ECR News – 28th edition

ECR News European Committee of the Regions | 28th edition

TABLE OF CONTENTS ECR GROUP OPINIONS Regional Airports Disability Strategy Health Union Critical Infrastructure Partnership Principle Recovery and Resilience Facility

2 2 3 3 4 4

ENVIRONMENT Renovation Wave Green Deal Going Local

5 5

CURRENT CHALLENGES Portuguese Presidency 6 COVID Certificate 6 Italian perspective 7 Cross-border Cooperation 7 Tourism 8 REFORMING THE EU Conference on the Future of Europe Next Generation Union of Equality Carpathian Strategy MEMBERS’ ACTIVITIES Cycle Network Let’s Vaccinate Twin Cities Nereus Board EVENTS Post-Brexit East Poland House Seminar High-Level Group Covenant of Mayors Local Dialogue Abruzzo Green Week Place of Regions

8 9 9 9

Adoption of ECR opinions

Mayor Daniela Ballico

Four members of the ECR Group in the CoR have seen their opinions on topics such as the rights of persons with disabilities, the future of regional airports, European Health Union and critical infrastructure adopted by members of the European Committee of the Regions at either CoR Commission level for two of them and at plenary for the others. Rapporteurs include Daniela Ballico (Mayor of Ciampino), ECR President Władysław Ortyl (Marshal of Podkarpackie), Roberto Ciambetti (President of Veneto Regional Council) and Mario Guarente (Mayor of Potenza).

ECR’s vision for a better Europe How to build a house of European Democracy? What place do citizens have in a united Europe? These were some of the questions participants attempted to answer during the debate organised by the CoR on the occasion of the launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Representing the ECR Group was ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl who talked about how the priorities of the Conference should be health and the economy and not ideological disputes.

ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl

10 10 11 11

COVID-19 Certificate Resolution

12 12 13 14 15 15 16

During the European Committee of the Regions May plenary session a resolution promoted by all political groups and adopted by unanimity, which welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to create an EU Digital COVID Certificate, gets the green light from the ECR Group as long as it’s non-discriminatory.

ECR Group Secretariat Committee of the Regions

Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat, 101 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel

Tel: +32 2 282 2375 Fax: +32 2 282 2287

ecr@cor.europa.eu www.ecr.cor.europa.eu

ECR GROUP OPINIONS The future of regional airports The European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) has adopted an opinion on the future of regional airports. This is a great achievement and an opportunity for all smaller airports – emphasises ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl, who presented the document as rapporteur.

000 jobs and EUR 12.4 billion in GDP. This group mainly includes regional airports serving local communities. Eurocontrol has estimated that in the most optimistic scenario, air traffic would only return to 2019 levels in 2024, and in the worst-case scenario in 2029,” said the Marshal.

ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl

The Marshal has opened up a discussion on the future of regional airports and has drawn attention to the threats facing airports: “Airports Council International Europe has warned that 193 airports in Europe are at risk of insolvency in the coming months. Together, these airports account for 277

Marshal Ortyl stressed the importance of airports in regions’ development: “Regional airports play a critical role in EU territorial cohesion, particularly in the case of sparsely populated, peripheral and outermost regions. They also play a key role in the connections that airlines provide for passengers and clients transporting goods within the EU and beyond its borders,” he added.

Władysław Ortyl used the example of RzeszówJasionka airport, which attracts investors to the Podkarpackie region: “The airport at Jasionka is one of Poland’s leading regional airports, serving up to one million passengers per year. The airport’s development has not only attracted business and services, but has also led, over the last decade, to a significant increase in investor interest in the area

surrounding the airport,” said Mr Ortyl.

The Marshal also referred to the links between aviation and the European Green Deal, while pointing out the opportunities for airports for co-financing under the European Union’s new financial perspective: “Aviation and regional airports must contribute to the EU’s decarbonisation objectives, including by using alternative fuels and improving intermodality, particularly air-rail connections. It is necessary to provide EU funds, in the context of cohesion policy for 2021-27, to co-finance investments in regional airports that directly support processes relating to decarbonisation and the low-carbon circular economy model. Additionally, regional airports should be given the opportunity to draw on EU funding under the country and regional programmes to be introduced in the new European Union financial perspective for 20212027,” he said.

The next step will be a vote on the opinion at the European Committee of the Regions’ plenary session in July.

Members of CoR adopt Daniela Ballico’s opinion on Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The mayor of Ciampino, Daniela Ballico, rapporteur for the opinion and coordinator for the ECR group in the SEDEC commission said she was very pleased with this “important achievement” and reiterated the need to create more inclusive environments for people with disabilities in all EU regions.

In terms of setting priorities, Ms Ballico indicated that the starting point was the “greater involvement of local authorities in all processes related to disability”. The mayor highlighted her firm belief that municipalities and regions play a key role in social policies and that they should be given the means to ensure “citizens recognise them as bodies able to provide real answers and initial institutional support to address the most urgent needs”.

One of the key elements in the opinion was the topic of work which Ms Ballico described as an “important aspect in the process of self-determination

2

Newsletter

and independence for people with disabilities”.

The rapporteur calls for specific policies to support employment, with incentives for companies

that are making efforts in this area. Work is closely linked to the issue of training, which is another key point raised in the opinion. “Investing in training is

an essential step towards later entering the world of work”, said the ECR member.

With regard to accessibility, Ms Ballico considers it important to break down architectural barriers and to encourage the movement of people with disabilities between different European countries as much as possible. That is why the project to develop a European Disability Card is very important and she hopes that this card will be adopted as soon as possible and that it will “help us to stand-

ardise good practices, ensuring at the very least that people with disabilities have access to public services in all Member States”.

Finally, according to current figures, there are around 80 million people with disabilities in Europe and Daniela Ballico calls for their political rights to be guaranteed: “we must do everything in our power to ensure that they can exercise their right to vote”.

ECR Member Daniela Ballico

Roberto Ciambetti’s opinion on Future of European Health Union adopted in CoR plenary Citizen-centred health systems and the close involvement of local and regional authorities in a “European health union” are two of the key elements presented in the opinion prepared by Roberto Ciambetti, President of the Veneto Regional Council, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority in the May plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions.

In assessing the components of the European Health Union presented by the European Commission, ECR Member Mr Ciambetti said: “Local and regional authorities are responsible, to varying degrees, for health care in 19 of the 27 member states, and they also help fund health care in many of those countries. A ‘European health union’ capable of swiftly curbing pandemics is not possible without the close involvement of these authorities.

We need a network of gold-standard hospitals, greater production capacities in Europe, large emergency stockpiles, and better data so that we know where our weak points are.”

In the opinion, he also argued that the EU’s plans to withstand health crises is undermined by central health systems that are disconnected either from the territory or from the characteristics of the local socio-economic fabric. “We need to have more

investment in scientific research within the EU, “given that the transition to a more resilient society requires significant technological changes”.

ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti

public investments in local health systems to ensure that they have the resources and means they need to emerge from the current crisis, as well as to strengthen their resilience in the long term”, Mr Ciambetti urged. To complement the idea of more resilient societies Mr Ciambetti called for more

The principle of subsidiarity is referred to several times in the opinion and for the rapporteur it proves to be an essential operational principle of reference: “regions and cities must be protagonists in the management of strategies and policies in order to give substance to decisions and measures quickly and promptly”. There is of course scope and a necessity to improve coordination and to strengthen the EU’s response to serious crossborder health threats but in this regard he calls on the CoR, as the EU’s assembly of regional and local representatives, to be represented in all the discussions at EU level on health competences, including in the ambit of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Mario Guarente’s resilience of critical infrastructure opinion adopted by NAT Commission ECR member Mario Guarente, Mayor of Potenza in Italy, saw his draft opinion on expanding the scope of the 2008 European Critical Infrastructure directive adopted by an overwhelming majority in the CoR NAT (Natural Resources) Commission. In 2019 an evaluation of the Directive 2008/114/EC on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures (ECIs) concluded that the directive is only of partial relevance today due to a very different security landscape as well as the directive having a limited scope (covering only transport and energy sectors).

Mr Guarente stressed that “it is imperative that the entities that operate critical infrastructures are properly protected against a wide spectrum of threats, be they natural or man-made, unintentional or with malicious intent. Critical entities must be resilient wherever and whenever disruptions occur”. To this end, the opinion calls for communication and reporting measures to be promoted, vis-à-vis the local administrations

and the people living in the areas concerned, with regard to risk levels. “There should be particular attention paid to the condition of existing physical infrastructure for the purposes of establishing suitable programmes for upgrading the infrastructure or constructing new ones”, urged Mr Gaurente in a discussion prior to the adoption of the opinion.

ECR Member Mario Guarente

Finally, when it comes to drawing up the resilience strategies, “local and regional authorities should be involved and the public properly informed”, concluded the Mayor.

Mr Guarente’s opinion will be up for adoption at the June/July CoR plenary session.

3

Juraj Droba appointed CoR rapporteur for the preparation of partnership agreements and operational programmes for the 2021-2027 period ECR Vice-President Juraj Droba has been appointed rapporteur for the opinion on “Effectively engaging local and regional authorities in the preparation of partnership agreements and operational programmes for the 2021-2027 period” during the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) meeting on 23 April.

Mr Droba, President of the Bratislava Region, will draw up the CoR’s opinion on the involvement of local and regional authorities in the preparation of the Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes, in line with the partnership principle and the Code of Conduct on Partnership. This is a key prerequisite to ensure a place-based approach in cohesion policy programming. Taking into account the evidence brought forward by the CoR study on the matter, the own-initiative opinion will enable the CoR to assess and politically comment on the involvement of local and regional authorities in the ongoing programming exercise for the 2021-2027 period, and to put forward its recommendations for enhancing their engagement.

The ECR Vice-President underlined he is hon-

oured to be a CoR rapporteur on this topic, saying: “I will listen very carefully to your concerns about the ongoing processes in your countries and I will try to translate them into concrete recommendations on how to enhance our engagement”.

“We want to get our voices heard and be fullyfledged partners for the government and EU institutions. It is not possible to create effective strategic documents that will drive the implementation process throughout the whole programming period 2021-2027 without a full involvement of local and regional authorities.”

There was an exchange of views on Mr Droba’s opinion on 22 June 2021 in the COTER Commission, followed by adoption the same day. The opinion should be adopted in plenary in October 2021.

ECR Vice-President Juraj Droba

ECR First Vice-President Rob Jonkman will draw up CoR opinion on implementation of recovery and resilience facility ECR First Vice-President Robert Jonkman has been appointed rapporteur for the opinion on the Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) during the ECON commission meeting of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). This opinion will directly reflect the EU regions experience with the implementation of the RRF regulation, as well as with the preparation for the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) and will also make recommendations for ensuring an effective, important and territorially fair implementation of the RRF and of the NRPPs. Upon his appointment Mr Jonkman, also serving as Alderman of the municipality of Opsterland, highlighted the importance of local and regional authorities’ involvement in the set-up and implementation of NRRPs: “We consider that the NRRPs should address concrete local and regional shortages and a centralistic approach should be avoided where possible”.

In this regard, he questioned how the European Parliament could help regions and Member States in which the regions and cities have not been fully or at all involved in the preparation of NRRPs. Mr Jonkman said that time was probably lacking but “this is not a good enough excuse”. The ECR First Vice-President claimed that “even when we, as local and regional authori-

4

Newsletter

ties, are consulted, we are seen as stakeholders, but not really as partners”. This has to change.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility entered into force on 19 February 2021. It will make €672.5 billion in loans and grants available to support reforms and investments undertaken

by Member States. The aim is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions.

The opinion will be up for adoption at the ECON commission meeting in September and adoption at CoR plenary is planned for December 2021.

ECR First Vice-President Rob Jonkman

ENVIRONMENT Marshal Jakub Chelstowski on how Silesia is approaching the renovation challenge “The Renovation Wave is a big challenge, but also an opportunity. It can help citizens live in energy-efficient buildings and help economic recovery. In Poland 4.6 million people live in energy poverty. They have to fight to ensure adequate thermal comfort in their houses”, emphasized the ECR Member Marshal Jakub Chełstowski.

The context was the third meeting of the Just Transition Platform “Multilevel dialogue of the Committee of the Regions on Just Transition Coordination of the Just Transition at all levels of administration - challenges and opportunities for territorial just transition plans”.

Marshal Jakub Chełstowski, representing the Silesian region, highlighted the importance of the just transformation for changes in the region: “This is a generational task. Counteract-

ECR Member Marshal Jakub Chełstowski

ing climate change is the greatest challenge of the 21st century. Poland, along with other European Union member states, is among the leader of this process. We do not want to only be associated with the mining sector, but also with greenery, ecology and modern economy”, he emphasized.

The Marshal also made reference to the “Zielone Śląskie 2030” (Green Silesia) – a document which outlines ambitious goals for the region for the next 10 years. “We also know that we must act together and use the experiences of other European regions, our partners and experts of the European Commission”, he stressed.

With regards to how the just transition will be funded the Marshal acknowledged that EU Multiannual financial framework 2021-27 & Next Generation EU Recovery Facility will provide a “considerable amount to tackle the challenge, but it is not enough for regions like

Silesia

mine”. He concluded to say “we cannot afford to turn the Renovation Wave into an empty promise to our citizens”.

The third multilevel climate and energy dialogue on the Renovation Wave in Recovery and Resilience Plans, organised together with the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, was a follow-up to the one organised last October 2020 in cooperation with the Germany Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Tjisse Stelpstra: We must empower citizens to think greener During a meeting of the “Green Deal Going Local” working group ECR Member Tjisse Stelpstra remarked that the Green Deal is not only about countries, regions, cities and villages, but “it is also about citizens”. To accompany them on the green transition it is important for citizens to know what’s in it for them. “They must be given hope by focusing on pragmatic and achievable goals”, highlighted Mr Stelsptra. powering citizens to think greener”. This he says can be achieved through smart communications campaigns with “clear, locally targeted and inspirational messages” that showcase success stories. Examples, he said, could include “innovation in schools, green transport for citizens such as modern rail transport, and investing in the circular economy”.

ECR Member Tjisse Stelpstra

For Mr Stelpstra, who also serves as regional minister of the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands, an important first step is “em-

The ECR member provided his province of Drenthe as an example where they are exploring the idea of energy neutral housing together with companies and house owners. Finding solutions to such ideas are best sought when you join forces and “look to-

gether for practical solutions”, urged the regional minister.

The ‘Green Deal Going Local’ working group is an initiative of the European Committee of the Regions that aims at placing cities and regions at the core of the European Green Deal and ensuring that both the EU’s sustainable growth strategy and the COVID-19 recovery plan translate into funding for cities and regions and tangible projects for every territory.

Mr Tjisse Stelpstra was the CoR rapporteur for the opinion on the New Circular Economy Action Plan.

5

CURRENT CHALLENGES Marshal Władysław Ortyl on Portuguese Presidency in a debate with Prime Minister Costa During the May plenary of the European Committee of the Regions Marshal Władysław Ortyl spoke about assistance to Ukraine during the pandemic, strengthening labour rights in the framework of the Porto Social Summit and supporting African communities in overcoming the pandemic. with our closest neighbours, but also with those furthest from us geographically. Only in this way can we guarantee our citizens’ security and prosperity,” said Marshal Ortyl.

ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl

Marshal Ortyl took part in the discussion on the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU and the fight against the pandemic and set out the position of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. He emphasised the very good relations between Poland and Portugal, two countries at a similar stage of economic development, with one challenge they face being their geopolitical position at the edges of the European Union, forming its western and eastern borders. “In a united Europe, we need to seek consensus and common points of reference not only

In his intervention, he referred to the issue of assistance for containing the pandemic in Africa, highlighting the need for concrete action in this area. “One of the less well highlighted priorities of the Portuguese Presidency is that of strengthening relations with Africa.

The ECR Group in the European Parliament held another EU-Africa Summit two weeks ago. One of its conclusions was to call on the European Commission and the Member States to support local and regional authorities in Africa as an effective way of helping to combat the pandemic. This is primarily about sending medical assistance and supplying medicines,” the Marshal pointed out.

In his speech to the plenary session, he called for interest in Ukraine and assistance for that country to continue, as it was facing war with Russia at the same time as dealing with the pandemic. “If we care about Europe’s neigh-

bourhood, we must also pay attention to the situation in the East. Hospitals in neighbouring Ukraine are overcrowded. Almost 100 000 people were hospitalised there in the previous month, the highest number since the outbreak of the pandemic. Ukraine is in a particularly difficult situation, having to look after both those suffering from the pandemic and those whose health has suffered as a result of the ongoing war with Russia,” said Marshal Ortyl. “EU assistance to Ukraine has allowed the country to start a vaccine campaign earlier, and some EU regions are providing bilateral support to Ukrainian regions by supplying medical equipment. This assistance should continue,” he added.

The Marshal concluded with reference to the Porto Social Summit. “I would like to see the solutions developed there guarantee that workers’ rights are strengthened without hindering the competitiveness of any Member State. This is a difficult compromise, but I wish the Prime Minister success in achieving it,” concluded Marshal Ortyl.

ECR Group instrumental in drawing up CoR’s resolution on COVID Certificate During the European Committee of the Regions’ May plenary a resolution promoted by all political groups, which welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to create an EU Digital COVID Certificate, was adopted by unanimity.

The resolution on free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic (EU Digital COVID Certificate) and the scaling up of vaccine production outlines that in order to give the tourism sector the boost it so badly needs the creation of a common EU Digital COVID Certificate would facilitate unrestricted movement within the EU and essentially save the tourism sector. CoR members agreed that a common approach to verifying and certifying people’s status in relation to COVID 19 is paramount to ensure the

6

Newsletter

efficiency, effectiveness and interoperability of policies and of technical solutions to monitor the pandemic, and to facilitate the exercise of the right to move and reside freely within the territory of all EU Member States.

In drafting the resolution many of the ECR Group’s points were taken on board such as how the EU Digital COVID Certificate could be a means of combating and eliminating the threat of fake COVID-19 certificates, cases of which have been reported. We urged for high

security standards to be guaranteed in particular concerning paper-based certificates.

In addition, when talking about the considerable consequences the pandemic has had for the free movement of citizens within the European Union and beyond, we called to draw particular attention to the impact on crossborder commuting.

CoR members voted in favour of the ECR amendment calling for a new point on nondiscrimination – a prerequisite in drawing up such certificates; non-discrimination must mean that people who are not vaccinated but have a valid test confirming they are healthy are being able to exercise their right to travel.

Such a test must be available widely and at a

minimum cost. Another ECR amendment urging Member States to exercise caution in how they use the EU Digital COVID Certificate and calling for basic services to be available to all citizens was also voted in favour.

After long and intense negotiations, the Council and the European Parliament have reached a political agreement on the certificate.

ECR Vice-President Marsilio gives green light for “COVID-19 certificate” as long as it’s non-discriminatory In a European Committee of the Regions’ plenary debate on recovery in the tourism sector, ECR Vice-President Marco Marsilio outlined that the recently proposed COVID-19 certificate (Digital Green Certificate) by the European Commission will help to ensure safe travel this summer but calls for fundamental rights to be respected. Mr Marsilio, who also serves as President of the Abruzzo Region, said that the “certificate will give the tourism sector the boost it needs to recover whilst respecting the health and safety of citizens”.

ECR Vice-President Marco Marsilio

For him, he views it as a means to give tourists “greater confidence in their choice of destination” as travellers are unlikely to travel to coun-

tries that are characterised by a low vaccination rate and a high epidemiological incidence, i.e. countries where curfews are still imposed. However, the ECR Vice-President called for the certificates to be “non-discriminatory”, and gave the example of people who cannot get vaccinated because of health reasons – these people should still be able to travel and access basic services provided they have a recent valid COVID-19 test and such tests should be “easily accessible and available to all”, he urged.

Along with an acceleration of the vaccination campaign Marco Marsilio is convinced that the certificates are a good first step to ensure we do

not lose tourist flows – the tourism sector having been one of the most hard hit sectors by the pandemic – and underlined the “crucial importance to have it up and running by the summer”.

Mr Marsilio concluded his intervention in the debate on recovery in the tourism sector by referring to the services directive otherwise known as the Bolkestein directive with regards to seaside businesses in Italy: “I believe that seaside businesses should be protected – in Italy they are heavily penalised by the services directive. Our beaches are goods and not services. This sector should be excluded from the scope of this directive for once and for all”, he emphasized.

Pavel Branda: Cross-border regions severely impacted by pandemic Who better than ECR member Pavel Branda to talk about the cross-border dimension of the pandemic situation and of the Conference on the Future of Europe? As chairman of the intergroup on cross-border cooperation in the European Committee of the Regions, Mr Branda who also serves as Deputy Mayor of Rádlo in the Czech Republic, said that with the closure of borders “cross-border cooperation witnessed the biggest setback in decades”.

David Sassoli, the ECR member highlighted how “disappointing” it was to see borders closed during the first wave of the pandemic. Even though the second wave did not bring about the closure of borders, there were so many restrictions that borders “were far from open”. Looking forward, “we need to rebuild trust and return to a world that is better”, urged the ECR member.

ECR Member Pavel Branda

During the CoR Plenary debate with the President of the European Parliament Mr

The pandemic showed us just how “fragile the achievements of cooperation are and that they should not be taken for granted” as seen with instinctive reaction of the Member States to close borders, high-

lighted Mr Branda.

As CoR rapporteur on cross-border public services, Pavel Branda reiterated the importance of citizens at border regions having their voices heard. They need to have access to cross-border public services for it is “at the borders where real European integration takes place” in a practical and concrete way, he said.

Mr Branda sees the pandemic as a chance to avoid returning to the “old normal” – “we must return to a world that is better and restart cross-border cooperation”.

7

Marshal Cezary Przybylski on the economic recovery of the tourism, hotel and catering sector Marshal of the Lower Silesia region and ECR Member Cezary Przybylski outlined the steps his region took, where tourism is one of the main pillars of development, to save this very industry. They firstly launched a system of financial support, which has enabled many entrepreneurs to survive and jobs to be saved, and they are also carrying out nonfinancial activities, such as campaigns encouraging the use of the region’s tourist assets and special websites promoting local deals.

In the CoR plenary debate on the economic recovery of the tourism, hotel and catering sector, the Marshal of the Polish region said that with regards to restarting the economy, “it is important that we work together because local and regional authorities, business environment institutions and entrepreneurs are well aware of the losses that have been incurred”.

For the ECR member, the “safe restart of the economy” must take into account “compliance with the applicable health protection regula-

tions and measures”. Marshal Przybylski urged for new solutions to be found to this new situation we all find ourselves in and called for the knowledge we have on how regions managed the crisis to be used.

Looking forward he concluded by saying “let’s develop mechanisms that will allow us to keep ourselves safe in the future so that any new epidemic wave or other threats do not paralyse our economies again - we cannot allow that to happen”.

ECR Member Cezary Przybylski

REFORMING THE EU ECR’s vision for a better Europe What future awaits the European Union? What place do citizens have in a united Europe? Attempts to answer these and many other questions were made by participants in a conference on the future of Europe “An opportunity to build together the “European House of Democracy” on the foundations of its regions, cities and villages”. One of the participants was ECR Group President Marshal Władysław Ortyl.

In his capacity as President of the ECR Group at the European Committee of the Regions, Marshal Ortyl spoke on the panel on “strengthening democratic legitimacy: a Conference for and with citizens”. In his speech, the Marshal referred to the discussion on the future of Europe: “Europeans expect Europe’s decision-makers to work together and to act quickly. They also expect pragmatism. The coronavirus pandemic has now been with us for over a year. According to the World Health Organization, more than one million COVID-19-related deaths have already been recorded in Europe. The situation is improving, but remains very serious. The fight to protect the health and jobs of Europeans should be the main topic of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Not ideological disputes, but topics that Europeans are most interested in day-to-day – health and the economy,” said the Marshal.

8

Newsletter

Władysław Ortyl pointed out that the discussion should be linked to the principles that underpin the workings of the European Union, such as subsidiarity: “I would like Conference participants also to bear in mind the need to show regard for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. Both of these principles make it clear that decisions should be taken as close as possible to the citizens – if possible by a municipality rather than a region, by a region rather than a Member State and by a Member State rather than by the European Union,” he said.

The conference, which used a hybrid format due to the pandemic, was attended by representatives of the major European institutions, including the European Parliament and the European Commission.

It was organised by the CoR, which gave the floor to elected representatives of lo-

ECR CoR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl

cal and regional authorities and European citizens during the debate. The main topic discussed was how to build a House of European Democracy.

Pavel Branda on the “Future of Europe-What the next generation expects” “Freedom!” This was the firm answer provided by ECR Member Pavel Branda when asked what the next generation expects from the future of Europe during a digital event with young people organised jointly by the CoR and the Government of Azores on 28 May.

ECR Member Pavel Branda

Having grown up in a divided and communist Europe with borders, Mr Branda, who also serves as deputy mayor of Radló in the Czech Republic, described the freedom to travel, study, work and volunteer all over Europe as “a dream come true”. For him, it is absolutely “crucial” that we “protect and guarantee those freedoms for the future”.

nities and quality education”, he concluded.

In his capacity as father and local politician, what he sees as most important for the children and youth of his municipality is a “safe and inspiring environment where young people can develop and discover their potential as well as embrace responsibility for their own lives”. It is then up to the politicians to “provide safe outdoor playing areas for children, sport and recreational opportu-

This event marked the political opening of the Young Elected Politicians (YEPs) Programme 2021. In the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the CoR wants to engage young local and regional elected politicians and young people, listening to their wishes, suggestions and concerns to contribute shaping the future of Europe, regions and of European people.

More than 100 people including CoR members, young politicians from Azores and Madeira, students and civil society representatives participated in an online event on the Future of Europe and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Matteo Bianchi: Racism, xenophobia and discrimination in all their forms must be strongly condemned In a CoR plenary debate on the Union of Equality ECR member Matteo Bianchi addressed participants by saying that the best way to ensure that tolerance prevails in our societies is through “investing in the education of our children and having resilient criminal systems”.

The tools to do so are, and rightly so, “in the hands of our 27 Member States”, he said.

Mr Bianchi, also serving as Councillor in Morazzone, Italy, praised the EU for its efforts in searching for ways to assist European countries – however, he expressed a much less favourable judgement of the methods describing them as “threats with sanctions” and the “creation of more EU agencies and new posts”.

For the ECR member such an approach will not bring the expected results because “the primary goal of the EU in ensuring equality

should be through serving as a platform to exchange good practice and data, not duplicating structures that exist at the country level”. Matteo Bianchi called on the EU to lead by example if it wants to be successful in this field.

With regards to the protection of vulnerable groups Mr Bianchi called for better protection of Jewish people living in Europe and urged Member States to tackle the growing antisemitism, which must include

ECR Member Matteo Bianchi

“remembrance, education and legislation at country level”. The ECR member concluded by requesting that national authorities be given support in this respect.

The Silesian region in favour of Carpathian Strategy The seminar “Macro-regional and Cross-border strategies as a factor of economic, tourist and social development of regions” with the participation of Marshal Jakub Chełstowski was held on the initiative of the House of Eastern Poland in Brussels in cooperation with the Podkarpackie region.

Marshal Jakub Chełstowski was one of the invited guests during a discussion panel devoted to the involvement of civil society in activities aimed at achieving the effective-

ness of macro-regional strategies. “We live in difficult times, especially now in the postpandemic landscape, there is a huge place for such a strategy. Our example shows that

Marshal Jakub Chełstowski

9

quick connections, economic exchange, good, modern communication between cities are the core of the modern economy.

We need to think ahead, well beyond the local or regional point of view. In local governments, we build a strategy in which everyone can develop. I congratulate Marshal Ortyl on his initiative and I strongly support the activities on the so-called Carpathian Strategy” said the ECR Member.

At the end of his speech, Jakub Chełstowski

emphasized the importance of building such relations on the EU scale: “Such cooperation has a positive impact outside, we do not compete for being the best, but together we strive to achieve the set goals.

I keep my fingers crossed for the success of the Carpathian Strategy. Such activities show that in Europe we are able to prepare good documents, a solid strategy that works for the benefit of the inhabitants of our regions”, concluded Marshal Jakub

Chełstowski.

The macro-regional strategy for the Carpathian region has a chance to become the fifth macro-regional strategy of the European Union and the second mountain strategy, after the Alpine strategy. ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl was rapporteur in the European Committee of the Regions for the opinion on the macro-regional strategy for the Carpathian region.

MEMBERS’ ACTIVITIES The Lower Silesia Cycle Network A public consultation has been launched on the Lower Silesia region Cycle Network - a flagship project for the construction of long-distance cycle routes, covering the whole region. The project will be partially financed by the European Union.

At the first consultation meeting, held in Milicz, more than twenty local and regional elected representatives of the Lower Silesia region signed a joint declaration of cooperation for the construction of the cycle network.

“I welcome the excellent cooperation and the commitment of local and regional elected representatives to developing the cycle network in the region,” said Marshal Cezary Przybylski, who also serves as ECR Member in the European Committee of the Regions. “Lower Silesia is one of the first regions in Poland to have tackled the issue of cycle paths in such a comprehensive manner. Together with experts, we have drawn up a strategy to build this network across the region. We have also developed design standards to make the newly built paths safe, functional and user- and environmentfriendly,” added the Marshal.

ECR Member Marshal Cezary Przybylski

The Cycle Network consists of over 1 800 km of routes that will improve the region’s transport accessibility, integrate local cycle routes and link them with Dolnośląskie’s rail network. The project is based on a network of main cycle routes, covering the whole region, and provides links with cycle routes on

the Czech and German sides of the border.

The project will largely be financed by the EU, under the new financial framework. Local authorities, who are also contributing to the financing, will be involved in the construction of the entire route network.

Let’s vaccinate!

Some of our ECR members are getting vaccinated and sharing their very good reasons and inspiration for getting the jab through the European Committee of the Regions’ vaccination campaign, which aims to encourage vaccination take-up across Europe.

President of the ECR Group, Marshal Władysław Ortyl, explains why vaccination was important for him: “We all miss every day, ordinary life, when we could go to the cinema, the theatre, a match or simply meet up with friends without any problem. The

10

Newsletter

coronavirus pandemic has turned our lives upside down. In order to return to the everyday life we know and long for, we have to reach so-called “herd immunity”. This can only be achieved if as many people as possible are vaccinated against COVID-19. Let’s

Marshal Władysław Ortyl, Roberto Ciambetti, Paweł Grzybowski

get vaccinated, as a sign of respect, not only for our own health, but for all our friends, neighbours and acquaintances.”

ECR members Mr Roberto Ciambetti and Mr Paweł Grzybowski also encourage citizens

to get vaccinated. For Mr Ciambetti, President of the Veneto Regional Council, the “vaccine will save your life and that of others”. Mayor of Rypin, Mr Grzybowski, urges people to look after themselves and others

and simply “let’s vaccinate!”.

Currently as of mid-June 310.7 million doses have been administered in the EU with 55% of the adult EU population having received at least one dose.

City of Potenza selected to participate in twinning programme of MED Efficient Buildings Community Mayor of Potenza and ECR Member Mario Guarente was recently informed that his city would be twinned with the city of Mostaganem in Algeria in a peer-to-peer learning on energy efficiency in public buildings.

The initiative takes place within the Interreg MED programme as part of the territorial cooperation action on energy saving, aimed at creating a community of actors working on building efficiency, by transferring and consolidating some of the best practices developed in the projects of the 2014-2020 programming period.

Mayor Mario Guarente underlined Potenza’s efforts: “we will put forward a concrete example of involving citizens in adopting active energy saving behaviour through a fun

competition between primary and secondary schools in the city that have struggled to save energy bills”. Through the partnership with the city of Mostaganem the Mayor hopes to “actively contribute to the promotion of sustainable and coordinated development in the Mediterranean”.

The Interreg MED Twinning project is part of the MED Efficient Buildings Community.

As the MED hub for innovative and shared energy efficiency solutions, this community facilitates the discussion on how to over-

Cities of Mostaganem and Potenza. ECR Member Mario Guarente

come the barriers that public organisations, namely local authorities, face to reduce their building´s energy consumption.

Władysław Ortyl back on the board of NEREUS! ECR President and Marshal of the Podkarpackie region was appointed Vice-President of the NEREUS Association. The elections took place on 5 May during the online General Assembly of the Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies (NEREUS).

“This is a great honour and privilege for me. We are the only region in Poland that has chosen “Aviation and Space Technologies” as a smart specialisation. These are leading industries in our region, with which we strongly associate the future. We want to promote and disseminate space technologies in the region and throughout Poland”, said Władysław Ortyl after his election.

NEREUS represents the interests of European regions, emphasising the regional dimension of European space policy and programmes.

The key mission of the NEREUS network is to explore the benefits of space technologies for European regions and their citizens, and to promote the use of space and its applications.

ECR President Marshal Władysław Ortyl

The NEREUS network brings together 23 European regions and 37 associated members, including businesses, universities, and research institutes.

11

EVENTS Post-Brexit Europe - a local government perspective The full extent of the impact of the UK’s leaving the European Union is not yet fully known and consequences for both sides will be farreaching but two hot topics can already be assessed: the devolution of powers and vaccine rollout on both sides of the English Channel.

Both were the subject of lively discussion for participants of the virtual conference on post-Brexit Europe organised by the ECR Group in the European Committee of the Regions.

The vaccine roll-out in the EU and UK was another major topic. While three out of four British adults have already received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the EU is still lagging behind.

Maurice Golden, Conservative Member of Scottish Parliament, underlined that “the UK’s world-leading vaccination programme has saved countless lives and is a cause for celebration.”

Commenting on the need for such conferences, Member of the British Parliament David Simmonds said that “politicians gain enormously when learning from each other.

Following Brexit, it is vital that the UK and EU maintain dialogue on our extensive common interests, and the UK has an opportunity to learn from the success of devolved arrangements across our EU neighbours, in order to better address the concerns of our citizens”.

The panellists underlined that while action at

supranational level is efficient and appropriate in some areas, such as agriculture, cohesion and research, centralisation in a number of other areas can be a source of growing concern for local and regional authorities.

According to ECR Vice-President Councillor Oldřich Vlasák, “Brexit was a warning sign that limits of European integration should be clearly drawn, and a signal that the EU must reformulate itself in order to become more decentralised and less bureaucratic”.

Cezary Przybylski said that “while the EU has not yet achieved the UK vaccination rate, progress is evident and the EU can also be proud of some of its achievements, such as crossborder cooperation between the regions during the pandemic”. The Marshal of Lower Silesia in Poland highlighted the positive cooperation with Saxony in Germany and four partner regions in the Czech Republic. EU regions successfully cooperate with regard to COVID-19 research and facilitation of movement of workers during the pandemic.

East Poland House seminar on added value of macro-regional and cross-border strategies for the economic development of European regions “The macro-regional strategy for the Carpathians is a framework that will enable countries and regions in the region to address problems jointly and better exploit our joint potential”, said Marshal Władysław Ortyl, ECR President, at a seminar organised by the East Poland House in Brussels.

Podkarpackie’s leader set out how developing the Carpathian strategy was part of building Europe’s future based on grassroots initiatives, which are important for the lives of people in the regions in question or across the continent. “The European Union is conducting a wide-ranging debate on Europe’s future. The experience of macroregional policy and resulting from macroregional strategies must naturally feed into the debate. These perspectives are likely to be closer to those of Europe’s citizens. The

12

Newsletter

Union needs to become closer to its citizens”.

“This strategy may be very successful, since it will link regions and areas that have not been connected before. I would like to commend Marshal Ortyl for his determination in promoting this important idea”, continued the Marshal of Silesia and ECR member, Jakub Chełstowski. “The strategy would help us to further improve cooperation with Czech and Slovak regions.”

Marshal of Lubelskie and ECR Member

East Poland House Brussels

Jarosław Stawiarski highlighted the particular case of his region that borders Belarusian & Ukrainian regions: “here we have to speak about three different economic, administrative & legal regimes. This represents both a

challenge & an opportunity for the development of our regions. We must concentrate on what unites us”.

ECR Member and CoR rapporteur on crossborder public services, Pavel Branda, outlined the added value of cross-border projects. The Deputy Mayor of Rádlo Municipality in the Czech Republic said they “are accessible, focus on tangibles (schools, firefighters, sports clubs) and build mutual trust. They also serve as incubators for bigger projects”.

“Europe develops from the bottom up, from

individual contacts between people and local communities. When we show an individual person a project being implemented close to where they live, designed specifically for them, they will understand why crossborder cooperation is important”, explained ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti, President of the Regional Council of Veneto.

Participants in the debate pointed to the variety of initiatives undertaken under the Carpathian strategy and talked about measures to be taken next to realise the concept.

The seminar took place online on 12 May.

ECR Member Marshal Jarosław Stawiarski

Professor Tomasz Grosse guest speaker at ECR Group meeting In the margins of the European Committee of the Regions’ May plenary the ECR Group held their group meeting with the participation of Professor Tomasz Grosse. ECR members were delighted to welcome the Professor, also serving as a member of the CoR High Level Group on European Democracy, to discuss the CoR’s work in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Professor Grosse clearly stated that the work of the High Level Group is devoted to democracy, which lies at the “basis of the functioning of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the EU”. The fundamental question is how can the democratic participation of LRAs be reinforced, and for him, this should be the main mission and focus of the High Level Group.

A topic close to the heart of the ECR Group is the principle of subsidiarity and the Professor urged for the High Level Group’s efforts to be focused on this principle, and in particular its implementation in two contexts: subsidiarity of high-level authorities in relation to local and regional authorities; and subsidiarity of the EU in relation to Member States.

“Should power be shifted to the European level it should most certainly not be at the cost of Member States and LRAs”, he said.

“Any improvement in how European policies are drawn up should be done taking subsidiarity into consideration”, he continued.

The Professor reiterated the importance of achieving “an adequate balance of powers between EU and national authorities and within the Member States”.

Professor Grosse concluded on how we can

ensure the success of the Conference, which for him comes down to the mobilisation of society - “we must make sure the voices of citizens are heard”. It must be communicated that the online platform of the Conference exists and is up and running, “a great vehicle for presenting opinions and recommendations”. He also said that it’s very important that conservatives get organised so that people who do not regard Europe as a centralised body can also voice their opinion.

“Social mobilisation should not just be used by forces who see Europe as federation of states”.

The creation of the High Level Group on European Democracy (HLG) was endorsed by the CoR Bureau in December 2020 following a proposal of the Conference of Presidents of the CoR. The HLG is composed of seven European “wise men and women”: Herman Van Rompuy, former Prime Minister of Belgium, and President Emeritus of the European Council; Joaquin Almunia, former European Commissioner for Competition and for Economic and Financial Affairs; Tomasz Grzegorz Grosse, Professor of the University of Warsaw; Rebecca Harms, former Member of the European Parliament (MEP); Silja Markkula, President of the European Youth Forum;

Professor Tomasz Grosse

Maria João Rodrigues, former Minister for Qualification and Education of Portugal and MEP; and Androulla Vassiliou, former Commissioner for Health and for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.

The meeting took place online on 30 April.

13

Climate ambassadors Juraj Droba and Roberto Ciambetti join launch event of new Covenant of Mayors On 21 April, mayors and local leaders from across the EU joined the launch event of the new Covenant of Mayors. In an online ceremony, the Political Board presented the Covenant’s vision “for a fairer, climateneutral Europe”, the new pledge for cities and regions aiming to step up climate ambitions.

ECR Vice-President, Mr Juraj Droba, and ECR Member, Mr Roberto Ciambetti, underlined the honour for them to participate in this first launch meeting of the Second Chamber of the Covenant of Mayors as ambassadors for Slovakia and Italy respectively.

Mr Droba emphasized that his region of Bratislava “is proud to be a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors initiative and we take our commitment to fight c limate c hange v ery seriously”. He gave some examples of actions being taken in Bratislava such as the creation of the Environmental Education Center in Čunovo “as an inclusive ecological centre for domestic and foreign visitors with education programmes aimed at increasing the environmental awareness" and explained how the region will be also “supporting mobility based on rail”. The ECR Vice-President sees it as “the solution for our overpopulated region”.

ECR Vice-President Juraj Droba and ECR Member Roberto Ciambetti

The President of the Bratislava Region also drew attention to the activities of the region in the field o f e nvironmental p rotection: “The Bratislava Region has been actively involved in preparation and is currently involved in implementing the Catalogue of Climate Change Adaptation Measures, providing practical recommendations for measures and interventions to be implemented at local level”.

and local governments care about environmental and climate protection”. The creation of this second chamber is a concrete response to the call for strengthening national strategies and strengthening the political dimension of the Covenant of Mayors and Mr Ciambetti said he strongly believes “that the coordinating regions of the Covenant such as Veneto can play a key role in supporting municipalities on the one hand and strengthening their links with national and European policies on the other”.

Mr Roberto Ciambetti, President of the Veneto Regional Council in Italy, referred to the high number of signatories Italy has to the Covenant - currently 4859. For the ECR member, it shows “how much Italian citizens

He continued to say that their commitment is “not limited to encouraging our mayors to support the Covenant, but also to effectively implement on the ground the various objectives we hope to achieve”. Mr Ciambetti

14

Newsletter

highlighted the importance of “coordinating the experiences spread across our national territory”, and concluded that “as head of the Italian delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, I will commit myself to the make sure that the whole delegation will proactively respond to this call”.

The Covenant of Mayors was launched in 2008 by the European Commission to support cities and regions with delivering the EU’s 2020 climate and energy targets. The Covenant is now reinforcing its role by aligning its climate pledge to the EU’s objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 together with the launch of a new Chamber of National Ambassadors to support the rollout of the Covenant in each Member State.

CoR local dialogue in Abruzzo: Towards a multimodal Adriatic-Ionian major line with multiple connections to the Tyrrhenian coast A large number of citizens and experts took part on 23 June in “Towards a multimodal Adriatic-Ionian major line with multiple connections to the Tyrrhenian coast”, an event staged by the Abruzzo Region in collaboration with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) as part of the European Year of Rail 2021. Connecting from L’Aquila and Brussels, speakers included president of the Abruzzo Region and ECR Vice-President Marco Marsilio (host of the conference); Portugal’s secretary of state for infrastructure, Jorge Delgado representing the Portuguese Council presidency; the director for Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport at the European Commission’s DG MOVE, Herald Ruijters; and Italy’s deputy minister for infrastructure and sustainable transport, Alessandro Morelli.

Building on the objectives of the Green Deal (decarbonisation of transport and promoting a modal shift to rail) and the promotion of social, economic and territorial cohesion, the aim of the initiative was to disseminate information to the public and businesses about planned and ongoing projects and interregional cooperation on the Adriatic-Ionian rail line, as the backbone of an intermodal and interconnected transport system.

In his speech, the President of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, proposed to the European Commission, as part of the TENT review process, that it consider the major Adriatic line and the lateral line towards the Tyrrhenian coast, stressing Abruzzo’s ideal logistical position and the huge potential for attracting new industries and businesses.

“Abruzzo’s centrality in commercial and tourist traffic in the Mediterranean cannot

ECR Vice-President Marco Marsilio

be ignored. Building up Abruzzo’s ports will serve to expedite the transport of goods and people, thereby boosting employment and increasing competitiveness for production.

Abruzzo calls on the European Commission to review the TEN-T networks, from which the European Mobility Corridors derive, and in particular to extend the Baltic-Adriatic corridor to the entire major Adriatic line, so as to link it, in Apulia, to the Scandinavian-

Mediterranean Corridor and create a branch of the latter from the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkans via the port of Ortona,” he said.

The event was part of a series of “local dialogues” on European issues organised and supported by the European Committee of the Regions across the EU. A recording of the entire event is available on the Facebook page of the Abruzzo Region.

EU Green Week for ECR member Tjisse Stelpstra During EU Green Week ECR member and CoR rapporteur on the circular economy, Tjisse Stelpstra, spoke at the conference “Preparing Europe for Climate Change – Reinforcing climate adaptation in the regions and cities”.

Mr Stelpstra, who also serves as Member of the Council of the Province of Drenthe highlighted that “climate change is a multidimensional and global problem, but regions and municipalities are at the frontline of efforts - we must remain close to our inhabitants to give them hope about climate

adaptation, and remind them how just how resilient we can be as shown and proven during the pandemic”.

The event, organised by the Commission for the Environment, Climate change and Energy in the European Committee of the Regions,

ECR Member Tjisse Stelpstra

15

tive on waste: “There is no waste! We need a mind shift in how to look at resources. Too often in our linear economy, materials are simply discarded and tossed away. But materials we no longer use are the resources of our future!”

took place online on 31 May 2021.

The following day Mr Stelpstra acted as jury member responsible for the public administration and organisation category in the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) awards – one of the biggest awareness campaigns about waste prevention in Europe.

The annual EWWR Awards Ceremony took place online and revealed the names of the most outstanding awareness-raising actions on waste reduction implemented in November 2020.

During the opening session of the event Mr Stelpstra gave an insight into his perspec-

For him, it is the responsibility of governments at all levels to lead in regulating and stimulating to make a fair transition to a circular economy possible and he referred to the Action Plan of the European Commission as providing useful advice and guidance on re-use and the right to repair. “We can prevent a lot of waste if products are designed accordingly. Many people have excellent ideas, but more than that, there is a lot of activity”.

Mr Stelpstra concluded to say that the award ceremony is “also a ceremony of hope and confidence!”

The place of regions in EU architecture The European Committee of the Regions should be more involved in all stages of EU policymaking, and the European Commission must not bypass the regional authorities. This was the central message that our ECR members Massimiliano Fedriga and Juraj Droba communicated while speaking at the high-level conference titled “the place of regions in the European Union architecture”.

Both ECR members are strong advocates of the EU’s subsidiarity principle. During the high-level discussion on the future role of regions in the EU, Mr Massimiliano Fedriga, President of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, reiterated: “The EU - to be perceived as close to citizens - must not bypass regional authorities. The Commission should listen more to the input from territories. We need an alliance between the EU & regional governments. Mechanisms should be provided for to protect the competencies of those

ECR Member Massimiliano Fedriga and ECR Vice-President Juraj Droba

regions with legislative powers that regions can trigger whenever in a given proposal the Commission is going to undermine the competence of the regions; a sort of simplified early warning.”

the Regions should be more involved in all stages of EU policymaking. The institution represents local & regional government and its opinions should be more binding on other institutions than is currently the case.”

Mr Droba, the Vice-President of the ECR Group in the Committee of the Regions and the President of Slovakia’s Bratislava Region, highlighted: “The European Committee of

The high-level online event comprised of representatives from the EU and from national parliaments and governments. It took place online on 29 June.

Follow us on

@ECR_CoR