The AER Winter Dialogues on 29 and 30 November 2023 in Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria were an opportunity to practice and showcase the different activities which build the AER’s pan-European network, from the Workshop on Mental Health chaired by Värmland to the Bureau session on the future Cohesion Policy.

Workshop on Mental Health and Study Trip to the Agrana Plant

The AER Winter Dialogues opened with an actively participated workshop on Mental Health chaired by Daniel Schützer from Värmland. Members exchanged about the challenges linked to social isolation, deep fake and changing relationships in an online world, as well as emergency situations such as natural disasters. The workshop was co-designed with the Youth Regional Network, and counted with the contribution of Jim Simonsen Jenssen, the YRN President, and several YRN members.

Later in the day, knowledge transfer took the shape of a study trip to the sugar refinery plant of AGRANA Group, a leading actor in the bio-economy in Lower Austria, where participants learned about multistakeholder partnerships and circular approaches. The study trip gave insights on the complex processes needed to maintain constant the supply of a critical ingredient like sugar, and highlighted the efforts done by of Agrana to boost its environmental and socio-economic sustainability.

Interested in knowing more about the Working Group activities? Feel free to contact the AER Knowledge Transfer and Policy Coordinator, Johanna Pacevicius

Lower Austria: a meeting point between modernisation and tradition

Close to its traditions and with an eye to the future, the host region of Lower Austria kicked off and wrapped participants could enjoy a guided tour of the House of Digitalisation,  Lower Austria’s central contact point for companies and experts in the field of digitalisation. Since its opening in December 2022, it has been focusing on supporting domestic small and medium-sized enterprises on their way into the digital future and on making the topic of digitalisation easy to communicate to young and old.

In the evening, participants could exchange opinions and reflections in front of the famous wines and traditional food of Lower Austria.

Autumn Bureau Meeting and the future Cohesion Policy

The second day of AER Winter Dialogues hosted the Autumn Bureau meeting, where the Position on the Future of Work was adopted, establishing the AER view on how Europe should adapt to the transformations in the world of work. The meeting also facilitated discusiions and ratification of the #AER Manifesto for the European Parliament Elections 2024, outlining AER’s strategic priorities for the upcoming mandate. Additionally, Bureau members endorsed the establishment of two new Task Forces, focusing on Decarbonisation and on Rural Development and Agriculture. For those interested in joining the Task Forces, see the call for expressions of interest HERE. Furthermore, the Bureau agreed on the process for shaping AER’s political priorities for 2025-2030.

The Autumn Bureau represented an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities of Cohesion Policy ongoing implementation. It also addressed the future #CohesionPolicy post 2027 and the gaps it could fill in if designed properly, namely by taking into account the principles of partnership, multi-level governance and place-based approach. AER Vice-President Lilijana Madjar underlined the need for consistent financial support and long-term focus when drafting the next Cohesion Policy legislative package. In addition, Bianca Faragau of the European Investment Bank (EIB) highlighted EIB’s financing opportunities for LRAs (Local and Regional Authorities) which translate into loans for investment and technical assistance to prepare and implement locally-led projects. Finally, Francesco Molica of European Commission presented the main criteria to consider when shaping the discussion on the post-27 Cohesion Policy. More precisely, he mentioned governance, performance, territorial needs, EU funds impact in the regions and their potential use for crisis-management. The Autumn Bureau also provided the space for members to discuss and approve the #AER political priorities for the upcoming EU elections and their aftermath.

Youth on the move: the preparatory workshop by the AER Youth Regional Network

Revamped in March 2022, the AER’s Youth Regional Network proved to be a catalyst for youth voices in Europe. The preparatory workshop on 30 November was an opportunity to explain how this catalyst works, highlighting its added value within the AER wider network. This meeting was particularly important as it was joined by youth participants covered by the AER Solidarity Fund, which enabled a wider and more consistent representation of young people across Europe, from the Netherlands to Azores to Lower Austria. The contributions about the topics of democratic Europe, green Europe and inclusive Europe led to the drafting of concrete policy recommendations about youth expectations and priorities for the upcoming EU elections in 2024. Stay tuned for updates!

Bureau Discussion: “The future of Europe: An Intergenerational Debate”

The AER Bureau Meeting set the stage for the  #MEET debate on the Future of Europe. This debate, the third in the series and funded by the CERV-programme of the European Union, brought together prominent speakers and engaged the audience in critical conversations about democracy, the green and digital transition, and building an inclusive Europe, especially in light of the EU #greendeal. Keen on bridging differences and, actually, on building upon them, the debate aimed to bring together the points of view of different generations.

The debate was joined by Martin Selmayr, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Austria, Rareș Voicu, Board Member of the European Youth Forum, Johannes Sundelin, AER Vice President for Sustainability, Green Transition and Health, Norrbotten Region, Jim Simonsen Jenssen, President of the Youth Regional Network, Michael Stellwag, Young Local Councillor for Europe, Lower Austria, Mariana Dutra Borges, Youth Representative, Region of Azores.

The debate highlighted the urgent need for lowering the social, political and technological barriers to voting, especially when it comes to the young citizens. Representation cannot be not only a by-product of elections, but it must also be the condition that enables and enhances political participation. In this regard, initiatives like the Conference on the Future of Europe in 2022 proved useful to bridge the distance between EU institutions and its citizens.

At the same time, representation requires an accurate understanding of the key issues affecting the EU citizens. Social welfare and the green transition are the two of the key stakes felt across the Union, as illustrated by the AER Vice President Johannes Sundelin through the example of the ongoing strikes between the Swedish labour unions and the US-based company Tesla. In this sense, a key priority that was highlighted was the necessity to make the green transition as substantial opportunity rather than an imposed environmental measure.

To be real, representation has to reflect and uplift the different members of society. For this reason, it is key to engage youth, in particular the young expats, in driving forward the EU democratic process.

The MEET project is funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values ​​(CERV) 2021-2027 programme of the European Union. The project is coordinated by European Youth Forum and AER is implementing various activities in different regions. The YRN preparatory workshop and Bureau debate took place in the context of the MEET project.

Ukraine Focus Group: the role of regions and enterprise in Ukraine’s economic renewal

The final event of the Winter Dialogues turned to AER’s ongoing work in support of Ukraine. The AER’s Ukraine Focus Group gathered  at the House of the European Union in Vienna to discuss the role of regions and enterprise in the reconstruction of Ukraine. 

The final meeting of the Focus Group in 2023 was hosted by Vice President Lukas Mandl MEP alongside the Federation of Austrian Industries. This meeting brought together regional and enterprise leaders from Austria, Ukraine and wider Europe to glean insights on the Ukraine Facility from the European Commission’s Natalie Pauwels, complemented by perspectives from Ukrainian industry by Anna Derevyanko the European Business Association. 

The event closed with presentations on business and investment opportunities in Ukraine for Austrian business leaders present by AER members Poltava, Rivne, and Odesa, with AER Vice President Sergii Miliutin from Kryvyi Rih underlining the importance of peer-to-peer platforms like the Ukraine Focus Group in his remarks following the presentations. This sentiment was echoed by AER President Albert Castellanos Maduell in his closing remarks, where he emphasised “the need to mobilise private sector support and investment for Ukraine is crucial,” adding that the AER “welcomes the European Commission’s recognition of the need to support regional partnerships and businesses investing in Ukraine via the Ukraine Facility.”