ECR News European Committee of the Regions | 20th edition
CONTENTS
Localism Summit in the Netherlands
LOCALISM SUMMIT Summit in Beetsterzwaag
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The EU needs to re-shape its politics to ensure that
ECR GROUP OPINIONS Carpathian region Metropolitan regions Managing disasters Discussing civil protection European Semester Eastern Partnership Small cross-border projects
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in designing and improving policies, leading politi-
local and regional governments have a greater role cians from the ECR Group said at the second Localism Summit, on 7 June. The message was conveyed in Beetsterzwaag in the Netherlands, where the Summit was organised at the invitation of ECR President Rob Jonkman.
ECR Localism Summit
A macro-regional strategy for the Carpathian region
LOCALISM The rise of the scooter European Green Capital Awards Hearing at the Italian Parliament
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FUTURE OF EUROPE Coal regions Cohesion policy and rule of law
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chair of the Polish delegation in the ECR Group,
EU’S NEIGHBOURHOOD Western Balkans Mediterranean region Humanitarian aid Carpathian Days
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COTER Commission in Brussels, Marshal Ortyl de-
MEMBERS ACTIVITIES 2026 Winter Olympics EU Digital Assembly Local diplomacy
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AWARDS AND ELECTIONS Local Leader of the Year Carlo Fidanza MEP
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was appointed rapporteur of the European Com-
EVENTS 17 Economic governance 17 Our Study Days 18
ture Cohesion Policy post 2020”. This is the first time
MEETINGS CALENDAR
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ECR Group Secretariat Committee of the Regions
The CoR has decided that Władysław Ortyl, Marshal of the Podkarpackie region in Poland and will be its spokesperson on the launch of a Carpathian macro-regional strategy. Speaking at the clared that the Carpathian strategy would offer a ECR rapporteur Władysław Ortyl
response to the main needs of the region.
The future of metropolitan regions is in our hands In April 2019 the President of the Bratislava Self-Governing region and ECR Group Member, Juraj Droba, mittee of the Regions opinion on “The challenges of metropolitan regions and their position in the fuin its history that the CoR has been drawing up an opinion on metropolitan regions.
Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat, 101 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel
ECR rapporteur Juraj Droba
Tel: +32 2 282 2375 Fax: +32 2 282 2287
ecr@cor.europa.eu www.ecr.cor.europa.eu
LOCALISM SUMMIT Local leaders call for reshaping the EU at an annual Localism Summit in the Netherlands The European Union needs to re-shape its politics to ensure that local and regional governments have a greater role in designing and improving policies, leading politicians from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group said at the second Localism Summit, on 7 June. tralised EU, we need to work in cooperation within our shared institutions, but equally importantly we need to push Brussels into a new direction so that it listens more to the voice of its regions and local communities.”
ECR President Rob Jonkman inaugurating the Localism Summit
Priority issues for cooperation between all levels of government should be policies to boost sustainability, to bridge the urban-rural divide and to promote the latest smartcity developments, said national politicians, and members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). Representatives of the European Commission and think tanks also spoke at the Summit, which was held in Beetsterzwaag in the Netherlands.
ECR Group Vice-President Oldřich Vlasák, a member of the City Council of Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic, said that the EU should use localism as the main tool to incentivise sustainability and environmentalism. “Local and regional authorities play a key role in implementing EU regulations in areas such as water management. What we see, however, is that despite their important role in policy implementation, they are not sufficiently involved in policy design at EU level. Changing this would help the EU to become more cautious when it comes to establishing unrealistic targets and burdensome bureaucratic requirements.”
The Summit, which was organised by the ECR Group in the CoR, is the second of what is becoming an annual event intended to raise the profile of localism across Europe. The first edition of the Summit took place in September last year in Milan, the capital of the Italian Lombardy region. Alderman Rob Jonkman, President of the ECR Group in the CoR, said: “The main motivation behind our Summit is the need to identify areas where the voice of local and regional government needs to be strengthened at the EU level.” Mr Jonkman, a member of the Executive Council of Opsterland in the Netherlands, continued: “More than two-thirds of EU legislation impacts local and regional authorities. However, very often the views of local and regional politicians are not sufficiently taken into account in the policy design. To achieve a better-functioning and less cen-
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ECR Localism Summit
From left to right: Oldřich Vlasák, Hein Pieper and John Vernooij
According to Roberto Ciambetti, head of Veneto Regional Council in Italy, another area where a more bottom-up approach is needed at the EU level is the Common Agricultural Policy. “We need to shift away from the old paradigm of centrally-managed agricultural subsidies towards a system where regions play a more prominent role. An
The exchange of views in Beetsterzwaag will be used to develop the ECR’s localism agenda in key areas that bring tangible benefits to citizens.
improved and more decentralised system of public investments would benefit the environment, farmers and consumers alike. It would also help Europe to bridge its growing urban-rural divide”.
A keynote speaker was Nicolaas Beets, the Dutch Special Envoy for the Urban Agenda. The Agenda emerged in 2016 thanks to the Netherlands, which used its presidency of the Council of the European Union to develop a pan-European agenda intended to improve the quality of urban life. Mr Beets told the Summit that the Urban Agenda has created a momentum for bottom-up institutional changes in Europe. “The Urban Agenda
ECR Members Tjisse Stelpstra and Linda Robinson
ECR Members and speakers
From left to right: Dr Pavel Branda, Mayor Ellen Van Selm, Nicolaas Beets
has brought cities of all sizes at one table with the European Commission, Member States and stakeholders to discuss a smarter, greener and more inclusive EU”. However, he noted, “the introduction of multilevel governance to the EU [now] deserves [a proper] a follow-up.” In the future mandate of the European Parliament and European Commission, the ECR Group will continue to work with policymakers to ensure that localism not only remains on the EU agenda, but also comes to shape future policies to the extent that it becomes a principle to the EU as a whole.
ECR GROUP OPINIONS A macro-regional strategy for the Carpathian region The European Committee of the Regions has decided that Władysław Ortyl, Marshal of the Podkarpackie region in Poland and chair of the Polish delegation in the ECR Group, will be its spokesperson on the launch of a Carpathian macro-regional strategy. will be adopted by the European Committee of the Regions in December this year. Speaking at the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget of the CoR in Brussels, Marshal Ortyl declared that the Carpathian strategy would offer a response to the main needs of the Carpathian region, in particular the need to improve quality of life and stimulate the local economy.
ECR rapporteur Marshal Władysław Ortyl
The European local and regional politicians took this decision on 25 June. They also decided that the final position paper
According to the Marshal, the Carpathians offer great potential for Europe and can provide economic momentum, but at the same time it is a poor region with weak infrastructure, and its development is therefore limited.
“There is, of course, a need for resources, because the extent to which infrastructure has been neglected in the Carpathians is quite considerable. We also need to protect the nature and heritage of this area. Let us not forget that the Carpathians are a great reservoir of water for Europe. Looking after water resources in the Carpathians helps the entire region,” he pointed out. The Marshal stressed that the activities linked to the launch of the Carpathian Strategy stem from a pragmatic vision and positive example as well as the good practices of this instrument that were gathered and implemented in the Alps.
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“The CoR is the place where the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region was born,” he pointed out. He explained that, for the time being, lobbying for a similar instrument for the Carpathians is aimed purely at gaining the government’s support, since only a joint initiative by states means that the European Commission will have to take up the proposal. Crucially, the Marshal underlined that “creating a new macro-regional strategy
cannot make it more difficult for the existing strategies to function”. In his words: “A macro-regional strategy for the Carpathian region would complement the actions undertaken in the framework of the Danube strategy, taking into account the specificities of the mountainous Carpathian area”. The Carpathian Strategy has the potential to become the EU’s fifth macro-regional strategy and the second mountain strategy (after the Alpine strategy). Such strat-
egies are an important part of European territorial cooperation in the EU. The Carpathian Strategy would strengthen cooperation on the north-south axis, while at the same time being part of the Three Seas Initiative. The EU currently has four macro-regional strategies: EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (2009), EU Strategy for the Danube Region (2011), EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (2014) and the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (2015).
The future of metropolitan regions is in our hands In April 2019 the president of the Bratislava Self-Governing region and ECR Group Member, Juraj Droba, was appointed rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions opinion on “The challenges of metropolitan regions and their position in the future Cohesion Policy post-2020”. This is the very first time in its history that the CoR has drawn up an opinion on metropolitan regions. resources in their own budgets and, because of their relative wealth, they also have limited scope to draw on EU funds.
ECR rapporteur Juraj Droba
Juraj Droba decided to initiate an opinion on metropolitan regions at a crucial point in time, when the EU budget is being set and EU funds for the post-2020 period are being allocated. “It is very important to highlight the problems faced by metropolitan regions, which are often seen as rich yet still deal with issues relating to transport, the environment and social inclusion. At the same time, their own resources are limited, and they are also restricted in their capacity to draw on EU funds,” Juraj Droba pointed out when outlining his motivations for drawing up the opinion. On the one hand, metropolitan regions are seen as the economic engines of the EU, in that they produce more than 72% of the EU’s GDP. On the other hand, the public services they deliver are costly, they do not always have enough
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The main aim of the opinion, according to Mr Droba, is to identify the challenges shared by metropolitan regions and the benefits of supporting them throughout Member-State territories, as well as to develop recommendations for more effective solutions, in the new Cohesion Policy beyond 2020, to the issues facing metropolitan areas, while also being sensitive to the links between cities and rural areas. The challenges faced by all metropolitan regions within the EU include, for example, the ageing population, digitalisation, migration, development of a sustainable environmental policy, affordable housing, suburbanisation, mobility and transport issues. The nature of these problems is the same in all metropolitan regions, despite the fact that the symptoms and consequences may vary from region to region. During the drawing-up of the opinion, Juraj Droba attended a number of meetings with the European Commission, during which he called on the European Commission to take account of the specific situation of metropolitan regions when allocating EU funds. Three out of every five people in
the EU live in metropolitan regions, a total of more than 293 million inhabitants. Juraj Droba calls for metropolitan regions to have a special role in the preparation of the new programming period after 2020 and for the European Commission to create better conditions for working together with them, to involve them in preparations and to give them a more prominent role in the actual allocation of EU funds. While preparing the opinion, Juraj Droba attended a number of bilateral meetings with European associations such as Eurocities, Metrex and several European metropolitan regions such as Barcelona, Brussels, and Stuttgart. Mr Droba presented a working paper of the opinion to the COTER commission; this was then presented in June to the European Metropolitan Authorities Forum in Lyon, and in July to the wider public during a stakeholder consultation in Brussels. The opinion has been available in all languages online via the Members’ Portal since 1.10.2019. CoR members have until 10.10.2019 to submit their comments. The opinion will subsequently be adopted by the COTER commission on 23.10.2019 and will be presented at the CoR plenary in December.
Cross-border territorial cooperation is key to managing disasters Local and regional elected representatives called on the European Commission to provide more incentives at local and regional level to promote cross-border cooperation on risk reduction. The opinion of the European Committee of the Regions, drafted under the leadership of ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti and adopted on 26 June in Brussels, comes in the context of the increasingly serious and frequent natural disasters that many European regions have experienced in recent years. and we must create effective civil protection structures in cross-border areas which, let’s not forget, are where 37.5% of the EU’s population live.” Every year, around 90 000 people die in disasters caused by natural hazards and almost 160 million are affected worldwide. Between 1980 and 2016, disasters caused by weather and climate-related conditions accounted for about 83% of financial losses in the EU Member States. ECR rapporteur Roberto Ciambetti
The document highlights the key role of local actors and their responsibility with regard to decreasing the risks associated with natural hazards and building resilience. Local and regional authorities are in the best position to know the weak points of local communities and it is up to them to conduct information campaigns to inform people about the risks and how to protect themselves. The CoR spokesperson on cross-border dimension of disaster risk reduction, Roberto Ciambetti, highlighted the need for preventive action. “Environmental emergencies and natural disasters do not recognise borders: we must create more harmonious and organic cross-border and transregional coordination
“More coordinated interventions and procedures help to optimise the response and thereby reduce the social, environmental and economic costs. There needs to be a more effective multi-level governance approach in addition to the existing EU instruments – the Civil Protection Mechanism and the Solidarity Fund,” the President of the Veneto Regional Council stated. The Sendai Framework for 2015-2030 can be implemented more effectively through cross-border cooperation, particularly with regard to civil protection policy. The document also highlights the importance of existing initiatives to reduce the risks related to natural disasters at the local level, such as the Making Cities Resilient campaign by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
According to the European Committee of the Regions, risk prevention and management plans should cover risk scenarios at an interregional level. The opinion also reiterates the need to integrate capacity into all EU investment policies to significantly reduce the effects of disasters. A disaster risk assessment should be a prerequisite for implementing infrastructure projects funded by the EU. Local and regional elected representatives underscored the need to promote a common, standardised cross-border alert system and called for standardised communication on prevention as well as common procedures for operating in case of an emergency. They also called on Member States to recognise and certify professional posts (“disaster risk managers”) with multidisciplinary and crosscutting knowledge, skills and competences, who would assist local and regional administrators and planners in emergency situations. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is a non-binding agreement concluded in Sendai (Japan) on 18 March 2015, which aims to reduce the number of natural disasters by making cities more resilient.
ECR rapporteur Adam Banaszak and Commissioner Stylianides discuss EU involvement in civil protection As the formation of the new European Commission got underway, the European Committee of the Regions spokesperson on the reform of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, ECR Vice-President Adam Banaszak, met with the outgoing Commissioner Christos Stylianides to thank him, on behalf of the CoR, for five years of fruitful cooperation. The meeting, held on 5 September, was also an opportunity to talk about the latest developments in the field of disaster risk management. Commissioner Stylianides and ECR VicePresident Adam Banaszak (Councillor for Kujawsko-Pomorskie in Poland) worked hand-in-hand on the revision of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM).
The UCPM is a tool that aims to facilitate coordination between the Members States in the field of civil protection in order to improve the EU’s response to natural and manmade disasters. The reform was concluded very quickly on 13 March 2019, thanks also
ECR rapporteur Adam Banaszak with Commissioner Christos Stylianides
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to the active involvement of local and regional representatives at the CoR. During the talks, Mr Banaszak welcomed the fact that the new legislation took into account a number of points proposed in the CoR opinion. These include: • Command and control of rescue assets remaining in the hands of the Member States;
• A request for the Member States to share summaries of their risk assessments with the European Commission and to participate (on a voluntary basis) in peer reviews on the assessment of risk management capabilities. The Commissioner and the CoR spokesperson agreed that the role of local and regional authorities, as well as volunteers, was “crucial when it comes to dis-
asters”, as they were the “first responders when a disaster hits”. Mr Banaszak also congratulated the Commissioner on the first successful deployment of the new rescEU assets during the August 2019 forest fires in Greece. RescEU is the strengthened EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which has a reserve that includes firefighting aircraft and helicopters.
Reforming the European Semester Speaking on 4 April at a conference entitled “The coordination of economic policies at EU level, a renewed role for the European Semester’’, ECR Group President Rob Jonkman outlined the European Committee of the Regions’ views on the need to reform the European Semester, which provides a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the EU. The conference, held in Bucharest, was organised by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The ECR President is a long-standing CoR spokesperson on the European Semester. Local and regional politicians from 28 Member States adopted his two opinions – on improving the governance of the European Semester and on aligning structural reforms with long-term investments – in May 2017 and in April 2019. “In the highly integrated economic environment of the EU, no country can successfully set its economic policy in complete isolation from other Member
States”, said Mr Jonkman (Alderman in Opsterland in the Netherlands). Since 2011 the European Semester is the main coordination tool for Member States to align their budgetary and economic policies to the policy priorities agreed at EU level. But the tool is far from perfect. In the words of Mr Jonkman, “although revamped not long time ago, the Semester still faces a lack of ownership on the ground, which undermines its effectiveness”.
“Almost half of the EU’s country-specific recommendations could not be fully implemented without the active role of local and regional authorities, who are also responsible for over 50 per cent of public investment. Involving them in the European Semester process as full partners will not only increase their commitment to implement but will also help to set the right goals taking local and regional opportunities, challenges and disparities into account”, said the ECR President. To help implement this solution, Alderman Jonkman proposed creating a code of conduct for involvement of local and regional level of government in the European Semester, similar to that used for Cohesion Policy. “In the Netherlands the code of conduct ensures that regions and municipalities are involved both in the European Semester and Cohesion Policy processes. Replicating this in other countries would help to align them with good practices existing elsewhere”.
ECR President Rob Jonkman speaking in Bucharest
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Among the main speakers at the conference were also Mr Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the Euro, Social Dialogue, Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, as well as Viorel Stefan, Deputy Prime Minister of Romania.
Shaping the future of the Eastern Partnership The European Committee of the Regions has appointed ECR Member Tadeusz Andrzejewski (Member of the Vilnius Municipal Council in Lithuania), as its spokesperson on ‘’Local and Regional Authorities shaping the future of the Eastern Partnership’’ on June 25, 2019. The document prepared under the leadership of Mr Andrzejewski will help build momentum in securing the deserve acknowledgement of the role of local and regional authorities by heads of state or government at the next Eastern Partnership Summit in 2020. governance and rule of law, intra-regional cooperation and communication. “I believe it is a good thing that at the end of the European Committee of the Regions’ term-of-office, we will be able to revisit the subject of the Eastern Partnership policy, which Poland and Sweden launched ten years ago within the EU framework”, said the rapporteur.
ECR rapporteur Tadeusz Andrzejewski
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, which presents an opportunity for the European Committee of the Regions to review the achievements made since 2009 and reflect on the future of the format. The Eastern Partnership is an initiative of the European Union for cooperation with six post-Soviet states – Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgia as an Eastern dimension of the larger European Neighbourhood Policy. The opinion drafted under the leadership of our Member from Vilnius will aim to address the following policy areas – economic development and resilience, good
“In the opinion I am preparing for the European Committee of the Regions, I want to pay particular attention to the issue of cross-border relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, as a representative of a country which gained experience of this issue when Lithuania aspired to join the EU”. The Eastern Partnership is facing two major challenges – political instability (the continuing crisis in Ukraine, the increasing polarisation in Moldova and weakening government, violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh) and Russian insistence on using armed conflict and political coercion on crucial sectors of EaP economies for political blackmail. The ECR Group strongly supports restoration of Ukraine’s control over its whole
territory. At the same time, we are in favour of giving a stronger role for local and regional authorities in the Eastern Partnership to help speed up their post-Soviet economic development and transition. “I believe that regional cooperation along the border and its revival can give the Partnership a fresh impetus. It is also worth noting the dynamics of the political processes in the east of Europe described in the opinion. The EU cannot be a bystander in these processes if it wants to influence the development of democracy and the stability of the political systems in the countries in its eastern periphery”, said Mr Andrzejewski. The opinion was debated for the first time in the Conference of Local and Regional Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) meeting in September in Turku, Finland. Mr Andrzejewski will also have the opportunity to present it at the external meeting of the CoR’s Commission on Citizenship, Governance, Institutional & External Affairs (CIVEX) on 7-8 November. The position paper will be adopted by the CoR during its December plenary session on 4-5 December.
Eastern Partnership would benefit from increasing support for small cross-border projects The European Union should deepen relations with neighbours on its eastern borders through more localised and targeted engagement, local and regional leaders from the EU and its partner countries have said. In a report prepared under the leadership of our Czech Member Dr Pavel Branda adopted on 12 September in Turku (Finland), they advised the EU to increase its support for small cross-border projects designed to increase community contacts in the six Eastern Partnership countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The recommendation to increase the EU’s funding for small cross-border projects came from our Czech Member Dr Pavel Branda, Deputy Mayor of Rádlo, near the Czech Republic’s borders with Germany and Poland. The ECR Member said: “The Eastern Partner-
ship is about results – it is working on ‘20 deliverables by 2020’ – and about building up relations. In my experience, good crossborder relations and strong economic ties can be built up very effectively through local projects, often at very little cost. The budget for the EU’s current cross-border programme
in these six countries is very modest – just €17.5 million – and most of that goes to relatively large projects”. “The EU should increase its budget, simplify processes, and introduce people-to-people projects with a lower minimum project size
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The European Commission and the European External Action Service are inviting contributions on the future of the Eastern Partnership, with a deadline for online contributions set for 31 October. The CoR is currently drafting recommendations that will also consolidate previous work done by it and by CORLEAP. The Partnership’s future was also the centrepiece of debate at the meeting in Turku, with diplomats from the EU and Sweden joining CORLEAP members and the CoR’s rapporteur-general on the topic, Tadeusz Andrzejewski, a member the ECR Group and of Vilnius municipal council, to discuss the possible contribution of local and regional authorities.
Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Programme (Source: EC)
and with lower co-financing rates, thereby supporting a larger number of small projects. This would encourage the participation of smaller applicants, such as small municipalities and civil-society organisations. This could also help the emergence of more permanent, bottom-up forms of cooperation, such as the Euroregions.”
The EU created the Eastern Partnership in 2009, and the following year the European Committee of the Regions created the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) to ensure that all levels of government could have an opportunity to share their experience.
ECR rapporteur Dr Pavel Pavel Branda
LOCALISM The rise of the scooter - By ECR Member Keith Prince (Member of the London Assembly for Havering and Redbridge, United Kingdom) Last Tuesday I visited the Olympic Park to partake in an illegal activity. Actually, to be strictly accurate, it’s an activity that was and is legal within the park but that is currently banned on every public road in the UK. I am referring to riding on an electric scooter. Around the world, many cities have recently seen the introduction and rapid expansion in usage of electric scooters. From San Francisco and 17 other US cities to Paris, Berlin and Zurich, electric scooters have swiftly become part of the transport mix and a ubiquitous sight on the roads. Santa Monica, with a population of just over 90,000 people, has 50,000 regular users of electric scooters. Despite this, electric scooters are currently
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in a legal grey area within the UK. As the law currently stands they are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs), meaning they can only be ridden on private land. They cannot be used on public roads because they are low-powered. However due to their lack of pedals they cannot be used in cycle lanes or on pavements.
ers who do not ride bikes but would be comfortable riding an electric scooter. Many people might use electric scooters for ‘last mile transport’, completing their journey from their train or Tube stop to their home. Electric scooters are smaller than bicycles, so they would take up less road space and less parking space.
There are clearly opportunities for electric scooters to play a role in London’s transport mix. For example, there are many London-
There is, therefore, an obvious role for the Mayor to work with and coordinate the efforts of stakeholders and to lobby the Gov-
ernment to change the law. This should cost the Mayor – by which I mean London taxpayers – a relatively tiny amount of money, but if the case was made successfully it would mean the rollout of another efficient and effective transport option on London’s streets. Furthermore, judging by these scooters’ success elsewhere and by the number of electric scooters I see being used illegally in London, there is clearly a market for them. Unfortunately, such proactivity is notable by its absence. Although it is worth noting that there are currently trials on the private paths in the Olympic Park, there are opportunities to do far more. Despite this, when questioned about what plans there are to change the law on electric scooters, it seems that TfL gives a consistent answer. Specifically, TfL argues that “it’s up to the DfT to decide which vehicles are road legal
and which aren’t. And the DfT is unequivocal in its stance: electric scooters aren’t legal on the streets, and it has no plans to change that law.” When it is clear that the licensing of electric scooters would benefit London and Londoners and would play a crucial part in moving towards the Mayor’s target on reducing car usage, it is hugely regrettable that the Mayor has yet to grasp this challenge. There is a certain irony in the fact that Sadiq Khan, who as Mayor never misses an opportunity to try and shift the blame for his failings to the Government, seemingly has no interest in pushing for more powers in an area where devolution would make a real difference. There is a strong argument that it does not make sense for cities such as London to be required to ask the Central Government’s permission to make decisions on issues such as whether or not to licence vehicles such as electric scooters. When Central Government is getting in the way of a decision being made then, as a matter of principle, that decision should be devolved to the lowest viable level. And, as a matter of principle, this should be true even when the lowest viable level is Sadiq Khan (if only for another nine months). The logic of this position is twofold: first, devolving the decision should make the decision a simpler one. For example deciding
ECR Member Keith Prince AM
whether or not something is suitable for London is more straightforward than deciding whether or not it is suitable for the whole country. Secondly, devolution should enable comparison between different areas so voters can best judge the success of a decision. Even better than waiting for the Government to devolve individual decisions would be a presumption of subsidiarity. That would mean that decisions, such as whether or not to licence electric scooters, would automatically be taken at the lowest possible level. That would be a real victory for localism and, by extension, for the free market. The article was first published by freemarketconservatives on August 12, 2019.
Representing the CoR at the European Green Capital & European Green Leaf Awards - By ECR Member Linda Robinson (Conservative District Councillor for the rural Upton Snodsbury ward, United Kingdom) In June this year I had the privilege of representing the European Committee of the Regions in my capacity as the ECR Co-ordinator for the ENVE Commission. I was part of the international jury for the European Green Capital & European Green Leaf Awards held in Oslo, Norway – the current Green Capital. The Chair of our jury of five was Joanna Drake, Deputy Director General DG Environment of the European Commission. ECR Member Cllr Linda Robinson (second from the left) with jury members
The Finnish city of Lahti won the title of European Green Capital 2021 and received
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350k euros as a financial incentive from the European Commission to kick start its year. The cities of Lille & Strasbourg were worthy runners up.
Belgian city of Mechelen. These awards
Our decision was unanimous and we emphasised that green cities are healthier and happier places for people to grow, live and work in and for visitors too.
sadors’ for smaller cities.
The European Green Leaf Award was shared by the Irish city of Limerick and the
Environment, Maritime Affairs & Fisheries
are given to towns & cities with populations between 20,000 & 100,000 citizens for their potential to act as ‘green ambas-
These prestigious titles were awarded by Karmenu Vella, the EU Commissioner for
It was a wonderful and memorable experience to be part of such an experienced and respected jury for those two days. The inclusion of a CoR member amongst them seems pivotal in our aim to truly represent the good work of the populations of regions and communities that elect us. I was very proud to be that member on this occasion and would like to thank the organisers for the opportunity.
at an outstanding gala awards ceremony.
Italian Parliament: Roberto Ciambetti calls for giving a stronger role to regions in EU institutions On 29 May 2019 our ECR Bureau Member Roberto Ciambetti, President of the Regional Council of Veneto in Italy, spoke during the hearing of the CoR Members on the European Commission’s communication on better regulation. The hearing took place at the Committee on European Union Policies of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome. During the parliamentary hearing, Roberto Ciambetti stressed that he considered it essential that political and regulatory decisions are taken at the most appropriate level to achieve objectives, therefore “as close to citizens as possible”. In particular, Mr Ciambetti underlined that “given that the role of the regions is crucial when it comes to implementing and applying EU legislation on the ground, we [local and regional authorities] must ensure that the views of the regions are taken into account more seriously by the European institutions.” “The regions, and consequently the European Committee of the Regions, deserve
a stronger role in Brussels. We need to reflect on how to strengthen the position of the regions in Europe. On the one hand, by strengthening the European Committee of the Regions. On the other hand, by extending the use of the yellow card procedure to block harmful legislative proposals from Brussels in the regional parliaments.” The so-called yellow card procedure is a procedure under which the national parliaments of EU Member States can object to a draft legislative act on grounds of the principle of subsidiarity. The ECR Group calls for EU legislation to be more consistent in complying with the principles of subsidiarity and proportional-
ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti
ity, and to be less dense in legislative terms, leaving greater freedom of action to the local and regional levels.
FUTURE OF EUROPE The uncertain future of Europe’s coal regions “Coal regions have for many decades fuelled the engines of our economies. Now they need all the help they can get to manage the process of their socio-economic and environmental transition,” said ECR Vice-President Oldřich Vlasák in a debate with the EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy. A guest at the 135th plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions held on 27 June, Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete spoke about the role of local and regional authorities in the EU as key drivers of change towards a carbonneutral economy.
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Addressing the Commissioner on behalf of the ECR Group was its Vice-President, Oldřich Vlasák, who is a Councillor from Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic. He welcomed the Commissioner’s pledge that no region would be left behind in the energy transition.
“For two hundred years”, Mr Vlasák noted, “industries connected with mining high-quality coal in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, the United Kingdom and many other countries were at the forefront of industrial development and economic growth. Due to changes in
the last decade of the 20th century, coalmining regions have since been facing economic slowdown and high levels of unemployment.” “Europe needs to learn the lessons from its past, otherwise we risk 160 000 people whose work depends on coal losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet.” Mr Vlasák reiterated the fact that the challenges coal regions were facing today were due to past economic developments and EU financial aid was very much needed to drive their transition, in particular in central and eastern Europe. He also noted that, while the western part of the EU initiated transition of its coal regions in the 1960s, it was only much later that the “new” Member States were able to do so. “Coal regions” is the term commonly used for regions where coal mining and related industries represent a dominant part of the economic model. With coal currently being mined in 41 regions in 12 EU Member States, more than 240 000 jobs in the EU are dependent on it either directly or indirectly in related industries, such as steelworks or electricity production.
ECR Vice-President Oldřich Vlasák
In 2017, the European Commission established its Platform for Coal Regions in Transition, which helps coal-dependent regions, communities and workers with moving towards economic diversification and energy transition. Pilot projects have been launched under the platform’s umbrella in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, but this aid is still insufficient. In August this year, the new European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she wanted to create an investment fund to help transform coal-dependent countries, an idea that has been welcomed by the ECR CoR Members.
David Simmonds: The ECR Group opposes the introduction of conditionality to cohesion policy On 11 April 2019 David Simmonds, Deputy Leader the London Borough of Hillingdon in the United Kingdom, spoke on behalf of the ECR Group during the plenary debate on fundamental rights. In his intervention, he advocated in favour of upholding the principle of rule of law but against linking it to EU funds. The European Commission made plans to link EU funds to rule of law in 2018. On April 19 2019, the European Parliament backed the European Commission’s proposal to cut funds to EU countries that do not adhere to rule of law, with 397 MEPs voting in favour, and 158 MEPs voting against the proposal. Mr Simmonds stressed that “introducing conditionality to cohesion policy would create an unjust and unfair situation in which local and regional authorities would be the victims of a failure on the part of Member States to comply with some of the rules.” In fact, this would dis-
advantage cities and regions, who are the main beneficiaries of cohesion policy.
ECR Bureau Member Cllr David Simmonds
“Local and regional authorities would be penalised for actions that have been taken at national level and which they cannot influence. This is simply unacceptable.” The ECR Group believes that respect for fundamental rights, as enshrined in the EU Treaties, is an important principle that must always be upheld. While believing that the EU should help defend the rule of law, the ECR Group also highlights the fact that the primary responsibility for upholding democratic standards in Europe lies not with the largely unelected EU institutions, but with the Member States.
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EU’s NEIGHBOURHOOD Bringing Western Balkans closer to the EU Ministers, experts, representatives of businesses and institutions (including EU institutions) met in Jasionka, near Rzeszów, during the latest edition of the Forum of Cities and Regions. A wide range of panels and discussions took place on 4 and 5 June, with the main aim of addressing the issue of how to bring the Western Balkans closer to the European Union. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo closer to the structures of the European Union. Guests discussed such issues as business and political cooperation, investments linking the EU with the Balkans, the Via Carpathia route, support for Balkan countries in the integration process and post-2020 cooperation programmes.
Marshal Władysław Ortyl speaking at the Forum
At the start of the forum, Polish Minister Jerzy Kwieciński said that Poland was well aware of the challenges facing Western Balkan partners as it had also been down the long and difficult path to becoming an EU Member State. Władysław Ortyl – the regional host, Marshal of the Podkarpackie region and Member of the Bureau of the ECR Group at the European Committee of the Regions – recalled Polish experiences from the pre-accession period and making use of EU aid at this time.
The Forum of Cities and Regions taking place in the Podkarpackie region is connected with Poland taking over the leadership of the Berlin Process. This is an initiative of several EU countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Italy) which want to bring the EU and the countries of the Balkans closer together. Therefore, the event focused on the issue of bringing the Western Balkans, i.e. Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia,
Western Balkans
Empowering sustainable development in the Mediterranean region Paweł Grzybowski, Mayor of Rypin in Poland and ECR Member in the Bureau of ARLEM, the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly, participated in an official CoR visit to Palestine and Israel during which he had an opportunity to discuss promoting sustainable development with representatives of EU and Mediterranean countries. Paweł Grzybowski, Mayor of Rypin in Poland and ECR Member in the Bureau of ARLEM, the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly, participated in an official CoR visit to Palestine and Israel during which he had an opportunity to discuss promoting sustainable development with representatives of EU and Mediterranean countries.
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The city of Ramallah and the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities on 30 June hosted a meeting of the executive board of the ARLEM, to discuss how cities and regions can collaborate to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Local and regional leaders, working together in the context of the Union for the Mediterranean, also
considered ways to deepen integration and economic relations between local and regional authorities throughout the Mediterranean. During the meeting, Mr Grzybowski pointed out that every stakeholder must be given a voice in the decision-making process with a view to achieving the SDGs in the EU and the Mediterranean region.
ments on sustainable development are needed between local authorities in the EU and Israel to exchange best practices.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Palestine, Monaco and Montenegro.
ARLEM is an assembly of local and regional representatives from the EU and its Mediterranean partners. It was set up in 2010 to promote interregional cooperation and maintain political dialogue. The framework involves all EU Member States, as well as Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Syria (membership of which is currently suspended), Tunisia, Albania,
The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030. Among the goals are clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, as well as climate action. The successful implementation of most of them depends largely on the actions and commitment of local and regional authorities.
Mayor Paweł Grzybowski and Mr Haim Bibas
“Civil society, and young people in particular, must be involved if we are to make real progress with regard to the SDGs. This applies both to the EU countries and to our Mediterranean partners who are not EU Members”, he said. ARLEM also organised a meeting with the Federation of local Israeli authorities in Tel Aviv, where Mayor Grzybowski had the opportunity to exchange views with Haim Bibas, President of the Federation and Mayor of Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, and agree that more partnership agree-
Mayor Paweł Grzybowski (first from the left)
Involving European regions in humanitarian aid - By ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti (President of the Veneto Regional Council, Italy) In February this year I went on a short but intense mission to Ethiopia with Doctors with Africa CUAMM (University College for Aspiring Missionary Doctors), an association with which the Veneto Region has been cooperating for many years in the field of health and the training of medical and paramedical personnel on the African continent. The association has been active in Africa for about sixty years and today is present in 23 hospitals and 64 districts, specialising in particular in public health, maternal and child care, the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and training in three nursing schools and the Catholic University of Mozambique, in Beira. It is partly owing to the courses and activities organised by CUAMM that Uganda, one of the main countries assisted by the Padua branch of the association, has today achieved self-sufficiency in the medical field, demonstrating that adequate standards of public services can be reached through targeted, sustainable investments.
My visit this year to a country with a population of 104 million and economic growth of 9% over the past decade was particularly important: it took place just a few days before the mission of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to Djibouti and Ethiopia, where France has signed a series of major agreements in the defence sector, as well as promising EUR 100 million in assistance and support for cultural projects including the conservation of churches and the opening of archaeological excavations. According to the analysts, the purpose of Mr Macron’s visit to the Horn of Africa was to re-establish substantial diplomatic and
economic relations as a counterbalance to the now dominant position of China. The Chinese “invasion”, as I have witnessed at first hand, is palpable in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa received more than USD 12.1 billion from Chinese state-owned banks between 2000 and 2018, and in March this year the Ethiopian authorities started renegotiating debts incurred for building a railway to connect Addis Ababa with neighbouring Djibouti, rescheduling being needed in order to prevent the collapse of Ethiopian public debt. The European Union is thin on the ground,
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At the beginning of April this year, it emerged from the Global Report on Food Crises, presented jointly by the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), that Ethiopia is one of the eight countries in the world where two thirds of the 113 million people affected by severe hunger are concentrated, and one of the countries where water supply problems and the scarcity of safe drinking water are among the main causes of death among infants and children under the age of 15.
ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti
its presence limited to a few initiatives. Through the European Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the EU is pledging to spend EUR 20 million to finance the repairs to the main Nefasit-Dekemhare-Senafe-Zalembessa road in order to facilitate the transport of goods between Ethiopia and the Eritrean ports – a project which has moreover been challenged by the Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans.
The Ethiopian scenario, and that of the Horn of Africa more generally, is therefore a complex one: on the one hand this is a strategic area experiencing strong growth and expansion, albeit contrasted by enormous structural contradictions and shortcomings; on the other, there is China’s advance, capable of shaping local conditions through its financial support, whilst the European Union is keeping a low profile (too low), leaving diplomatic initiatives to individual Member States which do not have sufficient critical mass to act as a counterbalance to Beijing’s advance. The European Union does not have a clear policy: its interventions are
fragmented and lightweight compared to China’s strategy. If we believe in humanitarian cooperation, in my view the approach taken by CUAMM is extremely interesting: with relatively modest expenditure it is possible to launch training projects aimed at guaranteeing self-sufficiency in the health sector. In terms of combating hunger, Europe needs to overcome some of its contradictions in Ethiopia: the Teff flour case and dispute springs to mind, together with the fact that it is becoming increasingly urgent to address the question of water supply and ensure the safety of the water cycle. Ethiopia precisely mirrors Africa’s problems, both ancient and highly modern, and we need to ask ourselves if we can continue to stand on the side-lines: at stake is not only the issue of migratory flows which, if not addressed, could become an element of violent destabilisation for society and the economy in Europe. It is also a question of socioeconomic and military balance, something that needs to be assessed with the utmost care: the stakes are very high and the outcome could, for the Europeans, prove fatal.
The second Carpathian Days of Neighbourhood Community The Carpathian Days of Neighbourhood Community – Meeting of Carpathian Regions took place for the second time on the PolishUkrainian border. This year, alongside partners from Ukraine, other Carpathian regions from Hungary, Slovakia and Romania were also invited to participate in panels. The first part of the conference took place in Muczne in Bieszczady on the Polish side and the second part took place in Ukraine (Zakarpattya Region), which is why the Wołosate-Lubnya tourist crossing point was temporarily open from 8 to 10 August. The issue of efforts to create a Carpathian Strategy that would considerably speed up the pace of development of the Carpathian regions also featured among the many topics discussed. Marshal Władysław Ortyl, chair of the Carpathian Interregional Group at the European Committee of the Regions and member of the ECR Group Bureau, believes that the eve of the new EU financial perspective is a good time to undertake such an initiative. The Carpathian Strategy is the subject of parliamentary works and diplomatic processes, but governments of EU Member States are also involved in preparations for it. Next year Poland will assume the presidency of the Carpathian Convention and a meeting of its parties will take place in Podkarpackie.
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ECR Member Marshal Władysław Ortyl at the Carpathian Days
MEMBERS ACTIVITIES Milano-Cortina to host the 2026 Winter Olympics Under the careful leadership of our Member, Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region, Italian sport has won a major victory. On 24 June, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially announced that the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held jointly by Milan and Cortina. Luca Zaia had believed in this great success from the outset, preparing the bid with his colleague Attilio Fontana, president of the Lombardy Region and with Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan. Following the ceremony during which the decision about the host of the Olympics was announced, Luca Zaia said that he was very pleased, particularly for Cortina, which would host the Olympic Games for a second time, after having hosted the 1956 games. ECR Member Luca Zaia
We congratulate our Member on the successful bid for hosting the Olympic games.
Mayor Paweł Grzybowski takes part in the EU Digital Assembly On 13-14 June 2019, Paweł Grzybowski, Mayor of Rypin in Poland and Member of our ECR Group, participated in the EU Digital Assembly that took place in Bucharest, Romania. The event was organised by the European Commission’s Directorate for Communications and brought together all the major stakeholders in the field, aiming to draw the contours of a future digital policy. In 2015, the European Commission adopted the Digital Single Market strategy to make the most of digital opportunities in Europe. Since then, the strategy has made significant strides: businesses and citizens can benefit
from 35 new digital rights and freedoms, including the abolition of roaming charges when travelling abroad, enhanced cybersecurity, and more opportunities for online shopping across borders.
ECR Member Paweł Grzybowski
While in Bucharest, Mayor Grzybowski underlined that it would be crucial to increase people’s digital knowledge in order to improve their chances of finding a good job. “In the past digital skills used to make students more employable, but today they are simply indispensable. Most middle-skill jobs and almost all high skill-jobs require digital skills. That is why it is so important that local government, educational establishment and academic services have their own digital strategies”.
Digital Assembly
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Local and regional authorities should develop their diplomacy The actions of regional authorities are key to economic growth. According to Marcin Ociepa, former Member of the ECR Group of the European Committee of the Regions and Deputy Minister for Entrepreneurship and Technology in Poland, there is no significant investment without the participation of the regions. “The government can charm investors with incentives or economic zones, but in the end the investor will always meet face to face with the marshal or mayor of the place where the investment is being made and will make the final arrangements with them.” On 9-10 September the two-day Regional and Economic Diplomacy Summit took place in Warsaw under the slogan “International Cooperation of Local Communities.”
work of the European Committee of the Regions. We should remember that this is a Treaty Institution which has a huge impact on European legislation – Ociepa concluded.
We cannot meet any of the challenges currently facing Europe without active participation of regions – Marcin Ociepa, the organiser of the summit, stressed.
Over 1000 people took part in the two-day Regional and Economic Diplomacy Summit. On the invitation of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology, representatives of governments, local authorities, business and research came to Warsaw from around the world.
A few years ago, when discussing economic diplomacy we would talk about the actions of central authorities – development of networks of diplomatic missions, greater support for business on the part of embassies, etc. On Monday 9 September, during the Regional and Economic Diplomacy Summit it transpired that the discussions should come down to a lower – local – level.
Speakers opening the meeting included current ECR Group Members: the head of the Polish delegation and Marshal of the Podkarpackie region, Władysław Ortyl and President of the Veneto Regional Council in Italy, Roberto Ciambetti. Participants in the summit also included the Vice-President of the ECR Group at the European Committee of the Regions, Adam Banaszak (Member of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Assembly).
Today regions across Europe are more active when it comes to their own diplomacy. They maintain relationships amongst each other, but their voice is also present in the frame-
Minister Marcin Ociepa
They discussed a new quality of economic diplomacy: diplomacy in which local and regional authorities, opinion leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs play a leading role. The article was first published on the local and regional authority portal (www.portalsamorzadowy.pl) and has been adapted for this newsletter.
AWARDS AND ELECTIONS Local Leader of the Year 2019 We are pleased to announce that Cllr David Simmonds is the winner of the 2019 Local Leader of the Year Award. Mr Simmonds is Deputy Leader of the London Borough of Hillingdon in the United Kingdom, ECR coordinator in the CIVEX commission and head of the UK delegation in the ECR Group. Our Group gives a yearly award for local leader in recognition of the role that local and regional leaders play in providing bottom-up solutions to the challenges faced by our communities. Cllr Simmonds has helped to establish the Local Government Association as a key player in the Brexit debate and is very much engaged in trying to secure a deep and special partnership between the EU and the UK that reflects the needs of local government. He is also chair of the LGA’s Asylum, Refugee and Migration Task Group, which assists local communities in helping some of the most vulnerable families fleeing the war in Syria.
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The following candidates for the 2019 Local Leader of the Year Award were shortlisted and deserve an honourable mention for their leadership in addressing challenges faced by their locality or region: • Dr Pavel Branda, Deputy Mayor of Rádlo in the Czech Republic, for his efforts to address real issues and find effective local solutions by working on people-to-people projects and small-scale projects in crossborder cooperation programmes, and for his role as the ECR coordinator in the COTER commission.
Cllr David Simmonds
• Paweł Grzybowski, Mayor of Rypin in Poland, for his success as a trustworthy and effective local leader. His work on pro-
moting equal opportunities for all, social integration and improving the competitiveness of young people in the labour
market are all positive and appreciated contributions.
Carlo Fidanza elected to the European Parliament The last European Parliamentary elections held in May were a great success for the Brothers of Italy party (Fratelli d’Italia), with five of its MEPs elected. Among those elected was Carlo Fidanza, Member of our ECR Group in the European Committee of the Regions.
Carlo Fidanza MEP (second from the right) with MEPs Pietro Fiocchi, Nicola Procaccini, Raffaele Fitto (Co-Chair of the ECR Group in the EP) and Raffaele Stancanelli
Until recently, Carlo Fidanza was a Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and a Member of Rosazza Municipal Council. In the new European Parliament mandate, he is leading the Italian delegation within the ECR Group.
Working alongside him is Raffaele Fitto MEP, also former Member of the European Committee of the Regions and former Chairman of the CoR’s Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER). Mr Fitto acts
as the Co-Chair of the ECR Group in the European Parliament. We congratulate our Member Carlo Fidanza and look forward to continuing our fruitful cooperation in the future.
EVENTS Improving economic governance and investments at the local level On 9 October 2019, the ECR Group will host a conference on “Achieving improved economic governance and investments”. The conference will be part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2019, the annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union policies, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance. The conference hosted by the ECR Group aims to show how to ensure that local and regional authorities
have a more formal, structured and permanent presence in the European Semester, which provides a frame-
work for the coordination of the economic and fiscal policies of EU Member States.
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Representatives of local government, the European Commission and the third sector will discuss ways of making the current policymaking process more bottom-up, and therefore more effective and more democratic. Currently, the implementation of half of the European Semester’s country-specific recommendations prepared by the European Commission and the Council require local and regional authority action. However, local and regional authorities are not formally involved in setting the recommendations.
Among the confirmed speakers at the event are ECR President Rob Jonkman (Alderman in Opsterland in the Nertherlands), Eric von Breska (Director for Regional and Urban Policy in the European
Commission), Juraj Droba (ECR Member and Chairman of Bratislava Self-Governing Region in Slovakia), and Eugenia Llelal Fontas (Policy Officer at the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions).
The first “ECR CoR Study Days” to be held in Venice Following an invitation from Roberto Ciambetti, President of the Veneto Regional Council, the ECR have decided to meet in Italy for the first “Study Days” organised by the European Committee of the Regions group. The main focus of the initiative, which will take place on 15 November at the Venetian lagoon, will be subsidiarity and the protection of cultural heritage. The excellent line-up of speakers will include Members of the European Parliament from the ECR Group, top academics, government representatives, EU officials and local and regional authorities from across Europe. “A week before the conference on subsidiarity, which will be held in Rome on 22 November at the Senate of the Republic, we decided to discuss this hot topic, the role of local and regional authorities in the European decision-making process, with our members,” said Roberto Ciambetti. “In a setting such as Venice, in one of Europe’s cultural capitals, we couldn’t fail to talk about the importance of protecting and defending our common European cultural heritage”, commented Rob Jonkman, President of the ECR group. We are looking forwards towards hosting you in Venice on 15 November, at Palazzo Ferro Fini, the headquarters of the Veneto Regional Council).
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MEETINGS CALENDAR MEETING
PLACE
DATE
CoR BUREAU
BRUSSELS
7 - 8 OCTOBER
CoR PLENARY
BRUSSELS
7 - 9 OCTOBER
European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC)
BRUSSELS
7 - 10 OCTOBER
ECR Workshop on the European Semester
BRUSSELS
9 OCTOBER
Commission for Economic Policy (ECON)
BRUSSELS
22 OCTOBER
Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER)
BRUSSELS
23 OCTOBER
Commission for Natural Resources (NAT)
BRUSSELS
12 NOVEMBER
Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs (CAFA)
BRUSSELS
13 NOVEMBER
VENICE, ITALY
15 NOVEMBER
Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE)
BRUSSELS
21 NOVEMBER
Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC)
BRUSSELS
27 NOVEMBER
CoR BUREAU
BRUSSELS
3 DECEMBER
CoR PLENARY
BRUSSELS
4 – 5 DECEMBER
Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX)
BRUSSELS
9 DECEMBER
Commission for Economic Policy (ECON)
BRUSSELS
13 DECEMBER
Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER)
BRUSSELS
16 SEPTEMBER
ECR CoR Study Days
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