreak or major disaster. Therefore, mayors and governors call for a long-term commitment to further reinforce the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its instruments. The appeal was sent by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 13 October, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. 

​The role of EU Regions is crucial in designing the new industrial strategy for a greener Europe , the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) points out in an opinion drafted by Jeannette Baljeu (NL/RE) , Member of the Council of the Province of Zuid-Holland . The opinion calls for a reinforced place-based dimension in the new EU Industrial Strategy. This could allow regions and cities, as the governments closest to citizens and ecosystems, to take ownership of the twin green and digital transitions of their industry.