Ever heard of European Cohesion Funds? ... said nobody ever... According to a Eurobarometer survey from June 2017, in some regions, up to 95.3% of the population consider Cohesion Policy useful. This sounds great - but do people actually know about the EU's investments in regions more generally? The study revealed that only 35% of EU citizens are aware of … [Read more...]
This tag is for all posts relating to Brexit. The United Kingdom's decision to exit the European Union.
Brexit and the Brussels-Capital Region
This article, written by the Brussels-Capital Region, is part of our Brexit & European Regions Series. The Brussels-Capital Region is important to the United Kingdom both in terms of economic opportunity as with respect to its citizens working in international institutions and the private sector. As the Brexit date approaches, businesses and citizens both in Brussels and … [Read more...]
AER at Democracy Alive
From 11 to 13 April 2019, AER attended the Democracy Alive festival on the island of Texel, North Holland (NL). Organised by European Movement in collaboration with the European Parliament it brought together citizens, stakeholders and elected representatives for three days of discussions, workshops and entertainment on the Future of Europe and the importance of active … [Read more...]
Romanian-Bulgarian cross-border regional cooperation: successes, challenges, and the way forward
The Assembly of European Regions counts among its members four Romanian counties that share a border with Bulgaria. The Danube River winds along the southern edge of Mehendenti, Dolj, Olt, and Calarasi. For these regions, as with border regions across Europe, collaborations with neighbours across the border was not historically always the rule. With the beginning of the EU … [Read more...]
Fresh news from last AER Bureau Meeting in Oppland!
Following the past AER General Assembly which took place in Lillehammer (Oppland, NO) on 23 May, the Bureau members got together on Thursday 24 May to discuss key issues concerning the future of the cohesion policy budget and AER overall political direction and priorities for 2018-2019. The Bureau is the primary political voice of AER and establishes the political base for AER … [Read more...]
AER at Regional Airports Conference in Naples
AER expert on regional airports, Roger Estefors has been invited to speak at a panel on "Changes in airline strategies and their impact on regional airports" at the ACI Europe’s 11th Regional Airports’ Conference & Exhibition. Roger Estefors provides members of the AER Working group on Transports and Mobility with regular updates on changes in legislation affecting the … [Read more...]
AER meets with the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions
A busy week in Brussels On 26 and 27 September, AER President Magnus Berntsson, Vice-President Anna Magyar and Rapporteur on the future of cohesion policy Michiel Rijsberman met with EU Commissioners Corina Creţu and Günther Oettinger, and the President of the Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz in Brussels. The meetings covered the future of the EU budget and … [Read more...]
#RoR2017 – This week’s focus: Brexit
The Brexit dilemma: redrawing the map The vote to leave the European Union after over 40 years membership threw up some major challenges for the United Kingdom, not least for the regions. Whilst England and Wales voted out, Scotland and Northern Ireland supported “Remain”. The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly said, “Scotland will not be … [Read more...]
What Brexit means for local government – insight from British Member of Parliament
For our very first cocktail debate, we were honoured to welcome Mr Jim Mc Mahon, British Labour and Co-operative Party politician, MP for Oldham West and Royton, who spoke of the challenges and opportunities that local governments face in the wake of Brexit. As our moderator Mr Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGIU put it, it is difficult to ignore the elephant in the … [Read more...]
Cohesion policy’s challenges and the voice of AER
Challenges posed to the EU cohesion policy, according to EPRS Last month the European Parliament Research Service issued a briefing on the issues in the forthcoming post-2020 reform, entitled “Challenges for EU cohesion policy,” which was authored by Mr. Vasilis Margaras, Policy Advisor, European Parliament. In a nutshell, there are numerous issues facing the post-2020 EU … [Read more...]
Cocktail Debate: a new concept to discover in London
A brand new concept, combining pleasant times and useful discussions, we are proud to introduce you with our first Cocktail Debate to take place on 21 March in London, at 5 PM, in the framework of the AER Committees' Spring Plenary. After the opening conference on sustainable financing for the regions, all participants are invited to a networking drink to celebrate reunions … [Read more...]
AER task force on cohesion policy
In AER, we put a strong emphasis on the future of cohesion policy and look for our members to jump in the process! A bit of background... In the last years, AER took part to a number of debates and workshops aiming at a necessary re-thinking of the European cohesion policy and its delivery mechanisms, as well as objectives, tools and assessment criteria. In a first meeting … [Read more...]
Call for Proposals for Migrants Entrepreneurship Support Schemes by EASME
Against the backdrop of economic crisis, terrorism, rising populism, and Brexit, Europe is faced with an unprecedented influx of migratory flows. This dramatic increase in the number of migrants and refugees arriving at Europe's borders poses a great challenge to its member states, especially in terms of integration. This migration issue is not only affecting the member … [Read more...]
Democracy at play in EU-Turkey relations
The stakes of the EU-Turkey relation at this extremely crucial point in time bring us to the very relevant “Turkey and the EU: Shared Challenges and Common Opportunities” panel discussion that was held on 18 October by the Istanbul Policy Center - Sabanci University - Stiftung Mercator Initiative and Friends of Turkey in the European Parliament. The panel was composed of … [Read more...]
AER Bureau brings answers to a post-Brexit Europe
The last time Bureau members met, it was the eve of the long-awaited UK referendum; AER was gathered in Bodo (Nordland-NO) for its General Assembly. Words of hope but also concerns were shared by two British politicians, Cllr Roy Perry from Hampshire (AER Vice President for Institutional Affairs) and Mr Brian Greenslade from Devon (Honorary AER member) also long-time AER … [Read more...]