The Assembly of European Regions develops and maintains relationships with a wide range of thematic and geographic networks, organisations and institutions for the benefit of its members. Structured cooperation with an increasing number of relevant partners enables the AER to position itself as a forward-looking network.
INSTITUTIONS & ADVISORY BODIES
European Union
European Committee of the Regions (CoR)
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the voice of regions and cities in the EU. It represents local and regional authorities across the European Union and advises on new laws that have an impact on regions and cities. A pillar of multi-level governance, it has the mission to involve regional and local authorities in the European decision-making process and thus to encourage greater participation from our fellow citizens. CoR members are grouped according to their political affiliation.
The #CohesionAlliance is a coalition of those who believe that EU Cohesion Policy must continue to be a pillar of the EU’s future. Since its launch in October 2017, the Alliance’s gathered together more than 12 000 individual signatories, 140 regions, 137 cities and counties, 50 associations of regional and local governments, 40 Members of the European Parliament and 35 EU sectoral associations.
The Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) is responsible for coordinating the Committee of the Regions’ work on constitutional and institutional issues, the area of freedom, security and justice, and the EU’s external dimension, focusing on enlargement and neighbourhood countries and on development cooperation from a local and regional angle.
Cities and Regions for Integration of Migrants initiative provides a political platform for European mayors and regional leaders to showcase positive examples of integration of migrants and refugees, share relevant information and promote diversity as an added value to building inclusive cities and ensuring social cohesion.
Council of Europe (CoE)
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states and assessing the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. As the voice of Europe’s municipalities and regions, it works to foster consultation and political dialogue between national governments and local and regional authorities, through cooperation with the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
The Committee of Experts on Intercultural Integration of Migrants (ADI-INT) assists the Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination and Inclusion (CDADI) in steering the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental work to promote equality for all and build more inclusive societies, offering effective protection from discrimination and hate and where diversity is respected.
The Intercultural Cities Programme supports cities and regions in reviewing and adapting their policies through an intercultural lens, and developing comprehensive intercultural strategies to manage diversity as an advantage for the whole society.
The Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) steers the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental work to promote equality for all and build more inclusive societies that offer effective protection from discrimination and hate and where diversity is respected.
United Nations (UN)
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in about 170 countries and territories, helping eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations. Its major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. UNECE includes 56 member States in Europe, North America and Asia. However, all interested United Nations member States may participate in the work of UNECE.
The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. The ultimate objective of all three agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is part of the United Nations System as the leading inter-governmental organization promoting since 1951 humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, with 175 member states and a presence in over 100 countries. IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management that is to say migration and development, facilitating and regulating migration, and forced migration.
Organization for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD)
The OECD Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC) was established in 1999. It works to improve living standards and well-being fro citizens from all regions, cities and rural area by designing and implementing effective place-based policies. By providing internationally comparable subnational data, the Committee is able to inform global debates on regional, urban, rural and water policy, subnational finance and multi-level governance.
MEDIA NETWORKS & INFORMATION HUBS
Cafébabel is the first multilingual participatory magazine. The online magazine is a unique platform in which a network of volunteer authors, translators, filmmakers and photographers work together to report on the daily lives of young Europeans. Cafébabel is published by Babel International, an NGO based in France.
EURACTIV is an independent pan-European media network specialised in EU affairs, established in 1999. It covers EU policy processes upstream of decisions and spreads across eight thematic clusters: Agrifood, Economy, Energy & Environment, Global Europe, Health, Politics, Technology, and Transport.
Europe Direct Strasbourg informs the general public of the European Union’s programs and policies, as well as the life of all the European institutions located in Strasbourg through informative brochures, exhibitions and various activities.
Promote Ukraine is a Brussels-based media platform for expertise and civil society initiatives for Ukraine and the EU. It is also a civil society and advocacy organisation established during the Revolution of Dignity in Brussels, European Citizen’s Prize Awardee 2022.
INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments is a coordination and consultation mechanism that brings together the major international networks of local governments to undertake joint advocacy work relating to global policy processes. It was set up in 2013 to bring the perspectives of local and regional governments to the SDGs, climate change agenda and New Urban Agenda in particular.
Regions4 represents regional governments (states, regions and provinces) before UN negotiations, European Union initiatives and global discussions in the fields of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development. Regions4 was established in 2002 at the World Summit in Johannesburg as the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development and it represents 41 regional governments from 21 countries in 4 continents.
The World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is a voluntary international alliance of associations, unions and individual municipalities established in 2004 in order to represent rights of citizens at the level of local self-government. UCLG is committed to representing, defending and amplifying the voices of local and regional governments to leave no one and no places behind.
CIVIL SOCIETIES ORGANISATIONS | NGOs | THINK THANKS
The Active Collectively to bridge Space and Society (EURISY) raises awareness of emerging satellite applications which can help professional communities in many sectors of application: from transport to risk management, from habitat protection to energy.
The Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) was founded in 1971 by the first border regions which had started cross-border cooperation in Europe after the Second World War, strengthening the integration of citizens across national boundaries. AEBR works on behalf of European border and cross-border regions to highlight their role in the political landscape, to represent their common interests, to enhance cooperation between border regions throughout Europe, and to promote exchanges of experiences, information and solutions to common obstacles.
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) is an independent cooperative organization that strives to achieve mutual development and cooperative exchange in Northeast Asia, consisting of metropolitan and local self-governing governments of six countries such as states, provinces, prefectures, aimags, and metropolitan cities.
DYPALL Network (Developing Youth Participation at Local Level) is a European platform of over 80 civil society organisations and local authorities from more than 30 countries that aims to involve young people in decision-making processes at local level. It enables municipal and regional authorities to address the needs and interests of youth, engage young people as active actors of problem-solving and increase the level of ownership, commitment and involvement of an important part of our communities.
The Prize honours and supports European togetherness and offers incentives for further concepts. AER President Magnus Berntsson is a Patron of the Prize, and YRN Vice-President Norbert Nagy is a member of their Jury, in 2023.
ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy – was established in 1999 at the initiative of the Council of Europe. It is a global alliance of local and regional authorities and civil society actors working together with a participative approach for resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities.
The European Countryside Movement (ECM) is a platform gathered around specific initiatives and/or position papers. Without legal or politic personality, it values the specific NGOs partners while respecting their identity and diversity.
ENoP serves as an umbrella network and information hub on topics related to democracy and development cooperation. As such, it provides its members a joint platform to engage into a coordinated dialogue with EU institutions, CSOs and other relevant stakeholders.
The European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) is a Brussels-based platform of Research and Innovation Organisations and Stakeholders in Regions. ERRIN aims to strengthen regional Research and Innovation capacities.
The European Youth Forum (EYF) is the platform of youth organisations in Europe representing more than 100 youth organisations. It works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations.
The Foundation of European Regions for Education and Training (FREREF) is the instrument European Regions have adopted in the field of education and training to create a forum for exchanges and cooperation. It supports regions and territorial actors in the implementation of Lifelong Learning policies and promotes the collaboration of these actors on a transnational and European scale.
The Institute for European Environmental Policy is a sustainability think tank that works with stakeholders across EU institutions, international bodies, academia, civil society and industry. Its team of economists, scientists and lawyers produce evidence-based research and policy insight.
The Institute of Innovative Governance is an NGO and a think tank that advocates for digital inclusion, digital rights, and inclusive digital governance.
The Local Authorities Major Group gathers a number of networks of local and sub‑national governments working on sustainable development policies and programmes that are willing to engage in the international negotiation processes. Through its links with the Global Taskforce it reaches all relevant networks – thematic, regional and global – working for local governments internationally.
The MIHealth Management & Clinical Innovation Forum is working on an innovative and renovated scientific programme focused on the new challenges of the Health System and how to applied new technologies to enhance the efficiency of the Hospital Management Systems.
NECSTouR is the Network of European Regions for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism. Based in Brussels, it develops Interregional Projects and fosters cooperation to enable Sustainable Tourism Governance in Europe.
The Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies (NEREUS) is an initiative by regions from all over Europe emphasising the use of space technologies. The network represents the interests of European regions that use space technologies whilst simultaneously highlighting the regional dimension of European space policy and programmes.
Established in March 2012 by ICMC Europe, Share Network supports regions, cities, towns, and rural communities interested in welcoming refugees and migrants.
Oru Fogar is an organisation working on interregional cooperation and advocacy acting as a speaker for the regions.
The Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) is a political youth NGO advocating for the creation of a democratic European federation as a guarantee for peace, the rule of law and human rights. JEF Europe promotes true European citizenship, works for the widening and deepening of the European Union and strives for a more just and integrated society on the European continent and beyond. Established in 1972, the organisation has more than 10,000 activists organised in over 250 national, regional and local sections in 33 countries.
The Zero Project’s mission is working for a world with zero barriers. Worldwide, the Zero Project finds and shares models that improve the daily lives and legal rights of all persons with disabilities
The WHO-Regions for Health Network is the authority responsible for public health within the United Nations system. The WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) is one of WHO’s six regional offices around the world.
The World Investment Conference (WIC) runs the leading conferences on cross-border investments. These unique platforms are dedicated to stimulating and facilitating FDI from around the world to specific and targeted countries or regions.
ORGANISATIONS OF REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS
The Regions of Climate Action (R20) is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 2011 by former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and other global leaders in cooperation with the United Nations. R20 aims to help regional governments develop and implement projects, policies, and best practices for low-carbon green growth economic development in the face of climate change.
EU-AER PROJECT PARTNERS
- Attractiveness Research Territory (ART-ER) – Project partners: EU-Belong
ART-ER Attractiveness Research Territory is the Emilia-Romagna Joint Stock Consortium born with the purpose of fostering the region’s sustainable growth by developing innovation and knowledge, attractiveness and internationalisation of the territory.
- Cafébabel – Project Partners: YOUTHopia
- Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) – Project Partners: CUBES
Cyprus-based NGO collective experiences in the fields of Education, System Rationalization, Information & Communications Technologies, Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, Global Health Process – Life Sciences, Business Forensic Intervention, Youth Development & Motivation, and Resource Realignment with Goals and Objectives.
- European Youth Forum (EYF) – Project Partners: MEET
ICEI works with people and local communities to improve social and economic conditions and to promote inclusive, fair and sustainable societies with a participatory approach.
- International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – Project Partners: Includ-EU
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organisation in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM is part of the United Nations system, as a related organisation.
- International VET Association (IVETA) – Projects Partners: SKILLNET
IVETA (International Vocational Education and Training Association) is a network of vocational educators that includes vocational skills training organisations, business and industrial firms, individuals and groups interested or involved in vocational education and training worldwide.
- JEF Europe – Project Partners: I Choose Europe; Y-FED; MEET
- Skillman International Forum – Project Partners: SKILLNET
The Skillman International Forum is part of a long journey in skills development where international keynote speakers, sponsors, partners, and participants work together to achieve common goals aiming at improving education and TVET. The AER participated at the Skillman International Forum as speaker, partner and contributor in 2020, 2021, and 2022 editions.
