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AER mutual learning event: it’s all about the Economy 4.0!

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This year’s mutual learning event, a cooperation between AER, Brussels Capital and Catalonia on 4 December 2019, will be on the Economy 4.0.

The Economy 4.0 is a new era of productive, industrial and economic development with deep implications on sectors as diverse as education, culture, health, agriculture, industrial production and work in general. The complexity of the societal challenges arising from this transformation makes it all the more important to use collective intelligence and diverse perspectives to shape the future.

Let’s plan the future together!

The goal of this Economy 4.0 event is to think and shape the future together. Things do not happen by accident, they happen by design. Major societal challenges, therefore, call for the engagement of all stakeholders to think and plan the future. 

Stakeholders from the private and public sector, industry specialists, entrepreneurs, academics, creatives, and policymakers will engage in genuine exchange. The idea is to share and discuss initiatives that can be implemented right away. Therefore, this conference will be an interactive event where participants and speakers will meet, talk, discuss and learn together. Participants will:

  • Share regional experiences on the development of the Economy 4.0 and how this is impacting areas as diverse as work, education, culture or health
  • Hear from different stakeholders what they see as threats and opportunities of the Economy 4.0
  • Examine the role of regions: are there new roles emerging?
  • Discuss social and economic impacts, needs in terms of policymaking and fields for cooperation
  • Learn about funding opportunities for regional stakeholders: from companies, organizations, and regional governments
  • Learn about regional examples of economy 4.0: presentations by companies and other stakeholders

Work, innovation, public services or sustainability?

A major asset of this event is to discover projects and initiatives and hear of stories first hand. Participants will choose which topic they would like to focus on and will then join a group of experts sharing their experiences and findings.

Groups will gather in parallel on the 4 following topics:

  1. The future of work in a brave new world
  2. Innovation in an era of massive competition
  3. Creative bureaucracy and public services
  4. Is a sustainable economy 4.0 possible?

The detailed agenda and link to the registration form are available on the Economy 4.0 event webpage. Due to the size of the venue, the number of seats is limited, Registrations will close on 25 November.

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

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Committee 1 Progress Report Autumn 2019

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Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Regional Development and Economy gather in plenary meeting. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the development of a joint work programme and to evaluate progress every six months.

During the AER Spring Committee Plenaries 2019 in Örebro (SE), AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions and came up with a work programme for 2019-2020 which was integrated in the AER Action Plan. Six months later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

The progress report below is organised into 3 categories and gives an overview of the current situation and progress of the different activities going on within AER.

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

Projects

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! project: ongoing

“Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” is a project submitted under a call launched by DG REGIO. On the one hand, this project aims at raising awareness on the importance of programmes, projects, and services funded by the cohesion policy funds. On the other hand, the project will encourage the participation of citizens and stakeholders to turn them into active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy. AER coordinates the project and it will collect experiences on cohesion policy together with regions.

Within AER this project was officially launched during the General Assembly in Larnaca (CY) in June 2019. With the project partner mc Group, also six AER member regions have taken up the challenge of becoming core partners: Varazdin (HR), Csongrád (HU), Trentino (IT), Timis and Alba (RO), and Catalonia (ES).

E-health in rural areas: planned

Members discussed the possibility to develop a pan-AER regional e-health rural project based on innovation and digitalisation.

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Project development on farming, rural planning and infrastructure: planned

Members of the AER working group on rural development would like to develop a project to compare and incorporate good practices in farming (cattle, dairy) and infrastructure.

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Project on rural development: planned

Members of the AER working group on rural development would like to develop a project on how to invest and develop basic infrastructure in rural areas. For example, water, waste, gas, roads, education, health care .

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Good Practice Exchange

Breakfast seminar “Sustainable Development Goals and regional growth”: finished

On 15 May 2019, a breakfast seminar was organised by Oppland (NO) on how to integrate the SDGs in regional planning. This event which gathered speakers from the region and from the OECD revolved around the question whether it is possible to reach the SDGs and have economic regional development, or if they are mutually exclusive? The Powerpoint presentations and videos are available on the AER event page.

2019 AER Autumn Committee Plenaries – Podčetrtek (SI): ongoing

The annual Autumn Committee Plenaries of the Assembly of European Regions will take place on September 24-26 2019, in Podčetrtek, Slovenia.

The topic of the thematic event of the plenaries will be Cohesion & Contrasted Regional Realities. The aim is to share experiences especially from regions with considerable disparities within their territories to learn about different strategies and practices as well as enablers and barriers to more cohesive regional development.

Workshop ” connectivity vs sustainability?”: ongoing

On the occasion of the Autumn plenary meeting in Podčetrtek (SI), the working group on transports & mobility chaired by Martin Tollén is organising a workshop on connectivity and sustainability.

Supporting members to use the TAIEX-Environmental Implementation Review: ongoing

The AER Secretariat disseminated information about the TAIEX-EIR peer to peer learning programme and is supporting members to use this programme to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies on topics as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, the circular economy. This programme which is relatively easy and quick to access is a good complement to activities carried out within AER and an opportunity to access support from the Commission to carry out exchanges with other regions.

Gelderland (NL) and the European Commission organised a TAIEX-EIR workshop on “Maintaining and Enhancing Ecosystem Services in Urban Regions” on 4 and 5 July 2019. 

In the context of the joint action to protect Romanian forests, the AER Secretariat has been in touch with DG Environment, to identify ways to use the TAIEX-EIR programme. This should help improve legislation and practices for the protection of primary forests and biodiversity in Romania.

Mutual learning event on economy 4.0: ongoing

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On 4 December 2019, Brussels Capital will organise a mutual learning event on economy 4.0. Economy 4.0 describes a new era of productive, industrial and economic development characterized by the implementation of big-scale automatization, artificial intelligence (AI) robotic instruments, computational big data analytics software, and high tech infrastructure. It aims to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions who will be welcome to share inputs and regional examples.

Creation of a working group on how to attract more workforce: planned

Several regions in AER have expressed the need to exchange experiences on how to attract more workforce to regions which are largely rural.

  • This action could be developped within the contect of the working group on business and SMEs. Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Effective legislative frameworks: planned

Tulcea would like to collaborate with other regions to elaborate good legislative frameworks for tourism, business, industry, research. The goal would be a simplification of administration and the reduction of red tape.

Workshop on sustainable transport and mobility: cancelled

AER member regions Gelderland (NL) and Östergötland (SE) planned a workshop on sustainable transport and mobility during the European Sustainability Energy Week on Clean Energy from 18-20 June in the House of Dutch Provinces in Brussels.

Lowering emissions in transport: planned

AER member region Norboten (SE) would like to organise good practice exchange on identifying how to lower emissions in transports within the Working group on Energy and Climate Change.

Waste collection in rural areas: planned

Within the working group on rural development, members would like to have an exchange of good practices on how to raise awareness on recycling and waste collection in rural areas.

  • This topic could be addressed either in the context of a meeting of the working group on rural development or in separate events, such as Breakfast seminars in Brussels. Regions which would like to develop something aroud this topic should contact the AER Secretariat.

Small hydropower plants: planned

Exchange of good practice on noise reduction with (small) hydro powerplants (finding suitable location also from environmental point of view). Lobbying and advocacy with NGOs and governments about environmental point of view, partnership, and exchange of good practice. National stimulations for developing projects on national tourism strategy on a local and regional level.

Energy efficiency: planned

Good practice sharing on stimulating energy efficiency, for instance, competition between organisations and OECD. Indicators on energy efficiency and EC energy efficiency directive.

New mobility services: ongoing

Good practices exchange on electric cars and infrastructure both at AER meetings and in events of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC), where Östergötland (SE) is representing AER.

European Week of Regions and Cities: ongoing

The European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) is an annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance. It will take place from 7-10 October 2019 in Brussels.

AER is hosting a workshop during the EWRC with the title REGIONerating Europe on 8 October 2019 from 9.00am in Brussels. More information is available on the AER event page.

AER Delegation at Smart City Expo World Congress: ongoing

AER will again be taking part in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) from 19-21 November in Barcelona (ES). This 2019 edition aims to be the meeting point to encourage all stakeholders (from technology industries to policy-makers and entrepreneurs) to engage in dynamic action to enable a sustainable and inclusive future.

  • Members interested in attending should contact Tina Wu. AER has received 10 free Expo passes and a 25% discount on the 3 day congress pass.

Advocacy/Lobbying

Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC: ongoing

AER is involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC). This framework is an opportunity for strategic intelligence, state of the art information, partnership building and influence.

Protection of Romanian forests: ongoing

Primary forests are rare in Europe and the ones in Romania are threatened by excessive logging. AER members therefore agreed at the Committee 1 Spring plenary meeting in Örebro, to support Romanian regions to protect this invaluable natural heritage. As a first step, a breakfast debate will be organised at the 2019 AER Autumn Committee Plenaries in Podčetrtek (SI), on the topic of European Biodiversity: Protecting Primary Forests. The situation will be presented and different opportunities for concerted action and next steps will be discussed. The goal will be to establish a joint initiative for the protection and preservation of the Romanian forests.

Action for the protection of Romanian forests will also entail a mutual learning dimension (see above in “good practices”)

Joint initiatives for advocacy

Member regions can decide to initiate joint actions and find partners among AER members. Regions can get support from the Secretariat to connect with other regions, get an overview of the existing legal framework and identify relevant actions and target institutions. The AER Secretariat will also organise Breakfast Briefings to help regions organise their advocacy activities.

AER Bureau Task Forces

The Bureau established the creation of Task Forces on dedicated topics. These Task Forces will gather examples, identify and formulate policy messages which will be brought together in position papers which will then be used for advocacy. Members who would like to contribute to one of the below Task Forces should contact AER Coordinator for Advocacy & Institutional Relations Vania Freitas.

-Task Force on Food Security

-Task Force on Cohesion Policy

-Task Force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER Action Plan

The development of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities that add value to their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committee’s work programmes. The Committees’ work programmes are developed in spring each year.

The AER action plan is the consolidation of the three Committees’ work programmes with all other activities led by the Bureau and the Executive Board. It is adopted at the General Assembly.

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the Committee’s work programmes and the AER action plan.

Photo by Thomas on Pexels

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Developing sustainable and inclusive food systems at regional level

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The AER Bureau Meeting in Larnaca (CY) on 6 June included an in-depth panel on “Sustainability from Farm to Fork”, moderated by Irén Lejegren, Chair of the AER Task Force on Food Security, Region Örebro (SE).

The session looked at the challenges and opportunities involved in developing sustainable and inclusive food systems at regional level.

The Agricultural Research Officer at Agricultural Research Institute of Cyprus, Dionysia Fasoula, spoke about the major social, environmental, political and scientific challenges facing food security in Europe. She said that adopting a participatory approach, investing further in organic farming and agroforesting, and creating better awareness and education are key to deliver the solutions to these challenges and a prerequisite to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems. 

Yannis Fallas, Member of the European Bioeconomy Stakeholders Panel, added that food security is a complex interplay of different but connected factors, policy areas and actors that regional authorities must take into account to develop sustainable food systems. The Director of the West Macedonia Bioenergy and Environment Cluster referred to the link between bioeconomy food objectives and energy, touching upon a wide range of aspects such as bioenergy, food waste, circular economy, better agricultural education, rural-urban linkages, rural development and innovation. 

Rastislav Trnka, Member of the European Committee of the Regions, presented the opinions of the EU’s assembly of local and regional elected representatives on promoting food security. The Chairman of Košice Self-Governing Region stressed that a comprehensive EU food policy, in line with a multi-level governance principle is the right way to achieve future-proof food systems. Rastislav Trnka asserted that addressing climate change and environmental challenges, sustainability, food waste, healthy diets and public procurement rules, together with information campaigns, will be key to developing innovative food strategies across Europe.  

Maria Nikolopoulou, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, highlighted the importance of all relevant stakeholders from the food system to work together to tackle the food security challenges and develop innovative food strategies, notably through food policy councils. If we want to achieve food security in Europe, we need a comprehensive food policy and a shift to “food citizenship”, she said. 

The outcomes of the debate will inform the development of the AER position paper on food and nutrition security to be presented at the Autumn Bureau Meeting 2019.

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Committee 1 Annual Report June 2018 – May 2019

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The General Assembly is the highest authority of AER and convenes representatives of all its full members at least once a year. The General Assembly adopts among other things, the annual reports of the Thematic Committees.

This report is the compilation of actions developped and implemented within Committee 1 between the 2018 General Assembly in Lillehammer, Oppland (NO) and the 2019 General in Larnaka (CY).

Activities are organised in 3 categories:

  • Projects
  • Good practice sharing
  • Advocacy/ Lobbying

The AER Action plan, which brings together all the activities carried out within AER, is constantly updated.

Projects

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! project: ongoing

This project is funded by DG REGIO. It will:

  • raise awareness on the importance of programmes, projects and services funded by Cohesion Policy funds
  • encourage the participation of citizens and stakeholders to ensure they are active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy.

The project officially started on 1st of April 2019 and will last for 12 months. The following regions, which have sent a letter of support for this project will be involved in different actions funded by the project to engage citizens and communicate about Cohesion Policy in their territories:
Trento (IT), Alba (RO), Timis (RO), Catalonia (ES), Varazdin (HR) and potentially Csongrad (HU).
All AER members are invited to share examples of communication campaigns on Cohesion Policy and to participate in the launching event of the project on 5 June 2019 in Larnaka on the occasion of the AER General Assembly.

Silver Economy Awards (SEED): finished

The Silver Economy Awards aimed to catalyse a sustainable European digital Silver Economy movement by promoting and rewarding innovative solutions to improve the quality of life for over 50s. The Awards were an opportunity to raise awareness around the lesser-known notion of the Silver Economy. They illustrate the breadth of the consumer markets and the public spending involved and the size of the opportunities available for entrepreneurs, investors, public authorities and civil society. Last year the Silver Economy Awards replaced the traditional AER Regional Innovation Award. The first Awards Ceremony took place on May 2018 in Brussels. SEED was a two-year project: 10/2016 to 09/2018

ARLEM project – Capacity building for an integrated and sustainable urban development: canceled

This is a joint project of the Committee of the Regions regional and local authorities focused on the Mediterranean. In this context, AER answered to the call of ARLEM – Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly in order to provide technical expertise and political support. AER expressed its interest to focus piloting actions in Turkey, Tunisia, and Morocco. This project aims to reinforce the capacities of local and regional authorities from the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean both in terms of urban management and integrated urban development. AER will contribute in the capacity building activities as well as the organisation of regional conferences. It is funded by the Finnish Development Agency and activities are planned for 2 years and six months.

REFIT Project – New regulative frameworks to foster innovation in the transport sector: not accepted

The REFIT project, under the Horizon 2020 Programme, will improve the regulatory framework to make it consistent with the development of new forms of mobility, including shared used mobility, having in mind to safeguard the interest of the users and to attend societal goals. The main result will be the creation of a user-friendly governance tool facilitating regulatory processes to support the deployment of innovative transport technologies and services in the EU.

Event: EU funding for Croatian & Albanian regions: finished

The event on EU funding for Croatian regions, hosted by Varaždin (HR) and Committee 3 President Radimir Čačić, and the event on EU funding for Albanian regions, hosted by Korcë (AL) and MEG member Ana Verushi brought together about 70 participants, both members and non members of AER to:
-hear about AER’s activities
-learn more on AER services for projects and services
-obtain information on the areas of cooperation with EU
-get a relevant update on the current and forthcoming EU funding opportunities
-become aware of the successful experiences of project applicants

Good Practice Sharing

Breakfast seminar “The Sustainable Development Goals and regional growth – Is it possible?” finished

On 15 May 2019, AER and Oppland (NO) co-organised a seminar entitled “The Sustainable Development Goals and regional growth – Is it possible?“ in Brussels on integrated regional policymaking with the OECD and regional examples.

The Sustainable Development Goals as a policy framework: ongoing

  1. The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change organised a workshop on using the Sustainable Development Goals as a policy framework on September 26th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS). Many regions are very active in this space. Oppland (NO), Värmland (SE) and the UNDP in Belgrade provided case studies.
  2. On the occasion of the Joint Plenary session in Örebro (SE), the the role of regions with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals were discussed by Ida Texell, Member of the Swedish delegation Agenda 2030
  3. The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change organised a workshop on ambitious regional planning with views to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals on March 27th in Örebro (SE)

Using the SDGs to communicate AER activities: ongoing

Oppland suggested that as many of the AER activities are contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, AER should promote the 2030 Agenda, raising visibility of how AER and its member regions are contributing to reach goals. AER is further developing its collaboration with UCLG and other networks and organisations around this topic and will organise a major event on this topic in 2020 in Grand Est (FR)

Supporting members to use the TAIEX-Environmental Implementation Review: ongoing

  • The AER Secretariat disseminated information about the TAIEX-EIR peer to peer learning programme and supporting members to use this programme to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies on topics as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, the circular economy. This programme which is relatively easy and quick to access is a good complement to activities carried out within AER and an opportunity to access support from the Commission to carry out exchanges with other regions.
  • The TAIEX-EIR programme was presented at the Autumn plenaries in the workshop of the AER Working group on rural development.
  • The AER Project Unit will also organise a webinar in May or June 2019 to help members use the programme.
  • The region of Gelderland is organising a TAIEX-EIR workshop on ecosystem services, which is open (and financed by the European Commission) on 4 – 5 July 2019

Workshop on Life Cycle Approaches to Regional Sustainable Development: finished

Following the September 2017 workshop on life cycle approaches for renewable energy, circular economy and regional development, members of the working group on energy and climate change were invited to participate in a workshop in Bordeaux, France in 4 and 5 March 2019.
This workshop was intended as a consultative forum to gather advice, experience and further case studies to facilitate this move. It will help to develop an outreach programme on Life Cycle approaches to sustainable regional development.

Study visit on the energy transition: finished

The main focus of the study visit, was the bottom-up approach for the energy transition, which was implemented in the region. This multi-stakeholder cooperation was materialised by the Gelders’ Energy agreement (GEA). The shared goal is to make the province energy-neutral by 2050. Local and regional industries, governments and NGOs’ in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands, have pledged for the province to become energy-neutral by 2050. It facilitates a co-creative process where initiatives, actors, and energy are integrated into society. Participants shared good practice and experience, and in particular:

-observed Gelders’ Energy agreement working process
-met with Gelders’ Energy agreement regional partners
-carried out visits to observe regional results
-participated in a serious game on energy and the diverging interests of stakeholders to exchange about challenges.

Open data and blockchain in transports, Working group meeting: finished

The AER working group on Transports and Mobility, which is chaired by Martin Tollén, member of the Transport and Urban Planning Committee of Östergötland (SE), met on 28 March 2019, on the occasion of the Spring Committee Plenaries in Örebro.
Members discussed the following topics:

New mobility services: ongoing

Good practice exchange on electric cars (production of batteries) and infrastructure. Participation of the working group in the REFIT H2020 project on policies to support New Mobility Services. Exchnages around the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities.

Seminar “Food for thought action”: finished

AER organised a seminar on the topic of food and innovation on the occasion of the Örebro Spring Plenaries on 27 March 2019. Speakers shared examples from the regions and showed how central food and innovation is to regional development.

Food: short supply chains & quality food: ongoing

The Working Group on rural development organised a side event on the occasion of Smart City Expo World Congress on the topic of food. Findings of this side event aim to feed the work of the Bureau Task Force on food.

Study visit on food production: canceled

The idea was to focus the study visit on the approach to food production in order to see how microfirm became large company, which was implemented in the Norrbotten region. The initiative could potentially have been linked with the TAIEX EIR peer learning opportunity of the European Commission. This idea was not implemented.

Youth entrepeneurship: ongoing

Members expressed the wish to develop youth entrepreneurship actions in link with Committee 3. EMAX, a Swedish organisation, which organises innovation camps presented their work on the occasion of the Autumn Committee 3 plenary meeting. They also organise a Breakfast Debate on youth entrepreneurship on the occasion of the Spring 2019 plenary meetings in Örebro (SE).

International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in Regions: finished

The three AER committees and the AER Task Force on Migration worked closely together to develop messaging ahead of the International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in Regions event in Barcelona on Tuesday 18 December 2018.
Participants shared their experiences and good practices in diversity management at regional level, including examples of policies, programmes and was implemented inclusion, participation in civic, economic and political life, positive intercultural interaction and the sense of belonging.

Meeting of the Working Group for Equal Opportunities: finished

The AER Group on Equal opportunities has regular phone meetings and met as well in Novi Sad to discuss the development of a Code of Conduct for AER.

Spring Plenary meeting Committee for Economy and Regional Development: finished

Committee 1 gathered on the occasion of the Spring Committee Plenaries in Örebro (SE) to assess progress, define their 2019-2020 work programme and elect new representatives. The results of the elections are the following:

  • Committee President: Kenneth Backgård, Norrbotten (SE)
  • Vice-President for Economic Development and Mobility: Michiel Scheffer, Gelderland (NL)
  • Chair of the Working Group on Investment, Business & SMEs: Maricel Popa, Iași (RO)

Autumn Plenary meeting Committee for Economy and Regional Development: finished

The 2018 Autumn Committee Plenaries were hosted by Vojvodina in Serbia from 25 – 27 September 2018. A detailed recap of all the meetings that took place is available here. The Committee on Economy and Regional Development members decided that the Task Force on Cohesion Policy, which for historic reasons was under the responsibility of this Committee, should be transferred to the Bureau for coherence purposes, as it is the Bureau which is in charge of the identification of policy messages and advocacy activities.

Sustainable Urban Mobility, Working group meeting: finished

The Working Group on Transports and Mobility decided in Spring 2018 to work on sustainable urban mobility. At the Autumn Committees Plenary meetings, Miroslav Tadic, UNDP Climate Change Portfolio Manager shared the experience of UNDP in Serbia.

Waste management in rural areas, Working Group on Rural development meeting: finished

The Working Group on rural development organised a workshop on waste management in rural areas on September 27th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS). Svetlana Marusic presented the situation in Vojvodina (RS) and Olimpia Neagoe, Chair of the Working Group, presented a project which is being implemented in Dolj (RO) and which is substantially supported by EU funding. Sustainable Waste Management involves both considerable investments in infrastructure and a lot of work on behavioural changes.

Webinar on New Mobilities: canceled

The Working Group on Transports & Mobility will organise a webinar on New Mobilities for all AER members. Date & topic tbc.

International event on Biomass: canceled

Organisation of an international event on Biomass in Vojvodina (RS) in collaboration with AER members. It was replaced by an International Business Summit on the occasion of the 2018 Autumn Committee plenaries in Vojvodina.

International Business Summit: finished

The Regional Business Forum co-organised by AER and Vojvodina gathered in one place Regional chambers of commerce and Regional agencies in charge of investments, support for SME and promotion of business and commerce from wider Europe. It wass an opportunity for regions to promote their business potentials and achievements through both dialogue and bilateral meetings. The programme included a one-day conference, a high-level panel debate on Open Data for startups together with all the policymakers from AER member regions, B2B meetings and different study visits.

Panel discussion on Open data for regional development: finished

On the occasion of the Autumn plenaries in Vojvodina, the panel discussion “Open data for regional development: governance, start-ups and innovation” took place.

The discussion focused on how public institutions collect and generate enormous quantities of data in areas as varied as unemployment, air pollution, hospital consultations etc and how this data can best be re-used to create or improve both public and private services. There is a need to change the political perception of Open Data and instead view it as opportunity for policy-making.

Mutual learning event on the Sharing Economy: finished

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On December 4th 2018, Brussels Capital organised a mutual learning event on the sharing Economy together with Catalonia, in Brussels, Brussels Capital Region (BE). This event organised upon the invitation of Committee 1 President Jean Luc Vanraes, aimed to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions were welcome to share inputs and regional examples.

The event brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics and representatives of the third sector for vivid exchanges. A follow up article with updates on what happened in Brussels was published.

Explore collaboration opportunities on European certification initiative for SMEs

An innovative European certification initiative for regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could represent leverage for growth and improved cross-border economic relations.

It is in this context that Mr Vanraes, met with with a delegation from CAC en mouvement. CAC en mouvement is a think tank representing around 70% of the French statutory auditors. It has initiated a deep reflexion on how to modernise the profession to make it more useful to local businesses in France and around Europe. One possibility which was mentioned during the meeting was to potentially invite CAC en mouvement to present its European platform of certified regional SMEs to the Committee for Economy and Regional development during its autumn working session. The ultimate goal is to develop synergies with the interested in the project. This will be further discussed with the new Committee 1 Presidium after the AER General Assembly in Larnaka.

Advocacy/ Lobbying

Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC: ongoing

The AER Working Group on Transports and Mobility is involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities. It shares regular updates on the work of the EIP-SCC with members

Cohesion Policy Activities: ongoing

Members agreed in September 2018 that the Task Force on Cohesion will now be under the responsibility of the Bureau, which is also in charge of the other Task Forces. Joint actions include:
– Convene joint advocacy: Bureau Members adopted an updated position on the European Commission legislative proposals for the future EU cohesion policy, setting out the specific changes European regions propose to make to the new framework.
– Advocate towards the European Union and Member States
– Work in alliance with other relevant stakeholders and European associations
Flevoland (NL) is coordinating the implementation of the action and the cohesion policy task force help implement the action.

Financing climate action: ongoing

AER works alongside R20, Blue Orchard and Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation to set up a 350 million $ Subnational Climate Fund to finance climate projects in European regions. In August AER met the European Investment Bank to pursue negotiations.

AER was present at this year’s UN climate meeting, which took place in Katowice, Poland. The highlight of AER’s involvement was when AER President Magnus Berntsson spoke at the high-level segment 12 December on behalf of all the regions and municipalities of the world.

AER at the OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs: finished

Eva Hallström from Värmland, chairing the AER working group on energy and climate change, represented AER while speaking at the 1st OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs, which took place at the OECD Headquarters in Paris.

The Roundtable brought together cities, regions, national governments, international organisations, private sector and other key stakeholders to identify trends and challenges in the localisation of the SDGs, including the experiences and key findings from the pilots of the programme “A Territorial Approach to the SDGs”.

Joint initiatives for advocacy

Member regions can decide to initiate joint actions and find partners among AER members. Regions can get support from the Secretariat to connect with other regions, get an overview of existing legal framework and identify relevant actions, target institutions. The AER Secretariat will also organise Breakfast Briefings to help regions organise their advocacy activities.

AER Bureau Task Forces

The 2018 Spring Bureau established the creation of Task Forces on dedicated topics. These Task Forces will gather examples, identify and formulate policy messages which will be brought together in position papers which will then be used for advocacy. Members who would like to contribute to one of the below Task Forces should contact AER Coordinator for Advocacy & Institutional Relations Vania Freitas

  • Task Force on Food
  • Task force on Digitalisation
  • Task Force on Migration
  • Task Force on Social Innovation
  • Task Force on Cohesion

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER action Plan

The development of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities which add value for their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committees‘ work programmes. The work programmes are developed in Spring each year.

The AER action plan is the consolidation of the three Committees’ work programmes with all other activities led by the Bureau and the Executive Board. It is adopted at the General Assembly.

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the AER Action Plan

Committee 1 Coordination & implementation of the work programme

The new Presidium of the AER Committee on Economy and Regional Development met on 3 May 2019 in Brussels, to discuss the implementation of the Committee’s work programme for 2019-2020. They agreed on a series of actions to support the actions proposed by members on the occasion of the Spring Plenaries. This work is coordinated by Per Erik Andersson, the seconded officer supporting Committee 1 President Kenneth Backgård, Norrbotten (SE).

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TAIEX-EIR workshop in Gelderland: you’re invited!

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Gelderland (NL) and the European Commission are organising a TAIEX-EIR workshop on “Maintaining and Enhancing Ecosystem Services in Urban Regions”. This event, which is open to AER members and can be fully funded by the European Commission will take place in Gelderland in the Veluwe area, 4 – 5 July 2019.

TAIEX-EIR learning programme

The TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER learning programme is an opportunity for members to improve environmental policies. Topics addressed in the TAIEX-EIR programme are as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, and the circular economy. This programme is easy and quick to access and is a good complement to activities carried out within AER. It represents an opportunity to access technical and financial support from the Commission to carry out exchanges with other regions.

AER has largely communicated about this programme both at meetings and on its website because it sees the programme as a hands-on opportunity for regions to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies. The TAIEX-EIR programme was presented on the occasion of the study visit on the energy transition to Gelderland last year. It was further presented in detail, at the Autumn plenaries during the workshop of the AER Working group on rural development. In addition to this and given the potential of the programme for its members, AER will organise a webinar to help members understand how it could address their needs.

How can we better protect and maintain ecosystems?

The TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER workshop in Gelderland (NL) will facilitate peer learning between regions on ecosystem services. The workshop will be organised in cooperation with the Environmental Conference of the Regions of Europe network.

Experts on biodiversity and ecosystem-services, and policy advisors from regional environmental authorities from all over Europe are invited to exchange knowledge and best practices and find innovative solutions on how to better protect and maintain ecosystems. The participants will be taking part in round table discussions led by experts, enabling interactive learning, effective work process and sharing of experiences.

How to participate

The TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER programme will cover travel and accommodation costs for up to two participants from each region. To express interest in joining this event, please contact Rebecca Heye, if possible by the 14th of May 2019. You will then receive a link to register.

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Committee 1 Progress Report Spring 2019

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Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Regional Development and Economy gather in plenary meeting. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the elaboration of a joint work programme and to evaluate progress every six months.

On the occasion of the Committees’ plenaries in Arad, AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions. Sa years later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

Evaluating progress

During the elaboration of the work programme in Arad, planned activities were organised in 3 categories:

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

The below progress report was compiled for the spring 2019 plenary meeting in Örebro. It gives an overview of the situation, a year after the adoption of the work programme.

Projects

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! project: ongoing

“Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” is a project submitted under a call launched by DG REGIO. On the one hand, this project aims at raising awareness on the importance of programmes, projects and services funded by the cohesion policy funds. On the second hand, the project will encourage the participation of citizens and stakeholders to turn them in active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy.

Silver Economy Awards (SEED): finished

The Silver Economy Awards aim to catalyse a sustainable European digital Silver Economy movement by promoting and rewarding innovative solutions to improve the quality of life for over 50s. The Awards are an opportunity to raise awareness around the lesser-known notion of the Silver Economy. They illustrate the breadth of the consumer markets and the public spending involved and the size of the opportunities available for entrepreneurs, investors, public authorities and civil society.

Last year the Silver Economy Awards replaced the traditional AER Regional Innovation Award. The first Awards Ceremony took place on May 2018 in Brussels.

SEED was a two-year project: 10/2016 to 09/2018
After two years of dedicated work, the SEED project has met its objectives.

ARLEM project – Capacity building for an integrated and sustainable urban development: canceled

This is a joint project of the Committee of the Regions regional and local authorities focused on the Mediterranean. In this context, AER answered to the call of ARLEM – Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly in order to provide technical expertise and political support. AER expressed its interest to focus piloting actions in Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco having already implemented several actions in these geographical areas.

This project aims to reinforce the capacities of local and regional authorities from the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean both in terms of urban management and integrated urban development. AER will contribute in the capacity building activities as well as the organisation of regional conferences.

It is funded by the Finnish Development Agency and activities are planned for 2 years and six months.

REFIT Project – New regulative frameworks to foster innovation in the transport sector: not accepted

The REFIT project, under the Horizon 2020 Programme, will improve the regulative framework to make it consistent with the development of new forms of mobility, including shared used mobility, having in mind to safeguard the interest of the users and to attend societal goals.

The main result will be the creation of a user-friendly governance tool facilitating regulatory processes to support the deployment of innovative transport technologies and services in the EU.

Event: EU funding for Croatian & Albanian regions: finished

The event on EU funding for Croatian regions, hosted by Varaždin (HR) and Committee 3 President Radimir Čačić, and the event on EU funding for Albanian regions, hosted by Korcë (AL) and MEG member Ana Verushi brought together about 70 participants, both members and non members of AER to:
-hear about AER’s activities
-learn more on AER services for projects and services
-obtain information on the areas of cooperation with EU
-get a relevant update on the current and forthcoming EU funding opportunities
-become aware of the successful experiences of project applicants

Good Practice Sharing

Open data and blockchain in transports, Working group meeting: ongoing

The AER working group on Transports and Mobility, which is chaired by Martin Tollén, member of the Transport and Urban Planning Committee of Östergötland (SE), will meet on March 28th, on the occasion of the 2019 Spring Committee Plenaries in Örebro.
The content will be the following:

The Sustainable Development Goals as policy framework: ongoing

The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change planned to organise a workshop on using the Sustainable Development Goals as a policy framework on September 26th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS).

New mobility services: ongoing

Good practice exchange on electric cars (production of batteries) and infrastructure. Participation of the working group in the REFIT H2020 project on policies to support New Mobility Services.

Supporting members to use the TAIEX-Environmental Implementation Review: ongoing

The AER Secretariat disseminated information about the TAIEX-EIR peer to peer learning programme and supporting members to use this programme to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies on topics as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, the circular economy. This programme which is relatively easy and quick to access is a good complement to activities carried out within AER and an opportunity to access support from the Commission to carry out exchnages with other regions.

The TAIEX-EIR programme was presented at the Autumn plenaries in the workshop of the AER Working group on rural development.

The AER Project Unit will also organise a webinar in May or June 2019 to help members use the programme.

Food: short supply chains & quality food: ongoing

The Working Group on rural development organised a side event on the occasion of Smart City Expo World Congress on the topic of food. Findings of this side event will feed the work of the Bureau Task Force on food.

Youth entrepeneurship: ongoing

Members expressed the wish to develop youth entrepreneurship actions in link with Committee 3. EMAX, a Swedish organisation, which organises innovation camps presented their work on the occasion of the Autumn Committee 3 plenary meeting. They will also organise a Breakfast Debate on youth entrepreneurship on the occasion of the Spring 2019 plenary meetings in Örebro (SE).

Mutual learning event on the Sharing Economy: finished

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On December 4th 2018, Brussels Capital organised a mutual learning event on the sharing Economy together with Catalonia, in Brussels, Brussels Capital Region (BE). This event organised upon the invitation of Committee 1 President Jean Luc Vanraes, aimed to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions were welcome to share inputs and regional examples.

The event brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics and representatives of the third sector for vivid exchanges. A follow up article with updates on what happened in Brussels was published.

International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in Regions: finished

The three AER committees and the AER Task Force on Migration worked closely together to develop messaging ahead of the International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in Regions event in Barcelona on Tuesday 18 December 2018.
Participants shared their experiences and good practices in diversity management at regional level, including examples of policies, programmes and projects promoting inclusion, participation in civic, economic and political life, positive intercultural interaction and the sense of belonging.

Workshop on Life Cycle Approaches to Regional Sustainable Development: finished

Following the September 2017 workshop on life cycle approaches for renewable energy, circular economy and regional development, members of the working group on energy and climate change were invited to participate in a workshop in Bordeaux, France in 4 and 5 March 2019.
This workshop was intended as a consultative forum to gather advice, experience and further case studies to facilitate this move. It will help to develop an outreach programme on Life Cycle approaches to sustainable regional development.

Autumn Plenary, Vojvodina: finished

The 2018 Autumn Committee Plenaries were hosted by the region of Vojvodina in Serbia from 25 – 27 September 2018. A detailed recap of all the meetings that took place is available here.

Plenary meeting: Committee for Economy and Regional Development: finished

On the occasion of the 2018 Autumn the Committees Plenary meetings in Vojvodina, the Committee on Economy and Regional Development members decided that the Task Force on Cohesion Policy, which for historic reasons was under the responsibility of this Committee, should be transferred to the Bureau for coherence purposes, as it is the Bureau which is in charge of the identification of policy messages and advocacy activities.

Panel discussion at the Vojvodina plenaries on Open data for regional development: finished

On the occasion of the Autumn plenaries in Vojvodina, the panel discussion “Open data for regional development: governance, start-ups and innovation” took place.

The discussion focused on how public institutions collect and generate enormous quantities of data in areas as varied as unemployment, air pollution, hospital consultations etc and how this data can best be re-used to create or improve both public and private services. There is a need to change the political perception of Open Data and instead view it as opportunity for policy-making.

Sustainable Urban Mobility, Working group meeting: finished

The Working Group on Transports and Mobility decided in Spring 2018 to work on sustainable urban mobility. At the Autumn Committees Plenary meetings, Miroslav Tadic, UNDP Climate Change Portfolio Manager shared the experience of UNDP in Serbia.

Meeting of the Working group on Energy and Climate Change: finished

The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change met in September 2018 on the occasion of Autumn the Committees Plenary meetings. On this occasion, the workshop “The SDGs as a policy framework” took place. Many regions are very active in this space. Oppland, Norway and Varmland, Sweden provided case studies.

Meeting of the Working group on Rural development: finished

The Working Group on Rural Development met in September 2018 on the occasion of Autumn the Committees Plenary meetings. On this occasion, the workshop “Waste management in rural areas” took place. Svetlana Marusic presented the situation in Vojvodina (RS) and Olimpia Neagoe, Chair of the Working Group, presented a project which is being implemented in Dolj (RO) and which is substantially supported by EU funding. Sustainable Waste Management involves both considerable investments in infrastructure and a lot of work on behavioural changes.

Webinar on New Mobilities: canceled

The Working Group on Transports & Mobility will organise a webinar on New Mobilities for all AER members. Date & topic tbc.

International event on Biomass in Vojvodina: canceled

Organisation of an international event on Biomass in Vojvodina (RS) in collaboration with AER members. It was replaced by an International Business Summit

Using the SDGs to communicate AER activities: planned

Oppland suggested that as many of the AER activities are contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, AER should promote the 2030 Agenda, raising visibility of how AER and its member regions are contributing to reach goals.

Study visit on the energy transition: finished

The main focus of the study visit, was the bottom-up approach for the energy transition, which was implemented in the region. This multi-stakeholder cooperation was materialised by the Gelders’ Energy agreement (GEA). The shared goal is to make the province energy-neutral by 2050. Local and regional industries, governments and NGOs’ in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands, have pledged for the province to become energy-neutral by 2050. It facilitates a co-creative process where initiatives, actors, and energy are integrated into society.

Participants shared good practice and experience and in particular:

observe Gelders’ Energy agreement working process
meet with Gelders’ Energy agreement regional partners
carry out visits to observe regional results
participate in a serious game on energy and the diverging interests of stakeholders to exchange about challenges.

Waste management in rural areas: finished

The Working Group on rural development organised a workshop on waste management in rural areas on September 27th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS).

Study visit on food production: cancelled

The idea was to focus the study visit on the approach to food production in order to see how microfirm became large company, which was implemented in the Norrbotten region. The initiative could potentially have been linked with the TAIEX EIR peer learning opportunity of the European Commission. This idea was not implemented.

Advocacy/ Lobbying

Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC: ongoing

The AER Working Group on Transports and Mobility is involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities. It shares regular updates on the work of the EIP-SCC with members

Cohesion Policy Activities: ongoing

Members agreed in September 2018 that the Task Force on Cohesion will now be under the responsibility of the Bureau, which is also in charge of the other Task Forces. Joint actions include:
– Convene joint advocacy: Bureau Members adopted an updated position on the European Commission legislative proposals for the future EU cohesion policy, setting out the specific changes European regions propose to make to the new framework.
– Advocate towards the European Union and Member States
– Work in alliance with other relevant stakeholders and European associations
Flevoland (NL) is coordinating the implementation of the action and the cohesion policy task force help implement the action.

Financing climate action: ongoing

AER works alongside R20, Blue Orchard and Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation to set up a 350 million $ Subnational Climate Fund to finance climate projects in European regions. In August AER met the European Investment Bank to pursue negotiations.

AER was present at this year’s UN climate meeting, which took place in Katowice, Poland. The highlight of AER’s involvement was when AER President Magnus Berntsson spoke at the high-level segment 12 December on behalf of all the regions and municipalities of the world.

AER at the OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs: finished

Eva Hallström from Värmland, chairing the AER working group on energy and climate change, represented AER while speaking at the 1st OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs, which took place at the OECD Headquarters in Paris.

The Roundtable brought together cities, regions, national governments, international organisations, private sector and other key stakeholders to identify trends and challenges in the localisation of the SDGs, including the experiences and key findings from the pilots of the programme “A Territorial Approach to the SDGs”.

Joint initiatives for advocacy

Member regions can decide to initiate joint actions and find partners among AER members. Regions can get support from the Secretariat to connect with other regions, get an overview of existing legal framework and identify relevant actions, target institutions. The AER Secretariat will also organise Breakfast Briefings to help regions organise their advocacy activities.

AER Bureau Task Forces

The 2018 Spring Bureau established the creation of Task Forces on dedicated topics. These Task Forces will gather examples, identify and formulate policy messages which will be brought together in position papers which will then be used for advocacy. Members who would like to contribute to one of the below Task Forces should contact AER Coordinator for Advocacy & Institutional Relations Vania Freitas

-Task Force on Food

-Task force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Social Innovation

-Task Force on Cohesion

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER action Plan

The developement of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities which add value for their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committees work programmes. The work programmes are developped in Spring each year.

The AER action plan is the consolidation of the three Committees’ work programmes with all other activities led by the Bureau and the Executive Board. It is adopted at the General Assembly.

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the AER Action Plan.

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Innovating food systems: what are regions doing?

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Policymakers from all over wider Europe will gather at the 2019 Spring Committee Plenaries in Örebro (SE), where AER is organising the seminar “Food for thought Action! A regional approach to innovating food systems” on March 27th. Regions will share how they innovate food systems to achieve:
– nutrition for healthy and sustainable diets
– climate and environmental sustainability
– circularity and resource efficiency
– innovation and empowering communities

Ensuring the knowledge flow in AER

The findings from this exchange of experiences will allow for mutual learning and improvement of regional policymaking across wider Europe and will provide elements to support the work of the AER Bureau Task Force on Food. This event will be an opportunity for members to learn from each others and to contribute to the “Food 2030” priorities.

A transition to sustainable food systems

Global food systems have played a huge role in improving food security and nutrition. Yet these systems are also at the heart of our global health and sustainability crises. Indeed Food, mobility and housing are responsible for almost 80% of the environmental impacts of consumption. Sustainable food systems have therefore a major role to play in making cities and regions better places to live in.

Using the FOOD 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy as a framework, regions will share how they innovate food systems on four major topics.

1. Nutrition for healthy and sustainable diets

Achieving healthy diets, adequate nutrition, good health and wellbeing for all in a sustainable manner is at the core of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. ​Regions often play a central role in improving the capacity of food systems to deliver better nutrition.
According to the Committee Of the Regions (COR), regional authorities should prioritise to serve as role models by selling and providing healthy, local and seasonal foodstuffs that ensure sustainability and to make their contribution to Goal 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns).
In Örebro, AER members will present examples around nutrition ranging from food for well being and good mental health to the sensory evaluation of food and its impact for the eating experience.

2. Climate and environmental sustainability

Stimulating and sustain the development of a food production system that respects the environment is an integral and indivisible part of the Agenda 2030 process.

In this context regions can act at different places in the food system, be it at the level of production, transformation, logistics and transports or distribution and finally waste management. A holistic approach is therefore needed. Mutual learning at the seminar on 27 March will help AER members to spot potential weaknesses in their regional food systems and share challenges and solutions with peers.

3. Circularity and resource efficiency

Food 2030 aims at implementing resource-efficient circular economy principles across the whole food system that can contribute to reduce its environmental footprint and to minimise food losses and food waste.Regions will share experiences regarding regional food innovation hubs and shorter food supply chains to transform and revitalise the agri-food sector.

4. Innovation and empowering communities

Innovation is one of the most important topics in regional development policies. To innovate food systems multistakeholder collaboration and ecosystem development is needed. This should lead to the development of new products, processes, business models and services. The idea being to facilitate the creation of innovation-based jobs in the agro-food sector. But innovation needs to be social as well, to meet the needs, values and expectations of society in a responsible way

AER 2019 Spring Committee Plenaries

Multiple times per year, AER brings together regions, so that they may stand stronger together, and grow in a space of experience exchange.

The 2019 Spring Committee Plenaries will be hosted by the region of Örebro in Sweden, from 26 till 28 March 2019.

This year, food will be in the spotlight. AER members will discuss how they innovate food systems to improve nutrition for healthy and sustainable diets, climate and environmental sustainability, circularity and resource efficiency and last but not least, innovation and empowering communities.

How to prepare

To make the most out of the series of meetings and opportunities for networking at the AER plenary meeting in Örebro it is very important you gather information about your regional food system. Here are questions you can ask your colleagues in the relevant departments:

  • What are the main challenges for food systems in the region?
  • What are the region’s strengths and weaknesses?
  • What is the thing the region does best, regarding food systems?
  • Which stakeholders would need to be involved more? What may be difficult when it comes to involving them?
  • Would you like to find contacts in other regions, who work on food systems?

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Towards a more sustainable Europe by 2030

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The AER Working Group on Energy and Climate Change has recently exchanged experiences on the use of the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for regional policy-making.
In this context, the European Commission published on January 30th a Reflection Paper on a Sustainable Europe by 2030.
As part of the debate on the future of Europe, the paper reviews challenges and debates on how the Sustainable Development Goals can be best achieved and how the European States and regions can best contribute by 2030.

The Reflection Paper focuses on the key policy foundations for the sustainability transition, which include moving from linear to circular economy, correcting the imbalances in our food system, future-proofing our energy, buildings and mobility, and making sure that this transition is fair, leaving no one and no place behind. The Paper also concentrates on the horizontal enablers, which need to underpin the sustainability transition, including education, science, technology, research, innovation and digitisation; finance, pricing, taxation and competition; responsible business conduct, corporate social responsibility and new business models; open and rules-based trade; governance and policy coherence at all levels. The Paper ends by emphasising the importance of blazing the trail for the sustainability transition globally as our policies will only have a limited impact on the planet if others pursue opposing policies.

A reformed cohesion policy

Cohesion policy is a major EU investment tool to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
With a budget of EUR 370 billion, it will focus on sustainable growth, the transition towards a low carbon and circular economy, the environment and resource efficiency, and social inclusion. The reformed cohesion policy will enable the EU to deliver on the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement and will help localise Sustainable Development Goals since its delivery is done in close cooperation with regions and local authorities, by directly supporting them.

Have your say

The United Nations launched a Stakeholders E-consultation on the Sustainable Development Goals under review at the 2019 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). You can submit there your inputs by 8th February. The E-Consultation will serve to improve stakeholders’ access to information and promote broad and participatory engagement on the follow up and review of the 2030 Agenda implementation.

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Why Food matters for regional development

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Providing citizens with affordable, safe and nutritious food is complex. Moreover, the health and wellbeing of citizens and consumers are directly affected by the way cities and regions are shaping a sustainable food environment. The management of food systems and food quality has therefore far-reaching impact for areas as varied as health, climate, jobs and innovation.

The development of the bioeconomy policy will be a primary determinant of Food and Nutrition Security. Bioeconomy is Europe’s response to key global challenges. It is meant to:

  • make food available, accessible and affordable for all
  • build climate smart food systems adaptive to climate change
  • implement circular economy principles
  • grow new jobs and industries, thus empowering communities

The Bioeconomy: at the crossroads of sustainable development

Food 2030, a timely EU research and innovation policy response to the recent international policy developments including the SDGs and COP21 commitment, provides a wealth of information relating to bioeconomy research and food.
As defined by the European Commission, the bioeconomy is “the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy. Its sectors and industries have strong innovation potential due to their use of a wide range of sciences, enabling and industrial technologies, along with local and tacit knowledge.”

Food, a priority for regional development

Given the expected changes associated with climate change and the continuous population growth, much more effort and innovation will be needed in the food sector.

Several regions have identified food innovation, energy and sustainability as strategic areas for their development strategy. Among them, Molise is investing in new technologies for smart food production; Southern Ostrobothnia focuses on food technology and agricultural innovations; while Örebro’s focal point is on agroforestry systems, that could make important contributions to sustainable food production.

What all those regions have in common is to sustainably work on increase agricultural production, improve the global supply chain, decrease food losses and waste and improve safety and quality of food products.

AER 2019 Spring Committee Plenaries

Multiple times per year, AER brings together regions, so that they may stand stronger together, and grow in a space of best practice exchange.

The 2019 Spring Committee Plenaries will be hosted by the region of Örebro in Sweden, from 26 till 28 March 2019.

This year, food will be in the spotlight. AER members will discuss how more investment in research, development and technology can help achieve synergies and adequately address trade-offs among agriculture, water, energy, land and climate change. Building resilience of food systems at a regional level will be critical to reach global food security and good nutrition for all.

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AER at Smart City Expo World Congress, Barcelona

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AER is organising a mutual learning event focused on food, in partnership with Smart City Expo World Congress. This event, which was announced at the Committee 1 Plenary meeting in Vojvodina by the Chair of the AER Working Group on Rural Development Olimpia Neagoe,  will take place on 14 November from 14:00 to 16:00

Food, Sustainability and Governance in the Digital Age

The “SCEWC: Food, Sustainability, and Governance in the Digital Age” event AER is organising will be a mutual learning event on food which will be organised around 4 discussion groups. The group discussions are the raison d’être of the event, the place where the policy learning happens. The event will bring together regional policymakers, NGOs, academics, businesses to look at food from different perspectives to support sustainable regional development:

  • governance, SDGs, co-creation, rural-urban links and citizens participation in the Digital Age
  • short food supply chains, food systems, quality products, territorial approaches
  • food & the circular economy, waste management, renewable energy
  • urban farming, agrotech, sustainable agriculture

The format of the event is based on a tested and tried methodology that AER has used to bring together stakeholders on topics such as e-health and artificial intelligence

Smart City Expo World Congress will be an ideal place to address the many modern aspects of food and policy making, as these are at the crossroad of innovation, sustainability, wellbeing, health and territorial cohesion.

A collaboration for policy learning and advocacy

On the occasion of the Spring 2018 plenaries, members of Committee 1 decided to exchange experiences on food, short supply chains and food quality to learn from each other and improve regional policy making. In parallel to this, the Spring Bureau set up a Task Force on food to identify policy messages on food and the circular economy, food innovation and food quality. This was deemed an ideal moment to initiate a collaboration between the AER Committees, which are the place for experience sharing and policy learning, and the AER Bureau, which focuses on developping political positions and engages in advocacy.

The AER event at Smart City Expo World Congress will create

  • Mutual learning and sharing of experiences
  • Thought provoking perspectives & new inputs
  • Understanding of others’ challenges
  • Fields for action which can start now

Moreover Smart City Expo is an opportunity to bring the topic of food and policy in the shiny world of technology.

Smart City Expo World Congress, an international benchmark

The upcoming Smart City Expo World Congress (Barcelona, November 13-15th) is the leading international event for the smart urban solutions industry, the key meeting point for experts and leaders of the world’s most innovative cities, companies, research centers and international organizations. Over 20.000 professional visitors are expected, with over 700 exhibitors, along with high level representatives from more than 700 cities and over 420 international speakers that will share their vision of how to build more sustainable and livable urban environments.

This year’s edition will have five focus areas: Digital Transformation, Urban Environment, Mobility, Governance & Finance and Inclusive & Sharing Cities.

It provides an opportunity for governments, companies, entrepreneurs, research centers and innovators to connect and share their vision of how to build a smarter and more sustainable future. Both the congress and the exhibition area allow all participants to draw inspiration from leading experts and learn about cutting-edge developments that are already making positive impacts on people’s lives.

The international impact of the show has grown with related regional events every year.

How to participate?

AER has received twenty seven 3-day passes which give access to the Smart City Expo Trade Fair, which will be given in priority to speakers/ contributors. Regions interested in sharing their experience in one of the above mentioned topics (governance, food supply chains & systems, the circular economy, agrotech) should contact AER Coordinator for Policy & Knowledge Transfer Johanna Pacevicius.

The passes also allow delegates to buy individual keynote speeches or one day conference passes.

 

Photo © SCEWC Barcelona 2017

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SCEWC: Food, Sustainability and Governance in the Digital Age

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As announced at the Vojvodina Committee 1 plenary meeting, AER is organising a side event on Wednesday 14 November on Food, Sustainability and Governance in the Digital Age in the context of the Smart City Expo World Congress.

This event will look at food from different perspectives to support sustainable regional development. The objective is to share experiences, discover stories and to identify fields for action which can start now.

Smart City Expo World Congress will be an ideal place to address the many modern aspects of food and policy making, as these are at the crossroad of innovation, sustainability, wellbeing, health and territorial cohesion.

Registration

Regional stakeholders interested in attending this side event will receive a 3 days pass for the trade fair of Smart City Expo. These passes will provide access to all side events: http://www.smartcityexpo.com/en/visit/passes-and-prices

If you would like to attend, or if your region would be interested in sharing best practices, please contact Johanna Pacevicius

You will then receive a code to register on the Smart City Expo World Congress page.

Draft Agenda

09:30

Introduction

09:32

Sharing experiences

With:

–Raimondo Mandis, Member of staff of the President of Sardinia as expert in agriculture, agrofood and internationalization of the segments, Member of the national council of Slow Food and President of Slow Food Cagliari
–Samuel Féret, Senior project manger at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM IAM), Project Manager Interreg Europe project ECOWASTE4FOOD
–Elisa Bodenstab, Founder of Youth initiative Perpetuum Mobility Germany, and representative of citizens initiative “Verwenden statt verschwenden”

2 main angles:

  • Governance for sustainable food production

    Co-creation, rural-urban links and citizens participation in the Digital Age to support sustainable food production
    Can technology improve rural-urban links and more importantly co-creation for sustainable food production? What is needed to encourage citizens participation for sustainable rural and urban development? In a world which is deemed to further concentrate population in cities, how to ensure fair and sustainable food governance? How to feed cities?

  • Food systems & supply chains: a territorial approach

    Supply chain innovation & sound resource management
    How to innovate supply chains, support short food supply chains and sustainable food systems? How to avoid food waste? How to encourage the production of quality food? How to use food innovation for sustainable regional development? How to innovate to limit the climate footprint of food production?

10:00

Priority areas for action

10:06

What is special about the Digital Age?

10:12

The role of regions

10:30

End of the meeting

 

 

Committee 1 Progress report Autumn 2018

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Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Regional Development and Economy gather in plenary meeting. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the elaboration of a joint work programme and to evaluate progress every six months.

On the occasion of the Committees’ plenaries in Arad, AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions. Six months later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

Evaluating progress

During the elaboration of the work programme in Arad, planned activities were organised in 3 categories:

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

The below progress report was compiled for the autumn 2018 plenary meeting in Novi Sad. It gives an overview of the situation, 6 months after the adoption of the work programme.

Projects

  • Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! project

“Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” is a project submitted under a call launched by DG REGIO. On the one hand, this project aims at raising awareness on the importance of programmes, projects and services funded by the cohesion policy funds. On the second hand, the project will encourage the participation of citizens and stakeholders to turn them in active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy.

  •  Silver Economy Awards (SEED): ongoing

The Silver Economy Awards aim to catalyse a sustainable European digital Silver Economy movement by promoting and rewarding innovative solutions to improve the quality of life for over 50s. The Awards are an opportunity to raise awareness around the lesser-known notion of the Silver Economy. They illustrate the breadth of the consumer markets and the public spending involved and the size of the opportunities available for entrepreneurs, investors, public authorities and civil society.

This year the Silver Economy Awards replaced the traditional AER Regional Innovation Award. The first Awards Ceremony took place on May 2018 in Brussels.

SEED is a two-year project: 10/2016 to 09/2018

  • ARLEM project – Capacity building for an integrated and sustainable urban development: planned

This is a joint project of the Committee of the Regions regional and local authorities focused on the Mediterranean. In this context, AER answered to the call of ARLEM – Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly in order to provide technical expertise and political support. AER expressed its interest to focus piloting actions in Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco having already implemented several actions in these geographical areas.

This project aims to reinforce the capacities of local and regional authorities from the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean both in terms of urban management and integrated urban development. AER will contribute in the capacity building activities as well as the organisation of regional conferences.

It is funded by the Finnish Development Agency and activities are planned for 2 years and six months

  • REFIT Project – New regulative frameworks to foster innovation in the transport sector: not accepted

The REFIT project, under the Horizon 2020 Programme, will improve the regulative framework to make it consistent with the development of new forms of mobility, including shared used mobility, having in mind to safeguard the interest of the users and to attend societal goals.

The main result will be the creation of a user-friendly governance tool facilitating regulatory processes to support the deployment of innovative transport technologies and services in the EU.

  • Event: EU funding for Croatian & Albanian regions

The event on EU funding for Croatian regions, hosted by Varaždin (HR) and Committee 3 President Radimir Čačić, and the event on EU funding for Albanian regions, hosted by Korcë (AL) and MEG member Ana Verushi brought together about 70 participants, both members and non members of AER to:

-hear about AER’s activities
-learn more on AER services for projects and services
-obtain information on the areas of cooperation with EU
-get a relevant update on the current and forthcoming EU funding opportunities
-become aware of the successful experiences of project applicants

 

Good Practice Sharing

  • Mutual learning event on the Sharing Economy (ongoing)

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On December 4th 2018, Brussels Capital will organise a mutual learning event on the sharing Economy together with Catalonia, in Brussels, Brussels Capital Region (BE)

  • New mobility services (planned)

Good practice exchange on electric cars (production of batteries) and infrastructure

Participation of the working group in the REFIT H2020 project on policies to support New Mobility Services

  • Meeting of the Working Group on Transports and Mobility (ongoing)

The Working Group on Transports and Mobility plans to meet in Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019 on the occasion of the Committees Plenary meetings

  • Webinar on New Mobilities (planned)

The Working Group on Transports & Mobility will organise a webinar on New Mobilities for all AER members. Date & topic tbc

  • International event on Biomass in Vojvodina (tbc)

Organisation of an international event on Biomass in Vojvodina (RS) in collaboration with AER members

  • The Sustainable Development Goals as policy framework (ongoing)

The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change is organising a workshop on using the Sustainable Development Goals as a policy framework on September 26th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS)

  • Using the SDGs to communicate AER activities (planned)

Oppland suggested that as many of the AER activities are contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, AER should promote the 2030 Agenda, raising visibility of how AER and its member regions are contributing to reach goals.

  • Study visit on the energy transition (finished)

The main focus of the study visit, was the bottom-up approach for the energy transition, which was implemented in the region. This multi-stakeholder cooperation was materialised by the Gelders’ Energy agreement (GEA). The shared goal is to make the province energy-neutral by 2050. Local and regional industries, governments and NGOs’ in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands, have pledged for the province to become energy-neutral by 2050. It facilitates a co-creative process where initiatives, actors, and energy are integrated into society.

Participants shared good practice and experience and in particular:

observe Gelders’ Energy agreement working process
meet with Gelders’ Energy agreement regional partners
carry out visits to observe regional results
participate in a serious game on energy and the diverging interests of stakeholders to exchange about challenges.

  • Supporting members to use the TAIEX-Environmental Implementation Review : ongoing

The AER Secretariat is disseminating information about the TAIEX-EIR peer to peer learning programme and supporting members to use this programme to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies on topics as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, the circular economy. This programme which is relatively easy and quick to access is a good complement to activities carried out within AER and an opportunity to access support from the Commission to carry out exchnages with other regions.

The TAIEX-EIR programme will be presented at the Autumn plenaries in the workshop of the AER Working group on rural development.

The AER Project Unit will also organise a webinar to help members use the programme.

  • Food: short supply chains & quality food (ongoing)

The Working Group on rural development is organising a side event on the occasion of Smart City Expo World Congress on the topic of food. Findings of this side event will feed the work of the Bureau Task Force on food.

  • Waste management in rural areas (ongoing)

The Working Group on rural development is organising a workshop on waste management in rural areas on September 27th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS)

 

Advocacy/ Lobbying

  • Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC (ongoing)

The AER Working Group on Transports and Mobility will organise a workshop or a seminar to share the work of the EIP-SCC with other AER members.

Related activity: Mapping exercise what is going on the field of new mobility services and test locations in general transports.

  • Cohesion Policy Activities: ongoing

Building on AER’s role in advocating for a strong cohesion policy, and following the adoption of a position paper on the future of cohesion policy post 2020 at the Bureau meeting in Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria (AT) on 1 June 2017, AER will continue to convene and deliver joint policy influencing work for the future cohesion policy by:

  • Holding regular debates on cohesion policy among members and between members and relevant stakeholders, such as the “Cohesion Policy: are you getting anything out of it?” debate during the AER Committees’ Autumn Plenary Meeting in Nancy on 12 September.
  • Gathering facts and figures on cohesion investments results and impact for a evidence-based advocacy.
  • Disseminating the AER position on future cohesion policy to key stakeholders and decision-makers in-country (in coordination with member regions) and in Brussels.
  • Working together with other European associations of regions, municipalities and cities and the Committee of the Regions to generate broader support for regions interests and policy proposals, including #CohesionAlliance created to demand that the EU budget after 2020 makes cohesion policy stronger, more effective, visible and available for every region in the European Union.

The Task Force on Cohesion Policy post 2020 will continue to support the work of AER in this field, providing strategic direction and oversight.

These actions aim to ensure European regions engage in the future cohesion policy discussions at regional, national and European level, and meaningfully contribute to the design and implementation of a stronger and more effective reformed policy.

  • Financing climate action: ongoing

AER works alongside R20, Blue Orchard and Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation to set up a 350 million $ Subnational Climate Fund to finance climate projects in European regions. In August AER met the European Investment Bank to pursue negociations.

  • AER Bureau Task Forces

The 2018 Spring Bureau established the creation of Task Forces on dedicated topics. These Task Forces will gather examples, identify and formulate policy messages which will be brought together in position papers which will then be used for advocacy. Members who would like to contribute to one of the below Task Forces should contact AER Coordinator for Advocacy & Institutionnal Relations Vania Freitas

-Task Force on Food

-Task force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Social Innovation

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER action Plan

The developement of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities which add value for their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committees work programmes. The work programmes are developped in Spring each year.

The AER action plan is the consolidation of the three Committees’ work programmes with all other activities led by the Bureau and the Executive Board. It is adopted at the General Assembly.

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the Committees work programmes and the AER action plan.Follow AER!

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Brussels Capital: the Sharing Economy & the way forward

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The sharing economy will be at the heart of discussions on the occasion of the Autumn plenary meeting of the AER Committee on Economy and Regional Development chaired by Jean Luc Vanraes, Brussels Capital (BE)

The sharing economy: reshaping the way we do business

In 2011 TIME Magazine described the sharing economy as one the ten ideas that will change the world (Walsch). Today the sharing economy is effectively reshaping the way we do business. It is a rapidly growing socio-economic trend disrupting traditional business sectors by revolutionising the way people share goods and services and interact with one another. It has allowed a substantial amount of flexibility for work and business, blurring the boundaries between employment and unemployment, consumer and provider, employee and self-employed and between the professional and non-professional delivery of services.

A need for public action

The rise of the sharing economy has created opportunities for citizens and regions, but being a new form of economy, it has also raised issues that will need to be resolved. It can contribute to job creation and be an important driver of regional competiveness, innovation and sustainable economic growth. However for this, European public authorities need to establish a proper policy, regulatory and legislative environment that serves to aid rather than hamper the sector, while also addressing issues faced by market operators and protecting consumers. The Sharing Economy is a still emerging, but rapidly growing sector. As such regions are often still in the process of figuring out how best to adapt to it.

Mutual learning event on the sharing economy

As is now a tradition and has been promised during the elaboration of the Committee 1 work programme, Brussels Capital will host this year again a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. This year it will be the Sharing economy, which will be in the spotlight. Previous editions of this unique annual event have included:

-A mutual learning event on bringing diverse stakeholders find a common language in the field of e-health

-A mutual learning event on Artificial Intelligence, its opportunities and challenges for regions

These events always bring together very diverse stakeholders who engage in genuine exchange. The idea is to share and discuss initiatives which can be implemented right away. Another major asset of these events is to discover projects and initiatives and hear of stories first hand. Stakeholders from the private and public sector, industry specialists, entrepreneurs, and policy makers will gather to identify opportunities and points of action of the sharing economy.

This year’s event will take place late November or early December and will be organised in partnership with AER and Catalonia.

Back to basics, what is the Sharing Economy?

A reality that spans from “very social and green” to “rather cynical”

The sharing economy covers a wide variety of sectors including everything from sharing mobility and accommodation to food, goods, domestic and business services. Most citizens will have likely engaged with, personally benefitted from, or at least have heard of some of the companies operating or services provided by this new business trend. Uber and Airbnb are two of the bigger names associated with the sharing economy, which has sometimes led to skepticism and misunderstandings towards the sharing economy as a whole. There is however a wealth of other examples for profit and not-for-profit organisations operating in the field including

  • COVIVO, a Grand Est (FR) example of shared mobility solutions offering carpooling for companies and communities, which was presented at the AER workshop on smart green and integrated transport systems
  • Couchsurfing, a service that connects members to a global community of travelers to find a place to stay for free or share their home and hometown with travelers
  • Deliveroo or Takeaway are food delivery services
  • To Good To Go is app-based solution which allows users to act against food waste, by buying food that is still fresh at a great price instead of stores throwing away their unsold food.
  • Paupiette is a platform which facilitates intergenerationnal lunches between students and older people at an affordable price
  • The Repair Café movement was started in Amsterdam in 2009. There are now 1,003 centres worldwide, with hundreds in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands and 18 in Britain. Each is a community hub where local residents can bring in broken items and get them repaired for free, as well as network, learn skills, socialise and help others. Local expertise, tools, repair manuals and materials are all on hand. Melding education, social inclusivity, sharing economy practices and sustainable action, the cafés have become nodes in the circular economy, teaching its principles from the bottom up.
  • Other platforms propose cultural experiences, the selling or exchange of services, including care or education services, sharing gardens etc

A concept still under construction

While the sharing economy is being widely talked about, the definition and the boundaries delineating what exactly falls into the sharing economy still remain unclear (European Commission, 2016 & Teffer, 2017: 4). The sharing economy is the term most popularly used by the general public, but it is sometimes also referred to as the “peer-to-peer economy”, “on-demand economy”, “platform economy” and “gig economy” among others. The European Commission prefers to refer to it as the “collaborative economy”.

Having access to, not owning

It involves individuals having access to, as opposed to ownership of, goods and services. It is a peer-to-peer commerce which allows people to share, borrow or exchange goods and services between one another through online platforms. Individuals make use of the ‘idle’ or ‘surplus’ capacity of their assets usually in exchange for some type of payment or service. Sharing in itself is nothing new but it is the possibilities that have opened up through the use of technologies that has changed the game. It has made sharing easier and cheaper than ever enabling it on a scale that would not have otherwise been possible. Through the collaborative economy people are empowered to become not only consumers but providers. This form of business has become popular because of the numerous social, environmental and economic benefits it can have.

Business support in a changing world

While Europe has been relatively slow at embracing this new business phenomenon in comparison to others such as the US or China, the European Commission expressed its support for the sharing economy through its communication on ‘A European agenda for the collaborative economy’ issued in June 2016. Through this the European Commission has provided guidance aimed at supporting consumers, businesses and public authorities to engage confidently with the sector. It has shown its commitment to facilitating the balanced development of the collaborative economy as a means of encouraging the adoption of new and innovative services where quality and productivity is improved. As stated by the European Commission “these new business models can make an important contribution to jobs and growth in the European Union, if encouraged and developed in a responsible manner” (European Commission, 2016).

Discussion at AER plenaries

If the sharing economy has had so much success so early on it is because it has been able to address the needs of consumers. As such authorities at all levels including the regional level will need to find ways of working with it because it’s here to stay and it’s only going to continue growing. This is why the President of the AER Committee on Economy and Regional Development and Chair of the Working Group on SMEs, Business and Investments, Jean Luc Vanraes, decided to initiate a discussion on the sharing economy on the occasion of the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries taking place between the 25-27 September in Vojovdina.

 

References
Walsch, B. (2011) 10 Ideas that will change the world. Time Magazine
Teffer, P. (2017) The ‘sharing economy’ lacks a common definition. Euobserver
European Commission (2016a) Fact sheet: A European Agenda for the collaborative economy. Press Release Database
European Commission (2016b) Press Release: A European Agenda for the collaborative economy. Press Release Database

This article was written by Mariangela Clendon, Eurodyssey Intern in Brussels Capital working for Bruxelles International and supporting Committee 1 Seconded Officer Pierre Gérard

Photo by Robin Benzrihem on Unsplash

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Take a look: Horizon 2020’s calls for proposals to tackle food security (2/3)

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In July the AER Secretariat followed the web-stream session of the Info Day on the new calls for proposals under Horizon 2020 – Societal Challenge 2 and we gave you an overview.

Following the AER Bureau’s decision in Oppland to have food security as a key topic, we attended a dedicated session on this topic.

Below you can find a selection of some calls for proposals, specifically addressed to food security.

Innovative and citizen-driven food system approaches in cities (CE-SFS-24-2019)

80% of the European population is expected to be living in cities in the future. This begs the question: how can we ensure that each city dweller will have access to healthy food? Simultaneously, cities have potential that needs to be explored and developed through urban food strategies. Finding solutions is not easy, especially due to the diversity of cities and regions.

With this contaxt, the aim of this call is to identify food related urban innovation and assess their benefits in order to replicate such approaches.

Within this call, two projects will be funded. The involvement of civil society throughout the project is compulsory. Likewise, this is a topic with a focus on the circular economy, which thus needs to be taken into account.

Biodiversity in actions: across farmland and the value chain – Scope B: Capitalising on native biodiversity in farmland landscape (SFS-01-2018-2019-2020)

Farmers need to provide food for a growing population, while safeguarding biodiversity.

This call aims to tackle this issue.  Project proposals are expected to consider various temporal and spatial scales when assessing the dynamics of biodiversity and its relationship with farming systems, the surrounding landscapes and throughout the value chain. More specifically, the aim is to better understand the relationship between farm management and native biodiversity.

Climate-smart and resilient farming – Scope B: Efficiency and resilience of mixed farming and agroforestry systems (LC-SFS-2018-2019)

European farming will be affected by climate change and this is a challenge that needs to be considered.

This call for proposals targeted to the development of further mixed farming systems. Projects should show how the integration of crops, livestocks and forestry activities can improve the resilience of agriculture when combined with the related climate change mitigation potential.

Projects proposal have to adopt a multi-actor approach, meaning integrating every stakeholder, including farmers.

If you want to learn more about these topics, do not hesitate to consult the Participant Portal to obtain more information.

Do you have a project idea? Do you want to design a project proposal? Then, keep an eye on the last part of this article’s series on the Societal Challenge 2 of Horizon 2020 to get some tips to help you design your project.

And remember that AER Secretariat is always happy to help you!

Contact

European Projects

Agnese Pantaloni

Phone: +32 2 400 10 52
E-mail: a.pantaloni(at)aer.eu
Skype ID: agnesepanta
Languages: it, en, pt

Articles by Agnese


  • EU funding
  • Calls for projects and tenders
  • Partner search

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Overview on Horizon 2020’s 2019 calls (1/3)

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AER is happy to share with you some practical information regarding the upcoming calls under Horizon 2020, societal challenge 2, that were discussed on the info day organised by the European Commission in June 2018.

The general context

The 2019 Work Programme has been designed with both global and European commitments – the Sustainable Development Goals, COP 21 agreement, bio economy strategies, the digital single market etc.

Through the launch of calls for proposals, three goals are set:

  • managing our resources wisely so as to nourish people sustainably;
  • understanding, preserving and valuing oceans;
  • developing smarter, greener, circular rural economies.

The first goal will be implemented through the Sustainable food security calls, while the second goal will be implemented through the Blue growth calls. The Rural renaissance calls will put in force the last goal mentioned.

Apart from these three goals, there are three focus areas, which can be easily found while looking for a call thanks to the identifier, mentioned in parentheses below:

  • Low-carbon, climate resilient future (LC)
  • Circular economy – connecting economic and environmental gains (CE)
  • Digitising and transforming European industry and services (DT)

Practical information

Some key information

The deadline to submit project proposals is 23 January 2019.

There are specific requirements that appear in a large majority of topics: multi-actor approach and coordination between projects. The multi-actor approach is about engaging throughout the project a more diverse range of actors, from scientists to users. This is to make innovation more demand driven. Plus, it will facilitate dissemination and acceptance of knowledge. The coordination of projects applies for topics where 2 or more projects are funded. In this case, synergies are expected to take place between the financed projects.

The evaluation process

The evaluation procedure differs from one call for proposals to another. Indeed, some call for proposals will be evaluated following a single-stage process and others based on a two-stage process. In this second case, if your project proposal concept note is approved, the deadline to submit your full project proposal is on 4 September 2019.

The evaluation focuses on various criteria: excellence, impact, quality and efficiency of the implementation. Yet we invite you to read carefully the calls, because sub-criteria are slightly different for each call.

Please check the documents & presentations on the info day session in order to have a more comprehensive overview of the topics above.

Stay tuned to learn more about calls on food security!

If you are planning to participate in these calls within Horizon 2020 and you wish to engage with AER, do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact

European Projects

Agnese Pantaloni

Phone: +32 2 400 10 52
E-mail: a.pantaloni(at)aer.eu
Skype ID: agnesepanta
Languages: it, en, pt

Articles by Agnese


  • EU funding
  • Calls for projects and tenders
  • Partner search

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