This is the tag for articles in relations to culture

A European Folk Festival

13 December, 2019 By Johanna Pacevicius

Varaždin County is organising an international folk festival on 25-29 June 2020. This event will feature 10 ensembles from 10 countries for 5 days of festivities.

The idea of this international festival arose after the Spring 2019 Plenaries in Örebro (SE). Members of Committee 3 developped their workprogramme and decided to work on making culture accessible to all and specifically to youth.

This European folk festival aims to contribute to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage by bringing together folk ensembles from all over wider Europe. It will include folklore workshops for children as well as a symposium on traditional culture in education.

The objective is to get the festival to become a part of CIOFF®, the International Council of Organisations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts. CIOFF® is an Official Partner of UNESCO, accredited to the UNESCO ICH Committee. Created in 1970, the duty of CIOFF® is safeguarding, promotion and diffusion of traditional culture and folklore.

How to participate?

AER regions can share this invitation to their regional and local folklore ensembles. Folklore ensembles can register by writing to Maja Zuber by 1 February 2020. Important information to provide include:

name of the ensemble
number of members (in the ensemble)
type of performance (instrumental, vocal, vocal-intrumental, dancing, dancing & singing, etc)
it must be typical and represent the region!

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Tool released to aid search for town twinning

25 November, 2019 By Anne Henk Bloemhoff

Are you interested in town twinning or finding a sister-city? The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate for EU Affairs has released a town twinning tool, which can help you find the best match for you. This tool was developed in close collaboration with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey.

Why town twinning?

The purpose of town twinning is to bring cities and communities closer to each other on a long term basis. It is a democratic and participatory approach to bring different communities closer on basis of common values and principles. The twin cities seek to facilitate joint solution of common problems, enabling the more efficient and effective utilization of resources through experience-sharing. The end goal is to increase the level of satisfaction of citizens, raise living standards and contribute to socioeconomic development and thus promoting sustainable development and world peace.

There can be a thematic approach to town twinning, which allows the local authorities to have a central focal point. Some examples of these thematic approaches include:

Decentralisation (subsidiarity, devolution etc.)
Inter-cultural exchange (language, history, arts, youth, sports etc.)
Technical know-how exchange (efficiency and effectiveness in public services, financial management, leadership, human resources etc.)
Good governance (participation, openness, accountability, rule of law etc.)
Policy development (planning, analysing, monitoring and evaluation etc.)
Local economic development (sectors including agriculture, tourism, commerce, transportation, infrastructure etc.)
Social development (sectors including education, employment, health, gender equality, social services etc.)
Protection of the environment (sectors including energy, climate, natural resources etc.)
Crisis management (disasters, emergencies, migrants etc.)
Exchange of know-how (innovation, management technologies etc.)
Research & development (technical cooperation, management and service laboratories etc.)

On 13 November, representatives from the municipality of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) and Canakkale municipality in Turkey met with the Assembly of European Regions in Brussels. These representatives including the mayor of Canakkale, deputy mayor of Tarragona and CEO of The Turkish Informatics Foundation visited Brussels as part of the town twinning project with focus on smart city. Study visits, such as this one to Brussels, is one of the activities that can be done as part of the town twinning project. However, there can be other activities such as personnel exchange, regular events, capacity building activities and project implementation.

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

14 November, 2019 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

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:

The future of work in a brave new world
Innovation in an era of massive competition
Creative bureaucracy and public services
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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The Role of Culture in Non-Urban Areas

5 November, 2019 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

The role of culture and social infrastructure in rural areas was discussed at the AER autumn plenaries in Podčetrtek. Indeed building on existing social infrastructure to develop cultural and economic activities is an essential element to increase territorial cohesion and citizens participation

A changing paradigm

The development of cultural activities has long been focused on major cities. This however was ignoring that a large proportion of the population lives in rural areas, towns, and suburbs. Only 40.4% of the population as per the EUROSTAT data hails in urban areas.

The logic which prevailed was that people living in urban areas would go to cities to enjoy culture. Even initiatives aimed at bringing culture to smaller cities often resulted to importing a ready-made product from the cities to rural areas.

The initiatives which were discussed during the autumn plenaries in Podčetrtek, showed how important it is to share and create excellent culture in rural areas. The example of rural touring for the enjoyment of art by rural communities, shared by Värmland (SE) in particular shows the need and value of using existing social infrastructure.

A structured dialogue between the EC & stakeholders in Europe

The EU programme Voices of Culture, is a structured dialogue between the European Commission and stakeholders in Europe. Every year different topics are picked up for discussion in order to gain valuable input for EU and national policy, legislation, awareness campaigns and ideas for pilot projects.

The next Voices of Culture topic to be discussed is the role of culture in non-urban areas in Europe. Culture is vital for sustainable rural development and culture can play a major role is unleashing the potential in urban-rural and cross border cooperation.

Interested in joining the discussion?

A brainstorming meeting with 35 selected stakeholders from across Europe will gather in the rural town of Alfeld in Germany on the 4-5 February 2020 to discuss this topic. A brainstorming report written by the stakeholders will be presented at a Dialogue Meeting with representatives of the European Commission in April 2020. Relevant OMC thematic groups will also take onboard the recommendation from the sector on this topic.

The Brainstorming meeting for this topic has been scheduled on the 4th & 5th of February 2020 at Fagus-Werk in Germany. Dialogue meeting for this topic has been scheduled to take place on the 22nd of April, in Brussels, Belgium.

Application deadline: 10th of November 2019

Announcement of results: 25th of November 2019

For more information, you can visit this page.

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Youth Mobility at the fore during the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum in Sardinia

30 October, 2019 By Erica Lee

The experience of living in another country impacts a young person’s personal and professional development, increases independence and responsibility, helps improve knowledge of foreign languages and develops other valuable social skills and professional competences. Youth mobility can also indirectly contribute to dismantling certain prejudices or social constructs in times of political disaffection, radicalisation and economic recession across Europe. Most importantly, mobility is how young people develop a new viewpoint about their own reality, systems and culture. As a result of this mobility, and by gaining varied learning experiences, young people increase their chances for employment and in this way influence their own position in the labour market.

The Eurodyssey Forum, a yearly event gathering representatives of all the regions that participate in this regional mobility scheme, was the perfect venue for discussions on this topic. Over the course of two days, more than 50 participants, came together to discuss the merits of, and challenges to, the exchange of young people among the regions of Europe.

Alessandra Zedda, AER Vice President for Employment & Skills, and Rita Dedola, Regional Councillor for Youth Policies, opened the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum by giving a warm welcome to all the participants and expressing gratitude to AER for the close and fruitful cooperation as regards Eurodyssey, which both of them praised for being a very valuable tool for the regions to deliver on youth employment and internationalization policies.

Two high-level discussions were open to the public as part of the Forum, the first on “Youth Mobility for empowerment and professional growth“, moderated by AER Secretary-General, Mathieu Mori, featured a panel of experts from Italy and wider Europe.

Massimo Temussi, Managing Director Sardinian Agency for Active Labour Policies (ASPAL) opened the discussion by bringing a regional perspective and shedding light on the situation of young people in the labour market in Sardinia. He noted, in particular, that there is an increasing mismatch of skills and opportunities for young people, concluding that more needs to be done to provide specific training that will enable young people to make the transition from vocational or higher education into the workforce. Going abroad to learn new in-demand skills through the Eurodyssey programme is one way to achieve this.

Domenico De Maio, Managing Director of the National Agency for Youth of the Italian Republic, spoke about how young people from other parts of Europe can breathe life into declining rural villages. In turn, he also praised the many young Italians who go abroad to gain professional experience before returning home with new and innovative visions for their home regions.

Valentina Cuzzocrea and Ewa Krzaklewska, members of the Council of Europe Pool of European Youth Researchers (PEYR) delved further into the policy context and elaborated on their work as part of the PEYR.

Valentina Cuzzocrea spoke of the significance of ‘Brain Circulation‘, where young people are free to move, to shape their own experiences and bring their skills and ideas with them wherever they like. This undoubtedly opens new perspectives, not just in terms of finding a job or starting a business, but also in terms of personal development, learning about themselves, what they like and dislike, and ultimately how they want to live their lives.

Ewa Krzaklewska stressed the importance of European mobility programmes such as Eurodyssey as a means of integrating Europeans and strengthening democracy because, at the end of the day, Europe is a human project.

Tatjana Babrauskienė, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, added that when we think about the European project and the role of youth mobility we must think about the sustainable aspect, focusing on social growth, not just economic growth. She stated also that European mobility programmes like Eurodyssey foster a balancing of European, national and regional identities, which, in a time of polarising world views is a welcome development.

A second roundtable discussion provided food for thought as well as concrete examples from Eurodyssey members of how youth mobility can contribute to regional development.

Esther Estany, President of Eurodyssey, Catalonia (ES).
Arlette Brone, Head of Actiris International, Brussels-Capital (BE)
Miriana Bucalossi, Training policies and EU projects, Tuscany (IT)
Denis Lamard, President of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté (FR) Youth Information Center (CRIJ)
Michele Demontis: Cooperation for mobility in Sardinia, CASMI Committee of Sardinian Associations for Youth Mobility
Moderated by Luca Spissu, ASPAL, Sardinia (IT)

Esther Estany, Eurodyssey President, has been involved in the programmes since its inception. She opened the discussion by sharing her experience over the last 35 years and expressing the concern of the employment service of Catalonia regarding the ‘brain drain’ which has come about in the wake of the economic crisis. On a positive note, she noted that this trend is diminishing with more Catalans who leave the region for work coming back home again with new skills and experiences under their belts.

The discussion, moderated by Luca Spissu from the Sardinian Agency for Active Labour Policies (ASPAL), shed light on the regional realities of youth mobility in Brussels-Capital (BE), Tuscany (IT), Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (FR), Catalonia (ES) and Sardinia (IT).

Each of these regions has its own specific employment situation as regards young people & benefits from youth mobility schemes such as the Eurodyssey programme by welcoming young Europeans from other regions as well as sending their young people abroad, many of whom return home with innovative new ideas and perspectives on life in their home regions.

Interested in promoting photovoltaic irrigation? Join this H2020 project!

7 October, 2019 By Agnese Pantaloni

The University of Vigo (ES) is developing a new project (SolAqua) in the framework of Horizon 2020 – call LC-SC3-RES-28-2019 of the Work Programme “Secure, clean and efficient energy” – aimed to promote the use of solar energy in irrigated farming, both in Europe and beyond.

Before reaching that goal, a number of problems need to be addressed: there is a large deficit in knowledge over the technology and there is also a lack of tailored business models for the use of photovoltaic systems (PVI) as well as dedicated financial and policy instruments. To this extent, it is required the identification and diffusion of best practices, environmental impact methodologies, business models and public and private financing instruments suited to PVI.

SolAqua aims to provide concrete solutions to these issues and put together the main players to work on it: the leading organisation worldwide in PVI development, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), alongside with the main organisations representing the interest of irrigators in Europe and other organisations with expertise in the relevant fields.

Among the goals of the project is to provide a common framework for the use of regional-level managed European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), that are key in order to decarbonise European agriculture. In this regard, among other objectives SolAqua is intended to produce an action-oriented dialogue among Public Authorities. To this end, in order to complete the consortia, regions that are EAFRD-managing authorities in irrigated regions are needed!

If you are interested in the topic addressed by SolAqua and you fulfil the required profile, get in touch with the AER Secretariat before 31st October.

Contact:

Agnese Pantaloni, European Projects Coordinator

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Takeaways of AER-YRN’s activities at the 20th University on Youth and Development

1 October, 2019 By Editor

From 15 to 19 September, the Youth Regional Network of the Assembly of European Regions (AER-YRN) celebrated its Autumn Plenaries for the first time in the framework of the 20th University of Youth and Development (UYD) of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe. 23 young participants from 13 different countries representing the AER-YRN at the 20th UYD actively engaged in workshop debates, committees’ work and joint thematic activities themed around the UYD’s 2019 annual focus on “Youth, Justice & Strong Institutions” related to SDG 16.

Advocacy on SDGs and innovative approaches to youth participation

In the morning of the 16th, the first workshop debate Glocal Youth Advocating for SDGs began with the participation of Benjamin Günther, board member of the European Youth Forum (EYF), who presented the work that the Forum undertakes in order to advocate for the inclusion of young people in the review and implementation of SDGs and, in addition, presented the main conclusions of the EYF Policy Paper on Sustainable Development.

Elitsa Hadzhieva, AEGEE-Europe: European Student’s Forum, also joined the discussion with the YRN delegates to stress the importance of enhancing cooperation in a more coordinated way among the different youth-led organisations in order to have a more unified voice when advocating for youth major rights towards the EU institutions and the UN.

Benjamin Günther (European Youth Forum), Elitsa Hadzhieva (AEGEE Europe)

On Tuesday 17th, Bruno António, Coordinator of DYPALL Network and Nami Isaki, board member of the Centre For Intercultural Dialogue, shared insights and experiences at the workshop debate entitled (Co)innovating youth participation. The YRN participants not only learned about the principles of the Council of Europe (CoE) co-management system for participatory democracy but also heard the experience of Nami Isaki in establishing an influential network of youth-led organisations both at the local and national decision-making levels in North Macedonia and, more generally, in strengthening youth cooperation in the Balkans.

Bruno António pointed out that the 2030 Agenda goes beyond the so-called roadmap to sustainability but it is rather an inspirational framework for engaging young people in active participation to stand for their own rights and, moreover, influence policy-making at multiple levels. Organisations such as the ones represented by Bruno and Nami are trying to change the concept of democratic participation by facilitating access to the decision-making process for all cohorts of young people, including the most disadvantaged groups.

Nami Isaki (CID) and Bruno António (DYPALL)

Intercultural dialogue and Global Education

Abdelkader El Khissassi, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), took part in the second workshop debate Youth Inclusion and Intercultural Dialogue on the 18th of September. During the interactive discussion, Abdelkader insisted on the importance of mainstreaming an intercultural sensitivity for young people’s inclusion in the public sphere but also to build more democratic societies free from prejudice and discrimination. The UfM is currently developing a cooperation framework between youth platforms in the Mediterranean basin, such as the Youth Forum for the Mediterranean, with the purpose of fostering intercultural dialogue and cooperation beyond the European borders and thus create a project-oriented space for mutual understanding in the field of youth.

Following the discussions on inclusion and interculturality, YRN participant Tiziana Fantucchio, as a representative of CESIE, organised an interactive activity to raise awareness on sexual violence through a changing-pair exercise that allowed participants to explore their own personal boundaries. Another activity was organised by Vahram Vardanyan, member of the YRN Presidium, to reflect upon SDG 16 and the linkages with gender equality, discrimination and xenophobia.

YRN-AER Participants with Abdelkader El Khissassi (UfM)
CESIE’s activity

The last workshop debate on Education for Sustainable Development involved a number of guest speakers: Giuseppe Lipari, board member of OBESSU, and Rocío Cervera from the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe. Giuseppe explained that OBESSU’s core goal is to increase the recognition of students as fundamental actors in shaping the educational policies and, to that end, the organisation commits itself not only to defend school student rights towards European Institutions and other relevant stakeholders but also to provide assistance for the development of school student representative structures at different levels.

Rocío Cervera underlined three perspectives that are fundamental in the field of Global Education: multi-perspectivity; multi-stakeholder approach for advocacy purposes; and sustainable lifestyles, which links the notion of sustainable development to the individual responsibility of contributing to it. In this regard, Rocío concluded that “we are all educators and individually responsible for bringing about worldwide sustainable change”.

Giuseppe Lipari (OBESSU)
Rocío Cervera (North-South Centre)

The work in the YRN Committees

Throughout the week, the 23 representatives of the AER – Youth Regional Network worked in the YRN committees putting a log-frame analysis (problem/alternative trees) into practice to identify a core issue related to SDG-16 hindering youth participation and the human (youth) right vulnerated. For this exercise, the participants integrated all relevant inputs received at the workshop debates and the outcomes of the log-frame analysis were used in a second phase to elaborate an advocacy plan. Following this advocacy reflection exercise, the participants discussed solutions to overcome the problems identified and came up with recommendations to lobby the regional and local entities they stand for.

Outlining the main outcomes:

From these three days full of activities, workshops and debates concluded into many outcomes, although we could sum them all up into these three main outcomes:

Attitude: Self-awareness (youth as right-holders) and individual responsibility.
Skills: Analytical-advocacy planning skills.
Knowledge: Global challenges for local and regional actions.

Visit the event page to find all the presentations and materials of the AER – YRN’s activities at the 20th UYD.

Photo credits: @Luca Scognamillo / North-South Centre of the Council of Europe on Flickr

Takeaways of AER-YRN’s activities at the 20th University on Youth and Development

From 15 to 19 September, the Youth Regional Network of the Assembly of European Regions (AER-YRN) celebrated its Autumn Plenaries ...
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Make this Week Last All Your Life – AER-YRN at the 20th UYD

From 15 until 19 September, 23 participants from 13 different countries represented the AER – Youth Regional Network (YRN) at ...
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Take a look at the AER-YRN’s programme for the 20th University on Youth & Development!

From 15 to 19 September, a group of young participants from 13 different European countries will represent AER - Youth ...
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Apply now for the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe’s 20th University on Youth and Development!

AER - Youth Regional Network (YRN) is very proud to announce its partnership with the North-South Centre of the Council ...
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Plenaries in Podčetrtek

27 September, 2019 By Erica Lee

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

The three thematic committees (Economy & Regional Development, Social Policy & Public Health, and Culture, Education and Youth) are at the heart of AER’s work on territorial innovation, policy learning and interregional cooperation.

The Committees are a lab for innovation, a trusted space where policymakers interact with peers from all over wider Europe. It is the place where knowledge and experience exchange happens and where new forms of collaboration are shaped.

On Tuesday 24 September, the event kicked off with a study tour of the Eastern Slovenia cohesion region.

The tour, a highlight for many participants, included a visit to the Olimje Monastery, an antique pharmacy, an artisan chocolaterie and a deer farm where they dined on local specialities in a traditional eastern Slovenian haystack.

This was followed in the afternoon by a timely conference: Cohesion & Contrasted Regional Realities. Read more by clicking on this link.

The Committees were in full swing on 25 September. In plenary, approximately 100 AER members, from more than 50 regions across Europe, came together to learn from each other on matters including economy & regional development, social policy & public health, as well as culture, education and youth affairs.

Alongside the individual Committees and Joint Plenary session, the Autumn Plenaries included a number of workshops organised by AER member regions, the Committees’ working groups and subcommittees.

They included:

Workshop of the Working Group on Transports & Mobility: Connectivity vs Sustainability?
Workshop of the Subcommittee on Culture: Supporting and Promoting Arts in Rural Settlements of Europe (SPARSE)
Workshop of the AER Subcommittee on Youth: Youth participation in regional policy-making
Workshop of the AER E-health Network: Revamping the AER E-health network
Breakfast Debate of the AER Working Group on Rural Development: European Biodiversity: Protecting Primary Forests
- Read more on the Breakfast Debate here

Breakfast Debate on Biodiversity
Committee 1
Together4Cohesion project
Joint Plenary
SG Mathieu Mori
Update from Bureau

The next AER Committee Plenaries will take place in Covasna County, Romania, from 10 – 12 March 2020.

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European Biodiversity: Protecting Primary Forests

26 September, 2019 By Erica Lee

In the context of the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries on 26 September, the AER Working Group on Rural Development hosted a Breakfast Debate on European Biodiversity: Protecting Primary Forests.

Bringing together elected representatives and civil servants from across the regions of Europe, the breakfast briefing was an opportunity to decide on joint action in Europe for the protection of primary forests.

Primary forests have high conservation value but are rare in Europe due to historic land use. Primary forests are biodiversity-rich and provide essential ecosystem services. Even if the majority (89%) of the primary forest is mapped as in protected areas, much of it is not strictly protected in practice.

Wide patches of primary forest are being currently logged in many mountain areas, in particular in Romania. Increased demand for bioenergy, coupled with high rates of illegal logging, is leading to the destruction of this irreplaceable natural heritage.

The future of our forests is a concern for all European citizens, not least as protecting primary forests contributes directly to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal n°15: ‘Life on land’.

Leading the discussion, Olimpia Neagoe, Chair of the AER Working Group on Rural Development gave examples from her home country, Romania, and showcased the work the working group is doing in this area.

AER was pleased to be joined by some external experts on this topic, among them, Shiroma Sathyapala, Forestry Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. The FAO is a ‘custodian’ for 21 indicators under 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

She stressed the importance of sustainable forest management for European biodiversity:

“Managing forests in a sustainable way is central to the achievement of all SDGs. It’s critical to addressing climate change, conserving biodiversity and protecting ecosystems, supplying clean water, and ensuring sustainable cities and communities.”

Good governance, on the part of local and regional authorities, is essential for this. She continued:

“Good governance in forest management is fundamental. A large part of good forest management is engaging local communities, land users and landowners.”

Peter Skoberne, from the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, gave insights into the situation in Slovenia, stating that Slovenian forests are a traditional good practice of forest management. However, in the last 10 years, they have faced more competition for forest resources and pressure on land use.

He emphasised how important it is to stand up for our natural resources, saying;

We tend to think that political decisions are beyond our scope but we need to get our way in decision making to make a change.

The AER Working Group on Rural Development will continue its work in this field. If you are a member interested in getting involved, please contact Johanna Pacevicius, AER Coordinator for Policy & Knowledge Transfer.

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Contrasted Regional Realities: The Need for Cohesion

24 September, 2019 By Erica Lee

On Tuesday 24 September at the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries in Podčetrtek, Slovenia, approximately one hundred elected representatives and civil servants came together to discuss regional realities of cohesion across the European continent.

Not only can disparities within regions hamper sustainable regional development, but they also generate tensions and tough decisions between, for instance, innovation, on the one hand, and equal provision of services, on the other.

Using a framework derived from the Sustainable Development Goals, the conference examined the situation using GOAL 3 (Good Health and Well-being), GOAL 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), GOAL 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and GOAL 10 (Reducing inequality within and among countries) as indicators of equalities and inequalities in the regions of Europe.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Alessandra Zedda, AER Vice President, Regional Chancellor for Labour, Sardinia (IT) welcomed participants on behalf of the AER Executive Board and emphasised the vital role played by cohesion policy and AER’s role in the Cohesion Alliance.

A discussion panel with perspectives from Europe, east and west, subsequently delved further into the debate, shedding light on the situation in two EU member states in particular, Slovenia and Ireland. The discussion panel was moderated by Johanna Pacevicius, AER Coordinator for Policy & Knowledge Transfer.

Lilijana Madjar, President of the Development Council of Zahodna (West) Slovenija made clear that there are major differences in the level of development within West Slovenia, let alone between regions and EU member states.

Her presentation showed that there are numerous and diverse development challenges and needs within West Slovenia and that the development of Slovenian regions largely or almost exclusively relies on European Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds.

Ivan Žagar, President of the Development Council of Vzhodna (East) Slovenija echoed these sentiments saying that there are indeed significant differences in the levels of development within Slovenian regions. He went on to say that the real challenge is that these differences are still increasing today.

He elaborated that one of the major obstacles to improving regional development outcomes in Slovenia is the lack of regions with political and financial competencies.

Furthermore, emigration is a subject of major significance for Slovenian regions. He stated;

If we want to change regional development in a positive direction we must make our regions more attractive and offer better jobs and opportunities. That is why we are support a stronger future cohesion policy.

Ronan Mac Con Iomaire, Director of Community Development and Language, Udarás na Gaeltachta, the authority for Irish-speaking areas in the Republic of Ireland weighed in. He reported that there are more contrasted realities than cohesion within the Gaeltachtaí.

He recognises the diversity of the regions and Europe saying;

Different communities have different needs so require different actions.

At Udarás na Gaeltachta, the strategy is to create area-specific projects, cultivate a shared culture, and align the community with this strategy. Recognising that there is no “top-down” nor a “one size fits all” solution, Mr Mac Con Iomaire stated that

if we want to have a strong development community we must work with community development organisations because when bringing community development organisations together, we give them a stronger voice. Subsequently, because of their engagement, they became much more supportive of the initiatives.

Achieving Cohesion

Despite varied experiences and indeed, realities, in the regions the speakers represent, it was agreed that a holistic approach to regional development is necessary.

As with the Sustainable Development Goals, a ‘this or that’ approach to regional development risks leaving some areas, groups or individuals behind. Instead, growth must be measured not only in economic terms but also socially, societally and according to its sustainability.

Place-based strategies, participatory approaches and multilevel governance are key elements that help foster regional growth and development. Examples such as the Slovenian regions or Gaeltacht areas, go to show what can be achieved when there are political will and people-power to bring about change.

International cooperation, such as in networks like AER, provides opportunities for mutual learning among regions. This conference being just one example of this.

AER Members interested in getting involved in the AER Task Force on Cohesion may contact Vania Freitas

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The Local Events of Together4Cohesion are starting!-“Apulum Agraria” Fair in Alba (RO)

13 September, 2019 By Editor

Doesn’t time fly when we’re having fun? Well… right now we’re in the middle of a challenging project “Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” co-financed by DG Regio (Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy), which started in April 2019. We had some fun it’s true especially when we launched in June the communication campaign Together4Cohesion on occasion of AER General Assembly in Larnaca with a lot of positive vibes, balloons, and joyful audience from our member regions happy to discover what the project is about. But more than fun there was the cooperation and creative work of three important actors, AER as leading partner, mc Group as media partner and the local administration of 6 regions out of 5 different countries: Trento (IT), Csongrad (HU), Timis (RO), Alba (RO), Catalonia (ES) and Varazdin (HR). This ambitious team set up the goal of creating a comprehensive communication campaign in order to raise awareness of the benefits of cohesion policy projects and actions among regions, stakeholders and citizens and to turn them into active players of the campaign.

European Cohesion Calendar-subscribe your local event!

The project has an interesting and dynamic agenda, as in the time frame September 2019- March 2020, 15 local events are going to be organised in the above-mentioned regions. Out of all the pre-existing events that the regions have already planned to organise we selected the most suitable 15 events (3/country) that can be shaped for the aim of the campaign. The attendance of local events will make Together4Cohesion more personal and emotive as the citizens and the key stakeholders identified are going to be reached directly with this occasion. These actions are going to be the flagship events of the European Cohesion Calendar which is a dynamic timetable with initiatives related to cohesion policy, organised all over Europe. This calendar is an important output of the project that is going to bring more visibility within the website of the project, of the cohesion related events.

We invite regions and different organisations and institutions to send us their events with topics related to cohesion policy to be included in the calendar.

Please submit the European Cohesion Calendar form and don’t miss the opportunity if you want to give visibility to your local events in the on-line calendar!

Enjoy “Apulum Agraria” Fair in Alba (RO)

The inauguration of the European Cohesion Calendar will take place with the first local event from Alba county in Romania: the “Apulum Agraria” Fair in the period 20-22^nd September 2019.

“Apulum Agraria” Fair is dedicated to promote agriculture, the economy in the county of Alba and the local farmers, members of professional associations. This is an event with a long tradition in Alba where the local farmers are going to sell fresh ecologic products with authentic traditional taste at nice decorated stands. As farmer associations is an important stakeholder of our project we are happy to leverage the Together4Cohesion campaign with our presence at the event.

We invite you all to enjoy this lovely event and discover gastronomic surprises, contests, workshops for children, local crafts and on top of that the interaction of our team with the local citizens that are going to acknowledge the benefits of cohesion policy in the development of their local economy.

Stay tuned to find out more about our next local events!

Until then, enjoy “Apulum Agraria Fair” on the 20-22^nd September 2019 in Alba.

photo by: urbeamea.ro

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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

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Committee 3 Progress Report Autumn 2019

9 September, 2019 By Norina Haubold

Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Culture Education and Youth gather in plenary meetings. 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 into the AER Action Plan. Six months later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

The progress report below is organized 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

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Projects

Road to the Future: ongoing

Road to the Future is a project submitted under the Erasmus+ programme, within the Key Action 3 – Support for Policy Reform, and it is designed around the European Parliament Elections in 2019. First, it encouraged debate among young European on the European elections to increase young voters’ turnout. This was implemented through training of youth activists, leaders and the development of tools and resources. After the elections, the project continues the training for trainers and mentors, based on the ideas collected during the first phase. This ensures that young people gain the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to be engaged for the future of Europe at the local level.

The lead partner is JEF Europe – Young European Federalist. AER represents local and regional authorities. The consortium is composed of 21 organisations, mainly national JEF associations.

AER is responsible to connect young people and decision-makers, especially via the involvement of the YRN. “Road to the Future” will last 16 months, from October 2018 to February 2020.

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).

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Good Practice Exchange

Training Seminar – “Cities and Regions: New Actors of Change in Europe”: finished

In partnership with the European College of Cluny, AER organised a Training Seminar “Cities and Regions: New Actors of Change in Europe”, which took place in Cluny (FR), from 26 – 30 August 2019.

Local and regional authorities were invited to attend a 5 days Training Seminar to participate in conferences, round table discussions, study visits, and case studies to determine how to boost their influence multiply their innovation potential and increase their territorial resilience through interregional cooperation.

The next seminar on public policy design will take place from 7 to 9 October in Cluny, in English and is open to all AER members. Registrations for this seminar are open until 20 September at [email protected]

Civil Servants Exchange Programme: ongoing

The AER Training Seminar in Cluny was also the first step for the Civil Servants Exchange programme announced in September 2018 and coordinated by the President of Committee 3 Radimir Čačić, Varaždin (HR). The Civil Servants Exchange programme will allow civil servants to spend a month in a partner region to learn about new processes and practices. This programme is being developed in close collaboration with the Eurodyssey network and will start in 2020.

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, and the aim will be to identify strategies and actions to boost regional development and innovation in the face of contrasting realities.

AER Summer Academy 2019 – “Youth is future, youth is Europe”: finished

The Summer Academy Organising Committee organised the 2019 AER Summer Academy Vojvodina (RS) on the theme “Youth is future, youth is Europe” in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS), the 2019 European Youth Capital. In the wake of the 2019 Elections to the European Parliament, the aim was to exchange innovative ideas and good practices in various fields. It was about the potential of young people to bring about a social transformation and rethink the way Europe can meet the challenges of the future. Hrvoje Kovac, Chair of the AER sub-committee on youth moderated the 1st Plenary Session: Youth is democratic participation and European citizenship.

Workshop on youth participation: ongoing

Discussions during the 2019 Summer Academy showed youth participation is still a very hot topic. The AER Subcommittee on Youth, chaired by Hrvoje Kovač, is organizing a workshop on the occasion of the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries in Podčetrtek (SI). The topic of the workshop will be Youth participation in regional policy-making. It aims at identifying steps to implement meaningful and impactful youth participation in regions.

Workshop on the future of education

The Subcommittee on Education, chaired by Simon Johnson, Nordland (NO), is organising a workshop on the future of education in an ever-changing professional life on the occasion of the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries in Podčetrtek (SI). Questions addressed are: How should education look like in a world where things happen faster than ever? How is it possible to organise knowledge acquisition or provision?

Mutual learning on culture and health: ongoing

Regions agreed they wanted to engage in mutual learning around culture and health for all and how to, in particular, reach out to young people. As a first step, the Subcommittee on Culture is organising a workshop at the autumn plenary meetings on rural touring an initiative to promote a culture for all (see below).

Workshop on culture in rural communities: ongoing

The Subcommittee on Culture chaired by Fereshteh Jalayer, Värmland (SE) is organising a workshop on rural touring. The initiative is driven by the desire to overcome social, geographic, economic and psychological barriers that have historically inhabited the enjoyment of the arts by people in rural communities. The workshop will feature a theater manager and a dance strategist.

Raise awareness on the Eurodyssey programme: ongoing

The AER Committees are supporting the communication around the Eurodyssey programme for youth mobility to increase the numbers of participants in Eurodyssee. This is done for instance by allocating slots at the Committees’ meetings to share achievements of the programme and by presenting the programme at events led by the Committees, such as for instance the Training Seminar in Cluny.

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.

Exchanges around traditional cultures: ongoing

The 5th edition of FolkoFonija will take place from 13 to 15 September 2019 and all AER members have been invited to contribute to the development of this event. Initiated and organized by the Centre for Traditional Culture Varaždin, this festival could be the basis for a joint project to be developed in AER on traditional cultures in wider Europe.

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.

Mutual learning on early school leaving: planned

Share experiences on early school leaving and the issue of young people who are not in education and not in employment. In particular, explore practices around building confidence and encouraging young people.

This action could be developed within the context of the Subcommittee on Education. Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developing this initiative.

From brain drain to brain gain: planned

Share knowledge, experiences, and practices to address the issue of brain drain and move from brain drain to brain gain.

This action could be developed within the context of the Subcommittee on Education. Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developing this initiative.

Mutual learning on the loss of workforce: planned

Exchange around the issue of governments investing in education and “losing” their qualified workforce. The aim would be to identify elements of resilience or compensation for territories that “lose” qualified workforce.

This action could be developed within the context of the Subcommittee on Education or in collaboration with the AER Committee on Regional Development and Economy. Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developing this initiative.

Lifelong learning for 50+ people: planned

Special training for 50+ people in for example IT, in order to improve wellbeing and employability.

This action could be developed within the context of the Subcommittee on Education. Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developing this initiative.

Advocacy/Lobbying

Contributing to a Network of Intercultural Regions: ongoing

The Bureau Task Force on migration organised a Breakfast debate on the occasion of the General Assembly in Larnaca to examine the possibility of creating an intercultural regions programme, similar to the existing Council of Europe Intercultural Cities Programme. The network will support regions for the design and implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies. The process to develop this programme requires intense dialogue with institutions. Regions interested to participate in a network of intercultural regions should contact Vania Freitas

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, 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 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 work programmes are developed in spring each year and the 2019/2020 work programme is available here.

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. The action plan for 2019/2020 is available here.

Photo on Pixabay

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AER Training Seminar in Cluny – building capacities for powerful regions

7 September, 2019 By Norina Haubold

In partnership with the European College of Cluny, AER successfully organised its pilot training seminar Cities and Regions: New Actors of Change in Europe. Eleven participants from Zagreb (HR), Šibenik-Knin (HR), Varaždin (HR), Västra Götaland (SE), Satu Mare (RO) and Bourgogne Franche Comté (FR) gathered for three full days of learning and exchanges.

Impactful interregional cooperation

This seminar was an opportunity to boost the capacity of regions to engage in impactful interregional cooperation, in order to encourage innovation and foster territorial resilience.

The state of regionalisation

Enrico Martial, Italy expert of the AER Observatory on Regionalisation, opened the seminar with a lecture on the state of regionalisation. The presentation focused on the role of regions in the construction of Europe and the different types of cooperation between regions.

Group picture with participants and organisers

Why Cluny?

The afternoon started off with a study visit of the Abbey of Cluny and the surroundings led by Jean-Luc Delpeuch co-founder of the European College of Cluny. The Abbey indeed was a central point of influence and knowledge in Europe in the medieval period and its history perfectly illustrates the concepts of territorial influence, long term heritage, international networks and flow of knowledge and practices.

From European collaboration to territorial networks

Next, a round table around forest protection, wood and engineering provided vivid examples on how international cooperation led to reinforced cooperation at the territorial level. Indeed, in the Cluny area, politicians, researchers and economic actors cooperate to promote innovation in the forestry sector, use resources in innovative ways, develop short supply chains and develop the territory’s assets.

Jean-Luc Delpeuch, Philippe Evans, Manager of the Fédération Européenne des Sites Clunisiens, and Guillaume Pot, Professor and researcher at ENSAM University presented their involvement in this multi-stakeholder cooperation around wood.

Frameworks & programmes for collaboration

On day two, Malin Stegmann-McCallion, Sweden expert of the AER Observatory on Regionalisation presented different frameworks and tools for cooperation and influence in Europe. She provided different examples on how regions organise, cooperate and influence and encouraged participants to reach out to different stakeholders and institutions of the European scene and further develop institutional cooperation for the benefit of their territory.

Anne Rouessard, EU funding expert and consultant at Europeanne, provided an overview of EU programmes and projects best suited for regions and cities, depending on their aims and capacities. She provided advice on how to increase the chances of getting projects accepted as well as examples of how cooperation and good communication enabled project partners to influence decision making at EU level on funding and programming.

In the afternoon, discussions and group work led to identifying the tools and frameworks, the participants are currently using and those which they could potentially use differently or develop further.

Experiences from Sardinia, Lower Austria & Bourgogne Franche Comté

The last day was dedicated to the exchange with professionals of cooperation and the definition of regional outreach strategies. Franziska Stadelmann, Deputy Head of Office of the Lower Austria office in Brussels shared the experience of her region and explained how they organise and collaborate with stakeholders both in Brussels and in the region in particular in the field of innovation. Maria Gabriella Fenu from the Agency for Active Labour Policies Sardinia (IT) showed how the international engagement of the agency has impact for stakeholders in Sardinia. Sardinia joined AER primarily to be part of the AER Eurodyssey programme, which provides unique opportunities or youth mobility and fits with the agency’s strategy. Magali Pausin from the European and International Service Burgundy Franche Comté (FR) explained how they work transversally in collaboration with other departments in the region to boost the impact of international cooperation.

Speakers shared elements of success, the barriers and enablers and a world café session generated fruitful conversations with the audience and between participants.

Co-development for problem solving & engagement

In the afternoon, a collaborative workshop animated by Georges Van Billoen, Management teacher at Arts et Métiers Grande École of technology, provided a methodology to capitalise on collective intelligence to solve problems and develop innovative solutions. This methodology is particularly efficient to engage diverse stakeholders in territories, an objective participants said they would like to improve.

Next steps

The European College of Cluny is launching a post-master degree Innovation, governance and territorial design in Europe which will include different seminars, which can be taken individually. Topics addressed include public policy design, circular and digital economy, smart specialisation strategies, and sustainable mobility. The next seminar on public policy design will take place from 7 to 9 October in Cluny It will be held in English and is open to all AER members. Registrations for this seminar are open until 20 September at [email protected].

For more information on the seminar and the speakers’ presentations, please visit the event webpage of the Training Seminar.

For more information on the Civil Servants Exchange Programme please contact Ms Larisa Križan Breljak.

Speakers & moderators: Franziska Stadelmann, Boris Chevrot, Norina Haubold, Philip Evans, Jean-Luc Delpeuch, Guillaume Pot, Malin Stegmann McCallion, Maria Gabriella Fenu, Jean-Luc Delpeuch, Larisa Križan Breljak, Johanna Pacevicius, Anne Rouessard, Enrico Martial, Magali Pausin, George Van Billoen

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Rural touring for the enjoyment of the arts by rural communities

6 September, 2019 By Norina Haubold

The Subcommittee on Culture chaired by Fereshteh Jalayer, Värmland (SE) will hold a workshop on the support to culture in rural areas during the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries in Podčetrtek (SI). This topic was defined following discussions at the Spring plenaries around culture for all.

A European-wide rural touring network

The workshop will be an opportunity to present the SPARSE project, which will foster touring for professional performing arts companies and artists into rural areas of European counties, which are partner of the project. Most European countries don’t have a rural touring structure. Therefore, the majority of cultural performances take place in urban communities.

The aim of this project will be two-fold, bringing high quality performing arts shows to rural audiences and creating a capacity-building programme to share rural touring knowledge and skills among the project partners.

“A rural touring scheme is like an arts centre with hundreds of volunteers, operating in multiple spaces, serving multiple communities.”

Rural Touring Agency, UK

The project is structured into three phases:

Providing opportunities for the project partners from Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, and Spain to experience the touring model that exists in southwest England since 1990.
Enabling the partners to replicate and develop new pilot structures in their own rural area.
After the completion of these two phases, the goal will be to establish a European Rural Touring Network (ERTN) to develop this initiative further.

For this workshop, Fereshteh Jalayer invited the following speakers:

Leif Persson, Manager, Riksteatern Värmland
Håkan Mayer, Dance strategist

Join the workshop and share your experience on culture in rural areas!

Photo by Ardian Lumi on Unsplash.

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Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

4 September, 2019 By Editor

Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

Date: 1 – 3 October 2019
Venue: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, 11 Hajduk Veljkova St, Novi Sad

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina will host the Second Edition of the Regional Business Forum, it will be an opportunity for companies to exchange their business ideas and find new partners.

Following the success of last year’s forum, this year’s Regional Business Forum will be organised in partnership with the Enterprise Europe Network, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, Vojvodina Development Agency and the Novi Sad Fair.

Sectors Involved:

– Agriculture & Food
– Metal Processing Industry
– Automotive Industry
– ICT
– Creative Industries

Want to know more?

We look forward to having fruitful discussions in Novi Sad, but first…

For more info about the event please read this article.

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How to participate?

Let’s plan the future together!

Work, innovation, public services or sustainability?

A changing paradigm

A structured dialogue between the EC & stakeholders in Europe

Interested in joining the discussion?

More on the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum…

Advocacy on SDGs and innovative approaches to youth participation

Intercultural dialogue and Global Education

The work in the YRN Committees

Outlining the main outcomes:

Achieving Cohesion

European Cohesion Calendar-subscribe your local event!

Enjoy “Apulum Agraria” Fair in Alba (RO)

European Projects

Agnese Pantaloni

Projects

Road to the Future: ongoing

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

Good Practice Exchange

Training Seminar – “Cities and Regions: New Actors of Change in Europe”: finished

Civil Servants Exchange Programme: ongoing

Autumn Committee Plenaries – Podčetrtek (SI): ongoing

AER Summer Academy 2019 – “Youth is future, youth is Europe”: finished

Workshop on youth participation: ongoing

Workshop on the future of education

Mutual learning on culture and health: ongoing

Workshop on culture in rural communities: ongoing

Raise awareness on the Eurodyssey programme: ongoing

Mutual learning event on economy 4.0: ongoing

Exchanges around traditional cultures: ongoing

AER Delegation at Smart City Expo World Congress: ongoing

Mutual learning on early school leaving: planned

From brain drain to brain gain: planned

Mutual learning on the loss of workforce: planned

Lifelong learning for 50+ people: planned

Advocacy/Lobbying

Contributing to a Network of Intercultural Regions: ongoing

Joint initiatives for advocacy

AER Bureau Task Forces

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER action Plan

Impactful interregional cooperation

The state of regionalisation

Why Cluny?

From European collaboration to territorial networks

Frameworks & programmes for collaboration

Experiences from Sardinia, Lower Austria & Bourgogne Franche Comté

Co-development for problem solving & engagement

Next steps

A European-wide rural touring network

Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

Sectors Involved:

Want to know more?

We look forward to having fruitful discussions in Novi Sad, but first…

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