REGISTER NOW: Unboxing the MFF Session II — Accessing Direct Grant Funding Programmes
2021-09-24 10:30 - 12:30 (Europe/Brussels) | Zoom
***UPDATE — LINE-UP ANNOUNCED!***
Date: 24 September 2021
Time: 10:30 – 12:30 CET
Venue: Online (via Zoom)
Background
On 17 December 2020, after months of painstaking inter-institutional negotiations against the backdrop of a global pandemic, the European Union adopted the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), its long-term budget for 2021-2027.
Together with the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument, the MFF represents an unprecedented €1.8 trillion of funding to support Europe’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the EU’s long-term priorities across different policy areas. It is therefore essential that Europe’s regions get training with these instruments to ensure a robust and sustainable recovery.
That is why as part of the Skillnet Project, the AER has put together 3 information sessions to help regions make the most of the MFF and NextGenerationEU Package. Featuring insights from experts at the European Commission, these webinars will give regions guidance on how to plan initiatives and projects that can benefits from the different funds.
What’s in it for regions?
The second session of the ‘Unboxing the Multiannual Financial Framework’ series will cover some of the main direct grant funding programmes, notably Digital Europe, Creative Europe, Erasmus+, Horizon Europe (Pillar 2) and Life. Participants will get insights on:

The overall structure and features of the MFF 2021-2027;
Highlights and updates on the new EU programmes Digital Europe, Creative Europe, Erasmus+, Horizon Europe (Pillar 2) and Life;
Insights on funding streams within the NextGenerationEU recovery package.

Participants will also have a chance to put their questions to the European Commission directly in our extended Q & A session.
Meet our Speakers!
We are delighted to announce the following experts will join this webinar:

Erasmus+: Dario Nicolella, Programme Manager at Erasmus+ Coordination Unit, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Creative Europe: Jutta Kastner, Programme Manager at Creative Europe Unit, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Digital Europe: Andreas Geiss, Head of Unit Research Strategy and Programme Planning at DG Communications Networks, Content & Technology, European Commission
Horizon Europe: Vera Fehnle, Policy Officer at European Semester & Country Intelligence Unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission / Clement Evroux, Policy Officer at Common Policy Centre – Common Strategic Planning & Programming Service Unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
Life: Jean-Claude Merciol, Head of Unit, LIFE Governance, Administration, IT & Support Service Unit, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission / Pierluca Merola, Policy Assistant, Energy Efficiency Unit, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission

How can I take part?
This session will take place via Zoom. As places are limited we encourage you to register now before registrations close. Regions are welcome to invite local stakeholders (SMEs, NGOs, Academia, etc) who would benefit from insights on these new instruments.
***
This training session is organised as part of the Skillnet Project, which is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. Skillnet aims to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships. To learn more about funding opportunities within the Skillnet Project, visit our dedicated Partnerships in Focus Hub.

Innovating Cultural Heritage, A workshop by AER Working Group on Culture and CUBES Project
2021-09-28 10:00 - 12:45 | Online
Cultural heritage has an inspiring and creative role in present European societies and communities. It has a positive impact on social cohesion as well as regional development and sustainable tourism. In the context of cultural heritage, innovation has a key role to play in the field of technology, social impact, policymaking, administration, and entrepreneurship.
The workshop “Innovating Cultural Heritage”, jointly organised by the AER working group on culture, chiared by Fereshteh Jalayer Hess, and the CUBES Project, c0-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, brings together practitioners, policymakers and experts. It will discuss current challenges and opportunities for European regions to invest in cultural heritage innovation and learn about sustainable and participatory cultural management practices. The workshop will be an opportunity to showcase and guide participants through the new digital platform produced by CUBES and invite stakeholders to get involved in the project.

Agenda
10:00-10:15 Welcome and Keynote Speech

Snezhina Petrova, Member of Gabriel’s Cabinet, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth;
Fereshteh Jalayer Hess, Chair, Working Group on Culture, AER; Regional Council Member, Värmland (SE);

10:15-11:45 Session 1
Panel discussion with:

Anne Grady, Cultural Heritage National Expert DG EAC;
Viktor Negrescu, Vice-chair, CULT Committee, European Parliament;
Patrick Torrent, President, NECSTouR: The Voice of European Regions for Sustainable Tourism;
Fereshteh Jalayer Hess, Regional Council Member, Värmland (SE);
Chiara Dall’Aglio, Responsible for EU projects and Pl Interreg Europe SHARE, Sviluppumbria (IT).

Moderator: Maria Kouri, Lecturer in Cultural Management & Local Community Development, University of Peloponnese

11:45-11:55 Q&A
11:55-12:05 Coffee Break
12:05- 12:35 Session 2-CUBES:
12:05-12:15 Highlights from the Policy Paper and sustainability of the project;

Maria Kouri, Lecturer in Cultural Management & Local Community Development, University of Peloponnese, and CUBES Project Manager.

12:15-12:30 Exemplary session on training including the methodology and the guidelines to navigate the digital platform and resources;

Anna Comacchio, Project and Policy Officer, AER.

12:30 Q+A
12:45 End of Workshop

Workshop facilitator: Johanna Pacevicius, Policy and Knowledge Transfer, AER.

REGISTER NOW: EU Regions Week Workshop – Engendering Equality in Europe's Regions
2021-10-14 11:30 - 13:00 | Zoom
Date: 14 October 2021
Time: 11:30 – 13:00 CET
Venue: Online (via Zoom)

An Equal Europe?
A truly democratic Europe demands an equal voice for all. Indeed, making “significant progress” towards a gender-equal Europe by 2025 is a key objective of the European Union, and ‘achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls’ is enshrined as goal number five of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, at the current rate of progress, the World Economic Forum estimates that it will take 107 years to achieve equal representation of men and women. This issue has a strong regional and local dimension, with women making up only 30% of locally elected representatives. What can be done to accelerate this process of equalisation and overcome this persistent democratic deficit?
Share your ideas for achieving Equality!
As part of the 2021 European Week of Regions & Cities, the AER is delighted to bring you ‘Engendering Equality in Europe’s Regions.’ This interactive citizens’ debate will bring together the audience, politicians and civil society to share ideas on how regions can help bring about a truly equal Europe.
Speaking at our workshop will be:

Helena Dalli, European Commissioner for Equality
Cllr Andrew Gibson, AER Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity & Equal Opportunities
Cllr Alison Gilliland, Lord Mayor of Dublin (IE), Member of the European Committee of the Regions
Robert Biedroń, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Our moderator will be Dr Angela-Unufe Kennedy, CEO of the Migrant & Minority Disability Network Europe.
During the debate, AER Secretary General, Christian Spahr will present fresh data from an opinion poll gathering the views of citizens across seven European countries. Their responses will shed new light on the barriers to entry young women face in our regions. You are invited to join our panellists for what promises to be a lively discussion on how to make our democratic systems more accessible and representative, starting at the regional level.
How can I join?
This workshop will take place via Zoom. Registrations are open now with limited places available!

AER General Assembly & Agenda 2030 Conference: Transforming Regions, Changing the World
2021-10-28 - 2021-10-29 | Strasbourg, 1, Place du Wacken, Strasbourg, 67000, France
AER General Assembly
The General Assembly is organised in tandem with the Agenda 2030 Conference, hosted by the Region of Grand Est (France).
The General Assembly will take place on 28 October from 10:15 to 12:30 CET online and on-site at Maison de la Région, 1 place Adrien Zeller, F 67000, Strasbourg.
Registration for on-site and online participation is now closed.
Overview Agenda:

Thursday, 2 December (all times CET)

9:00-11:00Executive Board Meeting

11:00-11:15Coffee Break

11:15-12:00CoFoE Drafting Group

12:00-13:00Lunch

13:00-15:30Autumn Bureau Meeting

15:30-16:00Coffee Break

16:00-17:30Eurodyssey Forum

Friday, 3 December (all times CET)

9:30-11:30Knowledge Sharing session with Executive Board (for Executive Board members; parallel session)

9:15-11:45Eurodyssey Breakout session (parallel session)

11:30-12:00Coffee Break

12:00-13:00Campfire session on EU Projects & Services

Direct Links:

Invitation Letter
Draft Agenda
Practical Information (transport, accommodation, etc)

Wherever you are, we hope you can join us. You can find more information on the Agenda 2030 Conference below and on the dedicated website HERE.

Registrations are closed — AGENDA 2030 CONFERENCE
On-site registrations are now closed. Online registrations for our high-level conference ‘Agenda2030: Transforming Regions, Changing the World’ are open until until 21 October!

Our keynote speeches, plenary sessions and panels will be available to stream live via YouTube in English and in French on the day, so there is no need to register in advance.
You can find out more about the keynotes, panels and plenaries by reading the articles in the event Agenda HERE.
Stay updated via the official Regions2030.com website!

What is the Agenda 2030 Conference? 🌍
The goal of the Conference is to show that regions play a key role, alongside cities, in facilitating the transformation required to successfully implement and achieve the 17 Goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.
This Conference will take place on 28 and 29 October on-site at the Region of Grand Est in Strasbourg (FR) and online. The AER will hold its Executive Board and General Assembly meetings in tandem with the Conference on-site and remotely.

What can Participants Expect?💡
Hosted at the Region of Grand Est (FR), the AER and our global partners will gather local and regional stakeholders from around the world for two days of discussion, debate and sharing of ideas on how to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Read the programme HERE.

Get insights on the SDGs at our Plenary sessions:
High-Level Panel Debate: Transforming Regions, Changing the World
Thursday, 28 October: 15:00-16:30 CET [Hemicycle Room]: This panel debate will discuss challenges that know no borders, and assess recommendations to increase multi-stakeholder involvement in the development of policy strategies related to the SDGs. President of United Cities and Local Governments and Mayor of Al Hoceima (Morocco), Mohamed Boudra, will join this debate.
Panel Discussion: The Way Forward — Achieving Sustainable and Resilient Regions in a Post-pandemic World
Friday, 29 October: 12:00-13:00 CET [Hemicycle Room]: AER President, Magnus Bertnsson, will lead a discussion on the state of play regarding implementation of the SDGs at local and regional level. The panel will assess the consequences and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about, and set out ideas in order to achieve sustainable and resilient regions in a post-pandemic world. Leen Verbeek, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga (PT) and Member of the European Committee of the Regions are among the speakers who will take part in the discussion.

Share ideas for transforming regions at our Workshops:
On Friday, 29 October, the AER and our global partners will host hybrid workshops on different themes related to the SDGs. You can find out more about them by clicking the links below, and indicate which workshop(s) you would like to join in person or online via by clicking the relevant button in the blue box above.
Please note that you can only register for two workshops. One taking place from 9:15-10:15, and one from 10:30-11:30. Zoom links will be provided closer to the date.
Peace: The Future Is Yours — Inclusive and Participatory Institutions for All
Organiser: AER Task Force on Democracy
9:15-10:15 CET: This workshop will focus on the critical role of democratic, inclusive governance in delivering the SDGs. Good practices will also be exchanged on how to foster multi-stakeholder partnerships to bring the voices of the most marginalised and under-represented communities to policy decision-making, in order to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.
Planet: Protecting Biodiversity, Achieving Sustainable Development
Co-organised by AER Task Force on Climate & Regions4
9:15-10:15 CET: This workshop will explore how local and regional governments can drive action to protect biodiversity, delivering on the SDGs and enabling a green and resilient recovery from the pandemic.
Partnership: How Can Regions Deliver on Voluntary Reviews?
Organiser: Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CoE)
9:15-10:15 CET: The objective of this workshop is to highlight the importance of regional and local input into national reviews, in the context of the overall need for greater regionalization of SDG implementation.
People: Hate speech — Towards a Comprehensive Approach
Co-organised by Intercultural Regions Network, Intercultural Cities Programme (CoE) and Includ-EU Project
10:30-11:30 CET: Includ-EU has partnered with the Intercultural Regions Network and the Council of Europe to shed light on the application of the intercultural integration concept at the regional level, focusing on one main topic, hate speech.
Prosperity: Leaving No Youth Behind — Building resilient, sustainable and prosperous cities and regions
Organiser: AER Summer Academy
10:30-11:30 CET: ‘Leaving No Youth Behind’ means that the green and ‘just’ transitions can only be achieved in full partnership with all members of society –regional and local authorities, civil society and young people– so that no one and no territory is left behind. This session will look into good practices of intergenerational governance facilitating youth leadership in the shift to a sustainable and prosperous path.

Getting to Strasbourg 🇫🇷
Those travelling to Strasbourg are invited to take a look at the Info Pack for information on travel, hotels and Study Visits HERE.
AER members are cordially invited to join the meeting of the General Assembly on 28 October. The agenda for the General Assembly will be available shortly.
It will be possible for those unable to travel to join these meetings remotely. Online-only registration will open closer to the date of the Conference. Registrations for all on-site events will close on 8 October.

Share your ideas for achieving Agenda 2030! 📩
Got a best-practice on one of the Sustainable Development Goals you want to share? Contact us with articles and videos from your region! We’ll give them pride of place on our Agenda 2030 Website and dedicated Twitter page — and don’t forget to follow. Find out all the ways you can get involved HERE.

COVID-19 Rules & Requirements 🔍📝

Please note that all attendees on-site must comply with COVID-19 rules and regulations in France. At the entrance, participants will present a valid health pass, alongside proof of identity (national ID, passport…). Failure to provide the aforementioned documents will prevent the attendees from entering the venue or participating in the events, with no liability to the AER, the Region of Grand Est or its partners.
The rules and regulations can be consulted in English on the French Government’s regularly updated website HERE. In line with these rules, attendees will be required to present an EU-valid COVID-19 pass that provides one of the following:

a completed vaccination certificate;
a negative PCR or antigen test no more than 48 hours old;
proof of recovery from COVID-19: a positive PCR or antigen test result taken at least 15 days prior to and not longer than six months before the Conference.

Attendees are obliged to abide by the sanitary rules and requirements at all times while in attendance on-site. The AER or Grand Est Region cannot be held responsible for any expenses incurred by persons denied entry or ejected for failure to produce valid COVID-19 documents and/or to adhere to sanitary rules.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Agenda 2030 Conference.

Includ-EU Workshop: Service design to improve integration and inclusion policies and practices
2021-10-28 09:00 - 12:30 | Online
The focus of the first day of Workshop of the Includ-EU Project will be on how to rethink services in light of crises and raising awareness on the role of design in shaping better and more sustainable services. Abram El-Sabagh, expert in designing strategic solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals, will facilitate the session, in which participants will immerse in a peer-learning exercise, which will help them to brainstorm collectively and identify challenges and opportunities to apply to the concrete specific needs of each regional/local reality. This is followed by a dynamic market-place exercise, where few regions and municipalities will present their own future strategy for integration, but also good practices and successful projects from the past programming period.
Speakers include:

Rabab Ahmad, Policy and Programme Analyst, Regional Office for the EEA, the EU and NATO, International Organization for Migration (IOM);
Alessia Rochira (Phd, Social Psychology, University of Salento): Research-based innovation action on immigrant adolescents as culture-brokers in school-families interactions;
Elisabeth Palmero (Project Coordinator, Equalcity): The Migrant Women & Girls Toolbox, Equalcity Project;
Giulia Maraviglia (SocioLab); Giuditta Giunti (ANCI Toscana): Service Design for Integration Services.

The workshop is open to all interested stakeholders working on migration and interculturality. To know more about day 2 on Hate Speech, check the Agenda2030 Website.

The project Includ-EU is co-funded by the AMIF Programme of the European Union.
For more info: a.comacchio@aer.eu

The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2021. Come Join Us!
2021-11-16 09:00 - 2021-11-18 17:00 | Fira Barcelona Gran Via, Av. Joan Carles I, 64 – Hall 2, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08908, Spain
The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2021 is right around the corner and the Assembly of European Regions is delighted to be part of this again from 16-18 November in Barcelona (ES). This year, we are partnering up with SCEWC again for a brand new hybrid form of the event. This 2021 edition looks to be a great opportunity for of all stakeholders to reconnect after a difficult year. The event will be held in hybrid fashion (both onsite and digitally). The physical event will, after a year’s hiatus, take place in Barcelona again, while the digital experience will be provided by Tomorrow.city.

The expo and the congress will be held at:
Fira Barcelona Gran Via
Av. Joan Carles I, 64 – Hall 2
08908 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona)
The digital experience will be hosted at:
Tomorrow.City platform

This year’s event will be hosting a total of 8 main tracks, consisting of topics and challenges extremely relevant to 2021’s societal advancement. The 8 tracks touched upon are:

Enabling Technologies
Energy & Environment
Tomorrow Mobility
Governance
Living & Inclusion
Economy
Infrastructure & Buildings
Safety & Security

At this year’s expo, there will be necessary sanitary measures taken to ensure health and safety of the visitors. For more information on the safety measures, please click here.

During the 3 days of the event, the expo will be divided into three categories. There is the congress (held in the main auditorium, in addition to the digital program set up by Tomorrow.City). Then there is the expo where organizations can exhibit and share with others from across the world. And lastly, there are side events and workshops free to experience for participants. At the moment, over 10.000 participants, over 350 exhibitors and over 400 speakers are expected to participate in the hybrid event. Make sure you do not miss it!
Should you be interested in attending, AER has received 100 free Expo passes (50 euro value) which will give you access to all the venues in Barcelona and the digital ones. Only physical attendance to the Congress sessions is excluded. The Expo pass gives you access to the Expo area of Smart City Expo World Congress & Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress; access to all the workshops; Access to onsite Agora sessions, onsite side events and the innovation zone; If you would like to attend, please contact Anne Henk Bloemhoff at ah.bloemhoff@aer.eu.

Skillman International Forum 2021 Webinar: Fostering Entrepreneurship in Education and Training
2021-11-16 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
As part of the Skillman International Forum 2021, the AER is delighted to bring you a webinar on fostering entrepreneurship in education and training.

Date: 16 November 2021
Time: 15:00-16:00 CET
Venue: Online

Skillman International Forum 2021
The Skillman International Forum 2021 is taking place from 15-18 November 2021 and plans to redefine the future of learning in the advanced manufacturing sector. This year the forum addresses three main topics: Digital and green revolution, Micro-credentials and Sharing is caring.
About the webinar
The global pandemic has left many freelancers and entrepreneurs without income for months, which imposes an incoming challenge to stimulating entrepreneurship.If we want Europe to continue to nurture talent, create great startups and compete on a global scale we need to teach entrepreneurship. This will require joint efforts from the public and private sectors, as well as regional, national governments and European Institutions.
In this webinar, we will have a glimpse of different actions needed at different levels to foster an inclusive entrepreneurial mindset and discuss local challenges for their implementation and replicability.
Moderated by Manos Andread (Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs).

For more information contact:
a.comacchio@aer.eu
projects@aer.eu

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLMAN series of webinars on redefining the future of learning in the advanced manufacturing sector.
SKILLMAN is a partner of the SKILLNET project, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

Skillman International Forum Webinar: Capacity Building in Higher Education II- A European Strategy for Universities
2021-11-17 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
As part of the Skillman International Forum 2021, the AER is delighted to bring you a webinar on capacity building in higher education.

Date: 17 November 2021
Time: 14:00-15:30 CET
Venue: Online

Skillman International Forum 2021
The Skillman International Forum 2021 is taking place from 15-18 November 2021 and plans to redefine the future of learning in the advanced manufacturing sector. This year the forum addresses three main topics: Digital and green revolution, Micro-credentials and Sharing is caring.
About the webinar
How can the EU further support the higher education sector to contribute to the twin digital and green transitions?
The higher education sector is key for finding solutions towards a sustainable and more digital Europe, as well as for equipping students (and professors) with the competences that our fast-changing society and economy need.
The webinar will look at digital capacity building opportunities, ensuring it is reinforced and made more resilient, especially considering the COVID-19 impact on learning. Next to the digital aspect, we will also discuss green and sustainable capacity building solutions for higher education.
Moderated by Johanna Pacevicius, AER Policy & Knowledge Transfer Coordinator.

For more information contact:
a.comacchio@aer.eu
projects@aer.eu

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLMAN series of webinars on redefining the future of learning in the advanced manufacturing sector.
SKILLMAN is a partner of the SKILLNET project, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

Regional Business Forum in Novi Sad
2021-11-25 | Assembly of AP Vojvodina, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 16, Novi Sad, Vojvodina, 21000, Serbia
It is our pleasure to invite you to the fourth edition of the Regional Business Forum (RBF), taking place in for form of a hybrid event. You are most welcome to join us online and in Novi Sad, Vojvodina on 25 November 2021, with special B2B 1-on-1 online session possibilities until 10 December, 2021.
The Regional Business Forum is an annual international forum to exchange ideas on support for SMEs, promote business and commerce, incentive the possibility to collaborate and share best practices between regions.
Following the success of the previous events, this year’s Regional Business Forum will again be organised in partnership with the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Enterprise Europe Network, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, Business Incubator Novi Sad and the Vojvodina Development Agency. The physical event will take place on the 25th of November, 2021 in Novi Sad, while the possibility of online B2B meetings will run until 10 December, 2021.
The international forum provides additional support to companies to find international partners. The participants will have an opportunity to schedule and hold B2B meetings with companies and institutions participating in the Forum based on the information about the registered participants.
Following the success of last year’s edition, this year’s Regional Business Forum will focus on three main sectors:

Information, Communication Technology and Creative Industry
The Metal sector
The Food Processing Industry

The invitation is addressed, in particular, to regional chambers of commerce, regional development agencies and institutions supporting SMEs development.
Our list of speakers include the following:
Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement (Video message).
István Pásztor, President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
Magnus Berntsson, President of the Assembly of European Regions.
Boško Vučurević, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina.

We therefore invite you to register as soon as possible. There will also be a presentation by each of the four regions of Vojvodina afterwards. You may found our invitation letter for members here.
For further information, please consult the RBF website. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sanja Siflis at: shiflish@skupstinavojvodine.gov.rs .

MOVED ONLINE: AER Autumn Bureau Meeting
2021-12-02 | Online
COVID-19 Update:
In light of the current health measures taking place in Belgium, AER has moved all of its Autumn Bureau events to fully online.
We apologise for any inconveniences caused.
Welcome to the AER Autumn Bureau!
Following on from the success of our General Assembly and Agenda 2030 Conference in Strasbourg, we are delighted to invite our members to join our AER Autumn Bureau. This event will take place online on Thursday, 2 December in tandem with the 2021 Eurodyssey Forum. Members are also invited to join a special Campfire session on AER’s EU Project Services and services taking place on Friday, 3 December.
You can view the overview programme below:

Overview Programme

Thursday, 24 March (all times CET)

10:00-13:00Co-development of AER Action Plan meeting

13:00-14:00Lunch

14:00-14:20AER Bureau: Welcome & Bureau Updates

14:20-15:50Bureau Debate on Growth, Jobs & Investment

15:50-16:00Break

16:00-16:10AER Recommendations on the Future of Europe

16:10-16:25Adoption: AER Position on Sustainable Mobility & Connectivity

16:25-16:40Adoption: AER Position on Democracy

16:40-17:00Identification of the Bureau Priority Topics 2022 and Closing

Friday, 3 December (all times CET)

9:30-11:30Knowledge Sharing session with Executive Board (for Executive Board members; parallel session)

9:15-11:45Eurodyssey Breakout session (parallel session)

11:30-12:00Coffee Break

12:00-13:00Campfire session on EU Projects & Services

Essential Documents

Draft Agenda
Working Documents

***
If you have any questions about the Bureau, please contact Institutional Relations & Advocacy Coordinator, Vania Freitas at v.freitas@aer.eu

Eurodyssey Forum
The Autumn Bureau will take place in tandem with the 2021 Eurodyssey Forum. You can learn more by clicking the links below:

Event Webpage
Draft Agenda

2021 Eurodyssey Forum
2021-12-02 - 2021-12-03 | AER Brussels Office, Rue d'Arlon 63, Brussels, 1040, Belgium
Joining online?

Welcome the online Eurodyssey Forum 2021!
We are delighted to invite our members to join the 2021 Eurodyssey Forum. This event will take place online on 2-3 December in tandem with the 2021 AER Autumn Bureau.
You can view the overview programme below:
Overview Programme

Thursday, 24 March (all times CET)

10:00-13:00Co-development of AER Action Plan meeting

13:00-14:00Lunch

14:00-14:20AER Bureau: Welcome & Bureau Updates

14:20-15:50Bureau Debate on Growth, Jobs & Investment

15:50-16:00Break

16:00-16:10AER Recommendations on the Future of Europe

16:10-16:25Adoption: AER Position on Sustainable Mobility & Connectivity

16:25-16:40Adoption: AER Position on Democracy

16:40-17:00Identification of the Bureau Priority Topics 2022 and Closing

Friday, 3 December (all times CET)

9:30-11:30Knowledge Sharing session with Executive Board (for Executive Board members; parallel session)

9:15-11:45Eurodyssey Breakout session (parallel session)

11:30-12:00Coffee Break

12:00-13:00Campfire session on EU Projects & Services

Essential Documents:
All working documents will be uploaded here when ready:

Draft Agenda
Working Documents
Conclusions from the break-out sessions (English)
Conclusions from the break-out sessions (French)

Presentations:

Eurodyssey Annual Report 2020-2021
Candidates for Eurodyssey election
2020 Statistics & 2019 Employment outcomes
ALMA initiative
CoE-EU Youth Partnership – Sustainability & Learning Mobility
Website – Latest updates
Website – Build your Eurodyssey regional profile
Website – Example of regional profile (demo)

Videos:

Greening the youth sector: Sustainability Checklist
WordPress editor tutorial

Useful links:

Report Greening the Youth Sector: Sustainability Checklist – CoE-EU Youth Partnership

Reminder: Election of Steering Committee Chair & Members

The Eurodyssey Assembly will elect its President and Steering Committee members on Thursday, 2 December, and there is a vacancy available to be filled by a new member region! 🗳
If your region is interested, you are invited to submit your application to the Eurodyssey Steering Committee by Friday, 26 November 2021.
More information on the vacancies and how to apply can be found in our article HERE.

Reminder: 2022 Hosting Calendar Form

In order for us to get a clear and detailed picture of Eurodyssey in 2022, we ask you to share with the Secretariat some information about the hosting perspectives of your region through the Hosting Calendar Survey. 📝
The survey can be filled out HERE, and we kindly request you submit your responses by Friday, 26 November.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the 2021 Eurodyssey Forum, please contact AER Programme Coordinator, Andrés Muñoz Rojo at a.munoz@aer.eu

LINE-UP ANNOUNCED — Join our Bureau Debate on Sustainable Mobility & Connectivity — the Road to Recovery and the Green Transition
2021-12-02 13:20 - 14:50 | Online
Want to join online?*

***UPDATE*** — we are delighted to announce that completing our panel will be Mr Ciarán Cuffe, Member of the European Parliament’s Committees on Transport and Tourism and Industry, Research and Energy!
According to the European Parliament, transport accounts for 30% of the EU’s total emissions. If we are to keep global temperatures below 1.5C and achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a change of gears is required to make our transport systems more efficient, less polluting and better value for money.
Local and regional authorities have a clear and important role in making mobility more sustainable and inclusive through their strategic planning, provision of transport infrastructure and services, support to technological innovation and incentives for green transport options. Yet, there is still a lack of financial and technical support to fulfil their potential in advancing sustainable mobility and connectivity.
That’s why as part of our Bureau meeting on 2 December, the AER is organising a debate on the role of local and regional authorities in building sustainable mobility systems.
The aim is to explore how local and regional authorities can help achieve the objectives set out in the the European Green Deal, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Accords. At the same time, this debate will be a chance to discuss how these ambitious goals can be aligned with Europe’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This debate will feed into to an AER position paper on sustainable mobility and connectivity by developing recommendations to improve regions’ contribution to economic growth, inclusive and sustainable development across Europe.
The debate will consider two key questions:

How to make mobility more sustainable and improve connectivity across Europe, focusing on prosperity and environment?
What is the role of local and regional authorities in making the transition to green, fair and sustainable mobility systems?

This interactive debate will bring together regional and European policymakers and experts. It includes an extended thirty-minute Q & A where participants will have the opportunity to share their views and insights with our expert panel. Don’t miss the chance to help shape AER’s work on sustainable transport!
Our line-up has been announced — stay tuned to find out who else will join our expert panel!
Moderator: Martin Tollén, Chair of the AER Working Group on Transport & Mobility, County Councillor in Östergötland (SE)
Alessandra Zedda, AER Vice President and Chair of the AER Task Force on Sustainable Mobility and Connectivity, and Vice President and Regional Minister for Labour, Vocational Training, Cooperation and Social Security, Autonomous Region of Sardinia (IT)
Ciarán Cuffe MEP, Member of the European Parliament’s Committees on Transport and Tourism and Industry, Research and Energy
Yuwei Li, Director of the UNECE Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Axel Volkery, Deputy Head of Unit Sustainable and Intelligent Transport, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Robert van Asten, Member of the European Committee of the Regions and Rapporteur of the Opinion “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy”
*Note: Those who have registered for the AER Bureau already have the Zoom link and do not need to register.

Join AER's Online Campfire Session on EU Projects and Services
2021-12-03 12:00 - 13:00
Within that session, we’ll showcase current and upcoming projects in our portfolio, opportunities for member regions, which are the services available for members and how to access them. Additionally, participants can interact directly with the AER Project Unit highlighting the topics they wish to tackle through projects, the typology of activities they consider relevant to join, the profile of partners they would like to work with, and they can share their experiences with others. The Project Unit will welcome your questions and facilitate interactions and networking.

Participants can expect an overview of the following:

Presentation of the AER Project Unit team
Outline of the projects & funding services
Concrete opportunities for members within the Skillnet, Scirocco Exchange and CUBES projects
The floor is yours: ideas on topics to tackle and new services to offer
Q&A and final conclusions

Want to join us?

Don’t miss the chance to get an insight on the AER projects & funding services and to shape them according to the needs of your region!

Join our campfire session by registering below, the AER Project Unit is looking forward to meeting you!

REGISTER NOW: Eurodyssey Youth Programme Information Session — 15 December, 2021
2021-12-15 10:00 - 11:30
On 15 December, 2021 (10.00 AM, CET), the Assembly of European Regions is delighted to welcome you to an informative session on how our Youth Exchange Programme (Eurodyssey) functions. This information session is organised to offer our members a clear insight in the tangible benefits that our Eurodyssey Youth Programme provides.
Does your region focus on promoting youth development and competency building? Are you looking to show some tangible examples for your regional representatives? Have you heard of our Eurodyssey Programme, but is it still a bit too vague and are you looking for clear examples and answers? Then this session might be very useful for you.
During the session on the 15th of December, our Programme Coordinator Mr. Andres Munoz will be answering any questions you might have on the programme. Since this session is only for interested members, we look to go in-depth on what your specific needs are, answering questions on practicalities, financing and human resources and give insights on the existing network already.
If you are interested in practical information regarding our Eurodyssey Programme, to give your regional political representatives tangible examples on how this programme helps local youth development, please join us for the special exclusive session. You will be able to ask any questions you might have.
Please send an email indicating your interest to our Member Relations Coordinator Mr. Anne Henk Bloemhoff (ah.bloemhoff@aer.eu). You will then receive the Zoom-Link for the event.

We are looking forward to having you.

REGISTER NOW: Online Spring Bureau & Member Engagement Meetings
2022-03-24 10:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
We are delighted to invite our members to register for our online Spring Bureau & Member Engagement Meetings on the 24th of March 2022. As we emerge from the pandemic, this will be an opportunity for members to set out priorities for the future of the AER on everything from political priorities to the Action Plan.

You can register for all meetings and debates via the link above. There is only one Zoom link for all sessions, so please save this link in a convenient location so you can access it easily on the day.

Overview Agenda

Thursday, 24 March (all times CET)

10:00-13:00Co-development of AER Action Plan meeting

13:00-14:00Lunch

14:00-14:20AER Bureau: Welcome & Bureau Updates

14:20-15:50Bureau Debate on Growth, Jobs & Investment

15:50-16:00Break

16:00-16:10AER Recommendations on the Future of Europe

16:10-16:25Adoption: AER Position on Sustainable Mobility & Connectivity

16:25-16:40Adoption: AER Position on Democracy

16:40-17:00Identification of the Bureau Priority Topics 2022 and Closing

Member Engagement Meeting — AER Action Plan
From 10:00-13:00, Members will have the opportunity to provide their input into the AER Action Plan. More details will follow shortly, so keep an eye on the News section of our website. If you have any questions, please contact Policy & Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, Johanna Pacevicius HERE.
2022 Spring Bureau Meeting

After lunch, we will give an overview presentation of the activities carried out by the AER Task Forces and other institutional related issues, as well as identify priority topics for political discussion and advocacy actions in 2022.

Furthermore, we will host a debate on growth, jobs, and investment where we will explore the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for local and regional authorities. Members are also invited to join the discussion and vote on the adoption of two position papers on Sustainable Mobility and on Democracy.

You can find out more about how you can get involved in our article HERE. If you have any questions, please contact AER Institutional Relations & Advocacy Coordinator, Vania Freitas HERE.

SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED: Bureau Debate on Growth, Jobs and Investment!
2022-03-24 14:20 - 15:50 | Online
***Our first speakers have been announced — don’t miss your chance to join what promises to be a fruitful discussion!***
NOTE: The registration button below is for non-members only. AER members should fill in the form HERE.

The COVID-19 crisis had a profound impact on European regions and on the lives of our citizens. Businesses were negatively affected by the public health restrictions, leading to jobs losses and income reductions, with disproportionate impacts for women, younger and older workers and people in low paid jobs. As a result, economic activity declined, poverty increased and inequalities widened, jeopardizing progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
That’s why as part of our Bureau meeting on 24 March, we will bring together representatives of local and regional authorities, European Institutions and other relevant stakeholders to debate on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead after the pandemic.
The debate is also a follow-up of AER´s political work from the Bureau Meeting in December 2021, where AER Bureau members made “Growth, Jobs and Investments” a topic of priority for its political work in 2022 and set up a Task Force, co-chaired by Vice-President Alessandra Zedda (Sardinia, IT) and Vice-President Damir Zobenica (Vojvodina, RS) to drive it forward.
As we recover from the crisis, there is an opportunity to maximize the opportunities offered by the digital and green transition to strengthen sustainable economic growth that delivers jobs, prosperity and wellbeing for all citizens. Local and regional authorities have a critical role in supporting the recovery by delivering services and infrastructure, providing education and skills opportunities, helping businesses, and supporting innovation locally.
This debate will consider three key questions:

What are the key priorities for a sustainable, resilient, inclusive and wellbeing European economy that takes the opportunities of the green and digital transition?
How to maximise the contribution of local and regional governments to Europe’s recovery and economic and social renewal following COVID-19?
How to build successful partnerships to support sustainable and inclusive economic growth and recovery?

Meet our panel!
Our first speakers have been announced — stay tuned to fine out who will join:

David Lopes, Team leader, Recovery and Resilience Facility, Economics of resilience and transition Unit, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, European Commission
Karen Maguire, Head of the OECD Local Employment, Skills and Social Innovation Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Dragoş Pîslaru, Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, European Parliament
Cllr. Michael Murphy, Chair of the Commission for Economic Policy, European Committee of the Regions;
Maria Elena Romanini, TVET expert, Skillnet Project.

With insights and unique regional contexts and recovery experiences from:

Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh, AER Vice President and Chief Executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta (IE)
Albert Castellanos Maduell, AER Vice President and Secretary for Business and Competitiveness, Ministry of Business and Labour, Government of Catalonia (ES)

For any questions, please contact AER Institutional Relations & Advocacy Coordinator, Vania Freitas HERE.
Organised with the support of:

REGISTER NOW: Unboxing the Multiannual Financial Framework Session III - Making EU funds work for your region
2022-03-25 10:00 - 12:30 | Zoom
Date: 25 March 2022
Time: 10:00 – 12:30 CET
Venue: Online (via Zoom)
Background
Together with the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) represents an unprecedented €1.8 trillion of funding to support Europe’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the EU’s long-term priorities across different policy areas. It is therefore essential that Europe’s regions get training with these instruments to ensure a robust and sustainable recovery.
That is why as part of the Skillnet Project, the AER has put together three information sessions to help regions make the most of the MFF and NextGenerationEU Package. Featuring insights from experts at the European Commission, these webinars will give regions guidance on how to plan initiatives and projects that can benefits from the different funds.
What’s in it for regions?

The third session of the ‘Unboxing the Multiannual Financial Framework’ will give regional authorities and their stakeholders the knowledge to best access and manage European funds. The current programming period contains new rules, instruments and processes that might result difficult for the beneficiaries to fully understand and consequently to put in place the right actions to access them. Additionally, the management and the proper reporting of the use of these funds might be an additional challenge that leads to some gaps in how the funds are used.

This webinar will provide an overview of what is available for regions and put their questions to European Commission experts in our extended Questions & Answers session.

Thematically, the webinar is structured in three main sessions covering the different tools:

Session on mutual learning and exchange of practices – Taxiex-Regio Peer2Peer, Taiex, Regio Communities of Practitioners, ESF Transnational Cooperation Platform;
Session on administrative capacity – EU Competency Framework for management and implementation of the ERDF and Cohesion Fund, Roadmap for Administrative Capacity Building;
Session on measures to prevent mismanagement, fraud and corruption – Integrity Pacts (Civil Control Mechanism for Safeguarding EU Funds Against Fraud and Corruption), Arachne, Training on Cohesion Policy for EU Member State Experts, EU Funds Anti-Fraud Knowledge & Resource Centre.

This overview of tools and instruments will be provided by experts from the European Commission.
Meet our Speakers!
We are delighted to announce the following experts will join this webinar:
Bruno Mola, Policy Officer, Administrative Capacity Building and Solidarity Instruments, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Marianne Doyen, Policy Officer, European Social Fund +, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Luca Baldin, External Auditor, Joint Audit Directorate for Cohesion Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Luc Molemans, External Consultant and IT Project Manager, Information Technologies, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
***
This training session is being organised as part of the Skillnet Project, which is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. Skillnet aims to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships. To learn more about funding opportunities within the Skillnet Project, visit our dedicated Partnerships in Focus Hub.

Conference on “Strong counties serving their citizens – the future of regional governance in Albania” 28-30 March in Tirana
2022-03-28 17:00 - 2022-03-30 14:30 | Hotel Rogner, Tirana, Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit, Tirana, Tirana, 1001, Albania
It is our pleasure to invite you to the Conference on “Strong counties serving their citizens – the future of regional governance in Albania”, held on 28-30 of March in Tirana, Albania.
The Assembly of European Regions and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung are proud to welcome you to our Conference on the Future of Regional Governance in Albania. Our aim is to bring together regional leaders within Albania and to bring about a debate on the future of regional cooperation and citizen-centered policy making at the regional level. During our 3-day Conference, we will look to answer questions concerning the key challenges for regional governance, trends and challenges to citizen-centered policy making and best practices. The event promises to bring together Albanian and international stakeholders to liaise, to cooperate and to add to the debate. We look forward to seeing you there.
Following years of close cooperation and building a successful working relationship, the AER is excited to partner up with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung to host this new event in Tirana with its Albanian member regions. We hope to engage participants in a debate that will lead to increased regional cooperation. We believe this event will be an excellent opportunity to identify common challenges for regional governance in Albania and developing common conclusions and recommendations for the benefit of politicians, civil servants, and our AER network. We look forward to your participation in the event.
We will discuss current needs and opportunities of the Albanian counties within the administrative setting On top of this, the goal is to shed light on how regional governments, businesses and citizens can from increased dialogue, e.g. to trigger investments and advance public participation. The AER will be proud to host these debates together with the Tirana branch of the German think tank Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, who accepted to support our conference.
Our list of confirmed speakers so far include:

Ms. Romina Kuko – Deputy Minister of Interior
Mr. Jonas Büchel – Spokesman of the Board, Urban Institute, Riga, Latvia
Mr. Christian Spahr – Secretary General of the Assembly of European Regions, Brussels, Belgium
Mr. Aldrin Dalipi, Head of the Association of Albanian Qarks/Regions, Head of Tirana Region
Mr. Vuk Vujnovic – Secretary General South East Europe Public Sector Communication Association (SEECOM), Podgorica, Montenegro
Mr. Lukas Mandl – Vice President of the Assembly of European Regions, Brussels, Belgium
Mr. Tobias Rüttershoff – Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Albania, Tirana, Albania

The agenda for the event can be found here. Should you have any questions and would you like to register for the event, please contact our Member Relations Coordinator Mr. Anne Henk Bloemhoff (ah.bloemhoff@aer.eu).
We very much look forward to see you in Tirana.

REGISTER NOW: World Sustainable Energy Days 2022
2022-04-05 08:00 - 2022-04-08 17:00 | Wels, Pollheimerstrasse 1, Wels, Wels, A-4600, Austria
We are delighted to announce that our member region, Upper Austria, will again host its long awaited and well-renowned World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) on 5-8 April 2022! Organized by the energy agency of Upper Austria, OÖ Energiesparverband, the WSED is a leading annual conference on energy transition and climate neutrality, with more than 650 participants from over 60 countries.
As in previous editions, in 2022 the event will take place in Wels, Austria.

Interested in attending?

What is it all about?
In her 2020 State of the Union address, President of the European Commission Ursula von den Leyen proposed the emissions’ reduction target to be set at 55%, alongside a revision of the EU’s climate and energy legislation. The Commission adopted the communication ‘Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition – Investing in a climate-neutral future for the benefit of our people’ on the same day. It included an updated 2030 emissions reduction target of net 55 % compared to 1990 levels. This new ´Fit for 55´ package aims to put the EU on track towards climate neutrality, and as energy accounts for 75% of GHG emissions, speeding up the energy transition is critical.
As such, the 2022 edition of the WSED (Fit for 55) presents the far-reaching transformation of policies, technologies and markets for achieving climate neutrality. It also increases the pace of development and change. On top of that, it shows how citizens and businesses can profit from this, how we can increase acceptance, trigger investments, and get things moving at full speed!
What’s new about the 2022 edition of the WSED
In just four days, you will benefit from:

6 dedicated conferences; The European Energy Efficiency Policy Conference, European Pellet Conference, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Conference, the Young Energy Efficiency Researchers Conference, the Young Biomass Researchers Conference and the Smart E-Mobility Conference
Hands-on experience through technical site visits and innovative energy projects
A major trade show on building efficiency and renewable energy with 800 exhibitors
New business opportunities
Valuable networking possibilities within energy transition businesses, policy makers and researchers
The of course well-renowned Austrian hospitality!

Please make sure to check out the programme overview and timetable here. More information on the event can be found on the event website.
Upper Austria – a leader in the clean energy transition
Upper Austria, one of Austria’s nine regions, is a leader in the energy transition, making the region an ideal location for this conference. Through significant increases in energy efficiency and renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions from buildings were reduced by 39 % in 10 years. Furthermore, 60 % of all space heating and 31 % of the primary energy in Upper Austria already come from renewables, and over 2.5 billion Euros are invested annually in the energy transition.

For any questions or inquiries regarding the event, please contact our Mr. Anne Henk Bloemhoff, Member Relations Coordinator at the AER (ah.bloemhoff@aer.eu) or Ms. Megan Gignac, International Projects at OÖ Energiesparverband (megan.gignac@esv.or.at).

Includ-EU webinar "Cross-sectoral approaches to inclusive housing"
2022-04-07 15:00 - 16:30 | Online
The housing pillar of the EU’s Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion places emphasis on the need to ensure affordable accommodation and promote non-segregated, dignified, and accessible housing. In this webinar, we will discuss some of the main challenges to inclusive housing as well as explore opportunities and approaches for local and regional public authorities and relevant stakeholders to promote and implement inclusive housing policies.
The 4th Includ-EU webinar looked at innovative practices that promote the positive benefits of intercultural identities of neighbourhoods and encourage social interactions in inclusive housing and public spaces, which are of utmost importance to foster integration through careful, urban regeneration.
Speakers included:

Rossella Celmi, Project Manager, IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean: Housing: what’s at stake Presentation
Ivana D’Alessandro, Head of the Intercultural cities Unit, Council of Europe: Gentrification & the intercultural approach Presentation
Eleonora Milazzo, PhD, researcher and migration policy consultant, Briefing on housing: findings from the INclud-EU project Presentation
Fatemeh Jailani, COO of SINGA Global Unlock the potential of migration: citizen housing Presentation

Facilitation: Johanna Pacevicius, Policy and Knowledge transfer Coordinator at Assembly of European Regions.

The recording of the event is now available online!
The agenda of the webinar is available here
Contacts:
Anna Comacchio, Project and Policy Officer, a.comacchio@aer.eu
Johanna Pacevicius, Policy and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, j.pacevicius@aer.eu

This webinar is co-funded by the European Unions’s AMIF Programme.

The World Sustainable Energy Days in Wels, Austria 2022: a great success! A review and a call for papers for the WSED 2023
2022-04-19 08:00 - 17:00
The World Sustainable Energy Days in Wels, Austria 2022: a great success! A review and a call for papers for the WSED 2023:
Over 650 experts from 55 countries participated in the World Sustainable Energy Days 2022 from 5-8 April – more than 60 % of them on-site! The energy transition community met in Wels/Austria and presented opportunities, solutions and strategies to make global climate neutrality reality.
©OOe Energiesparverband
The World Sustainable Energy Days 2022, titled “Energy transition – full speed ahead!”, were a great success! Now we are on the road towards the World Sustainable Energy Days 2023! Save the date for the next edition of this international conference and tradeshow on renewable energy and climate neutrality, which will be held from 1-3 March 2023. Calls for Papers & Speakers close on 10 October 2022.
The WSED 2022 showed how to increase acceptance, trigger investments and raise the pace of change. The event was organised by the OÖ Energiesparverband, the regional energy agency of Upper Austria.
The whole energy transition sector comes together again
After the second year of pandemic, the WSED 2022 were among the first events in its field with significant international participants on-site. Over 650 experts from 55 countries took part in the 4 conference days – more than 60 % of them on-site. More than 100 experts from all over the world presented the comprehensive transformation of policies, technologies and markets for achieving climate neutrality and how to get things moving.
High quality, compact programme
The WSED are an international conference and tradeshow on the energy transition and global climate neutrality. In 2022, the WSED offered the following complimentary events:

European Energy Efficiency Conference
European Pellet Conference
Young Energy Researchers Conference
Energy Efficiency Policy Conference
Industrial Energy Efficiency Conference
Smart E-Mobility Conference
Innovation Workshops

A tradeshow on renewable energy and energy efficiency, a poster presentation and valuable opportunities for networking rounded off the WSED’s comprehensive package.
©OOe Energiesparverband
Upper Austria – a leader in the clean energy transition
Upper Austria, one of Austria’s nine regions, is a leader in the clean energy transition: 60 % of all space heating and 31 % of the primary energy in Upper Austria already come from renewables. Through significant increases in energy efficiency and renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings sector were reduced by 39 % in 10 years. 2.8 billion Euro are invested annually in renewable energy and energy efficiency. This makes Upper Austria an ideal location for this annual event.
See you next year in Wels/Austria!
The World Sustainable Energy Days 2022 focused on opportunities, solutions and strategies to make global climate neutrality reality. The next edition will be held from 1-3 March 2023 in Wels/Austria. The deadline for the Call for Papers & Speakers is 10 October 2022.
Further information: www.wsed.at and OÖ Energiesparverband, office@esv.or.at

AERxDYPALL | CoE Study session - Climbing the ladder, capacitating youth leaders
2022-04-24 - 2022-04-27 | European Youth Centre Strasbourg (EYCS), 30 Rue Pierre de Coubertin, 67000 Strasbourg, France, Strasbourg, Grand Est, 67000
The AER is partnering with the DYPALL Network and the Youth Department of the Council of Europe to host the study session Climbing the ladder – Capacitating youth leaders to facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level. This event will take place from 24 to 30 April 2022 in the European Youth Centre Strasbourg (EYCS), France.

What are the objectives of the study session?
The study session will focus on two of the five strategic priorities of the Council of Europe youth sector: Revitalizing pluralistic democracy and Youth work. In addition, it aims to create and test a learning module based on non-formal education that includes vital skills (such as advocacy principles, outreach strategies, facilitation skills) to encourage youth leaders to take action at the local level and multiply their learnings and attitudes with their peers as well as map new forms of participation that emerged during the pandemic.

Who can participate?
25 youth leaders aged 18-30 years old, residing in one of the Council of Europe Member States, will be selected as beneficiaries of this CoE Study Session. The activity is targeting:

Current and Former Youth delegates to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities;
Youth leaders and young people with a strong interest in youth participation;
Young representatives of local and regional youth councils and similar participation structures;
Youth workers who are committed to empowering young people as key actors in decision-making processes.

N.b.: Previous experience in the youth sector, specifically related to youth participation in decision-making processes and youth work, is not necessary but is welcomed.
Youth delegates sponsored by an AER member region may be privileged to participate. Young candidates must indicate on the application form their connection with AER in the “Organisational information” or “anything you would like to add?” sections. Following the application deadline, those selected will receive a confirmation email and an invitation to attend the event.

Applications CLOSED!*

*The successful applicants will receive a confirmation email with the official invitation to participate in the CoE Study Session scheduled for 24-30 April 2022.
Practical information
Reasonable flight/trip expenses shall be reimbursed up to 350 Euros. Local transport from/to the venue, accommodation, meals, and visa costs are fully covered in exchange for a 50-Euro fee to be deducted from the reimbursements. Please, refer to the official call for participants for further details on reimbursements.
N.b.: Booking arrangements can only be done after receiving the email confirmation and invitation from the organisers.

Covid-19 related information
In view of the current situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the selection of the participants will be made to secure that the travel rules set in place by France and the health and sanitary measures of the Council of Europe are fully taken into account.

Contact
For any questions or inquiries regarding the event, please contact Andrés Muñoz (a.munoz@aer.eu).
You can also address your inquiries to Gianluca Rossino at gianluca.rossino@dypall.com

Capacity-building for Integrated Care: From the Maturity Assessment to Improvement Planning
2022-05-05 09:00 - 16:30
Interested in knowing more about how your region can strengthen its health and social care system and improve the design and delivery of healthcare services? Join online the Scottish Government and all the partners of the SCIROCCO Exchange project at its closing event ‘Capacity-building for Integrated Care: From the Maturity Assessment to Improvement Planning‘! The conference will be held on Thursday 5 May 2022 from 9 am to 4:30 pm CET online.
Throughout the past years, SCIROCCO Exchange has contributed to foster capacity-building among regional healthcare authorities through tailored evidence-based support for the adoption and scale-up of integrated care. As a result of this process, the project has developed an effective tool that ensures and offers to regions, countries, and organisation effective knowledge management and improvement planning starting from a comprehensive understanding of the local context and maturity of the specific healthcare system – the Knowledge Management Hub. Specifically, the Hub is a community-driven platform supporting public authorities and organisation to:

Better understand the local readiness, needs and priorities for the adoption of integrated care informed by multi-stakeholders’ dialogues and consensus-building;
Access readily available evidence, knowledge and expertise on integrated care maximising their transferability and adaptation to the local context;
Co-design personalised knowledge transfer support for those willing to adopt or improve their existing system design for integrated care;
Co-design improvement planning that is tailored to the local context, maturity and aspirations of European countries, regions and organisations.

The Hub is currently available in 11 languages and has been used in nearly 100 organisations, regions, and countries in Europe and beyond. By joining the conference, you will learn about the practical experience of European countries, regions and organisations in applying and using SCIROCCO Exchange Knowledge Management Hub to assess the state of art in integrated care, co-design capacity-building and improvement planning activities.

EVENT AGENDA: https://scirocco.promotime.media/programme/

REGISTER HERE!

Green (H)ydrogen: Powering Our Regions’ Future
2022-05-17 10:00 - 13:00 | AER Brussels Office, Rue d'Arlon 63, Brussels, 1040, Belgium
You can check out the agenda and full list of speakers HERE.
Why is Europe talking about hydrogen?
Hydrogen is a versatile energy source with significant potential. It can be used as a feedstock, a fuel or an energy carrier, and has many possible applications across industry in the transport, heating and construction sectors. Most importantly, it does not emit CO2 and produces almost no air pollution when used. The European Commission estimates that “green” hydrogen from renewable sources could make up 13-14% of Europe’s energy supply by 2050, and act as a replacement for fossil fuels in high polluting sectors.
However, there is significant work to do to scale-up production and demand. At present, hydrogen makes up less than 2% of Europe’s energy mix, and is still largely produced from fossil fuels. Producing clean hydrogen from renewable sources like wind and solar is expensive, and while technology has improved and come down in cost, there remain challenges connecting hydrogen production to energy grids and securing enough investment to make it viable.
What’s in it for Regions?
Regions have a key role to play in scaling-up the renewable hydrogen economy across Europe. With the right level of private and public investment, European regions can lead in the creation of self-contained “hydrogen hubs” that link all elements of the value chain. Indeed, the EU has committed to a total generation capacity of 40GW of renewable hydrogen by 2030, and in early 2022 launched a call worth €300.5 million for projects to develop “cutting-edge hydrogen technologies” under its Clean Hydrogen Partnerships programme.
In this context, the AER and the Government of Catalonia are initiating discussions among European regions on hydrogen in the energy transition. This knowledge exchange and networking session will be the first step towards sustained exchanges between regions on the development of green hydrogen. It will be an opportunity for AER members to identify common priorities in the field, project and funding opportunities with the European Commission, and accelerate work towards building a hydrogen community within the AER network.
How can I get involved?
Members are welcome to register online to view this event remotely. There will be limited possibilities for those who join online to take the floor during the open session.
Members interested in joining a future working group on green hydrogen can fill in this survey.
Presentations
Presentation by Pere Margalef SVP Technology Officer Hydrogen
Presentation by Albert Ballbé, Head of technical evaluation, monitoring and verification of R&D projects in ACCIÓ, Catalonia (ES)
Presentation by Ana Ursua, General Director, Navarra Industrial Association, Navarra (ES)
Presentation by Giampaolo Canestri, Head of Energy Efficiency and Open Innovation Sector – engineer at Compagnie Valdôtaine des
Eaux, Valle d’Aosta (IT)

WEBINAR: Access To Quality Education And Training- An Intercultural Approach
2022-05-24 15:00 - 16:30
How to unlock the potential of education and training as key enablers for inclusion?
Formal education and extracurricular activities have a powerful influence on how individualsperceive diversity. From early childhood education to lifelong learning, education andtraining are therefore powerful tools for building more inclusive societies.Actions to support the inclusion of third-country nationals and to harness the diversityadvantage include work on the school and extracurricular programmes, when this falls underthe competences of the region or city, as well as the creation of opportunities for childrenand adults (parents, educators) of different cultures to build trust and mutual respect andcreate thereby favourable learning and working conditions for all pupils, irrespective of theirnationalities, origins, languages, sexual orientation or gender identity, religions/beliefs.Learner-centered approaches that take into consideration the needs, talents, skills, desires andmindset of individual learners (including their backgrounds), as well as the need to ensurelearning is accessible at all stages of their lives, are crucial to achieving personaldevelopment and participate fully in society.

During our 5th Includ-EU webinar, we will discuss and look into the policy context and different ongoing initiatives on access to quality education and training for migrants and Third Country Nationals (TNC), with a special focus on the lifelong learning dimension (and insights from the Skillnet Project) and as usual, from the lenses of Interculturality.

Speakers include:
Bruno Mesquita Valle, Chief of Unit, Capacity Development and Field Support, UNESCO;
Irene Psfidou, Senior Expert, CEDEFOP, VET and Inclusion: a European Picture;
Maria Podlasek-Ziegler, Policy Specialist at European Commission: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps Inclusion and Diversity Strategy;
Eleonora Milazzo, PhD, researcher and migration policy consultant, Kings College London: Presentation of thematic briefing on Access to Education.
Ourania Xylouri, Director, Athens Lifelong Learning Institute, Greece
Wendy Heezen, Senior Relation Manager, Foundation for refugee students (UAF), Netherlands;
Maja Radinovič Hajdič, Director, Adult Education Center Jesenice.

Interested in attending?

Contacts:
Anna Comacchio, Project and Policy Officer, a.comacchio@aer.eu
Johanna Pacevicius, Policy and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, j.pacevicius@aer.eu

This webinar is co-funded by the European Unions’s AMIF Programme.

1st AER-ENoP Forum on New Forms of Democratic Engagement
2022-06-01 09:30 - 2022-06-02 16:45 | Comet Louise, Place Stéphanie 20, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, Comet Louise, Place Stéphanie 20, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
How to actively involve citizens in policy development in order to regain political trust and add legitimacy to political decisions?
On 1-2 June 2022, in Comet Meeting-Louise, and Online, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP) will co-organise a Forum dedicated primarily to innovative and more participatory forms of democratic engagement.
A new form of politics is gaining steam. Providing an alternative to traditional representative routes, citizen assemblies and other forms of deliberative democracy try to help governments through discussing and developing recommendations on needed steps to safeguard a healthy and stable world. Practical examples on direct involvement of citizens in democratic processes enable an open discussion on particular policy challenges and giving recommendations to elected governments. Involved citizens are randomly selected to reflect the demographic diversity of the population. The process is typically facilitated by an independent and apolitical organisation, which brings in experts across a wide range of disciplines, as well as competing interest groups and the voices of those personally affected by the issue in question. Building up on this, ENoP and AER are initiating a project that would capitalise on successful examples and good practices, while at the same time discussing the full potential and future of such direct involvement of citizens in democratic processes.
How the project is built?
The first part of the project consists of a 1.5-day forum where different examples and experiences of citizen assemblies from different country contexts are presented, aiming to:

Help the EU to formulate/design its deliberative policies/approaches in Europe and for its
international cooperation programmes;
Highlight the opportunities and challenges of direct involvement of citizens in democratic
processes, as well to allow for an exchange of lessons learned from different forms of deliberative
processes ;
Discuss the options of relationship between those assemblies and representative
bodies/governments and elaborate recommendations for different options of structured
engagement of citizens in policy making (based on the experiences from the case studies).

Following the forum, a series of studies will be compiled, based on the following criteria:

The good practice model has innovative elements
The good practice model has achieved and recorded concrete results
The achieved results are relevant to the people living in the region, municipality, commune
The good practice model is sustainable and replicable to other regions, municipalities, communes

Speakers Include

Marcin Gerwin, PhD, Center for Blue Democracy, Specialist in Deliberative Democracy and Sustainability
Toma Šutić, Member of the Cabinet of Dubravka Šuica, European Vice President for Democracy and Demography
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdansk, Poland
Mathilde Bouyé, Démocratie Ouverte & World Resources Institute – presenting the French Ctizens’ Convention on Climate
Prof. David Farrell, The Irish Citizens’ Assembly Project
Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Rapporteur of Congress of Local Regional Authorities, and President of German-speaking Community of Belgium
Lukas Mandl, Member of the European Parliament; and Vice President for European Integration & Wider Europe, Assembly of European Regions

More speakers are to be confirmed so stay tune!

Check out the Programme HERE
Interested in attending?

Contacts:
Anna Comacchio, Project and Policy Officer, a.comacchio@aer.eu
Gisela Guari Cañada, Institutional Relations & Advocacy Officer, g.guari@aer.eu

Inclusion, Creativity & Human Potential: Includ-EU Workshop
2022-06-14 09:30 - 18:00 | The Home of The Human Safety Net Procuratie Vecchie – Piazza San Marco 105, Venezia, Venice, Italy
This workshop is organised in the context of the Includ-EU project co-financed by AMIF programme of the European Union. It will look at labour market inclusion from a skills, creativity and human potential angle.
The opening and roundtable (09:30-11:00) will be streamed, you can register here to get the link to attend online:

The objective is to take a holistic approach to labour market inclusion, which takes into account space, skills and the realisation of potential. Participants will share policies and practices which support stakeholders to build on their ideas, motivation, competences and experiences.
Migrant entrepreneurs contribute to economic growth, create jobs and can support the post-COVID-19 recovery. Effective inclusion of migrants and EU citizens with a migration background into the labour market requires the active collaboration of a large variety of actors, including public authorities at local, regional, national and European level, civil society organisations, economic and social partners and employers.
This workshop aims to:

Give visibility to inclusion policies and practices shared in the context of the project and which can be of use to stakeholders across wider Europe
strengthen the collaboration between partners, support them in mobilising both their local and international networks
Facilitate the exchange of policies and practices for inclusion between local and regional stakeholders in Europe
Encourage the development of new collaborations between local and regional stakeholders

AGENDA

Just Announced: Join AER's Event on Regional Support for Ukraine
2022-06-17 10:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
In the context of the war in Ukraine, a number of initiatives, led by cities, regions, institutions, and civil society organisations have been set up.
For that reason, the AER is organising a webinar on Friday, 17 June to share information on ongoing initiatives and available support to Ukrainian regions, provide examples and experiences from regions in their support to Ukraine, and hear from Ukrainian regions what they need in terms of support. The overall goal is to help regions provide support that really makes an impact on the ground in Ukraine.
You can register and view the draft agenda using the buttons above. We hope you can join us for this timely, crucial discussion to share your insights, experiences and ideas for strengthening partnerships with Ukrainian regions. 🇺🇦
***More information will follow shortly, so be sure to keep an eye on this event page for updates.

AER Working group on the bioeconomy: first meeting
2022-06-22 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
The newly created Working Group on the bioeconomy will meet online for the first time to define its action plan for the coming months. This meeting is open to all AER members

The proposal to develop a working group on the bioeconomy was lead by Innlandet (NO), and is supported by Värmland (SE), Lower Austria (AU), Gelderland (NL).
During this first meeting, AER members interested in sharing experiences and knowledge on the topic of the bioeconomy will:

get to know each other (pitch on the region)
share why the topic matters for them now
share how the working group would create value for them: what they expect, how they would like to contribute
define activities for the coming months

The group will also agree on who should be the Chair of the Working Group

More information on how to set-up a working group at AER here.
For any questions, please contact AER Coordinator for Policy & Knowledge Transfer Johanna Pacevicius
Photo by Olena Sergienko on Unsplash

SOLD OUT: AER Summer Academy 2022 - Donegal, Ireland
2022-08-29 - 2022-09-01 | Atlantic Technical University (ATU) Letterkenny
***PLEASE NOTE: ALL TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR TICKET, PLEASE CONTACT THE AER SECRETARIAT***

With the European Year of Youth in full-swing, the AER is delighted to announce that our flagship youth event, the AER Summer Academy is returning in 2022 after a two-year hiatus.
In partnership with Donegal County Council and Údarás na Gaeltachta, this year’s Summer Academy will take place from 29 August until 1 September in the stunning surroundings of County Donegal, in Ireland’s Atlantic North-West.
2022 marks fifty years since Irish citizens voted by referendum to join the European Community, precursor the European Union in 1972. 2022 also celebrates the Irish language acquiring equal status to the other 23 languages in our Union for the first time. We are therefore enormously privileged to bring this year’s iteration to Ireland and the Gaeltacht [Irish-speaking region] during a year of important milestones for the country’s relationship with Europe.
The Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine have fundamentally changed expectations about Europe’s future. 2022 has become a time of big, existential questions about what Europe stands for, and what future we shape for the the next generation. Right now, we have a unique opportunity to reimagine Europe from a democratic, economic, cultural and social perspective.
The theme this year focuses on how young people in our regions can be empowered to answer these questions, and shape “A Europe for the Next Generation”. As we look to build back better, this year’s programme will focus on key key topics such as climate change, skills and education, cross-border and transnational cohesion and reconciliation, remote working and entrepreneurship.
As Europe works to build back better, regions are best-placed to ensure young people lay the building blocks for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for all. Do not miss this opportunity to join regional leaders from all over Europe for a series of debates, workshops and excursions to enlighten and inspire.
Last but not least, the 2022 Summer Academy programme is offering participants an exciting opportunity to visit Derry/Londonderry City to learn about the Peace Process, take-in spectacular scenery on Inis Eoin island and Glenveagh National Park, visit the region’s unique rural innovation hubs, and sample Irish music and dance as part of our social programme—this is a programme not to be missed!
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The 2022 Summer Academy is proudly brought to you by:
