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Dutch EU Presidency focuses on four of AER’s main policies

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An agenda in line with AER’s

The Netherlands Presidency of the European Union (from January to June 2016) aims to promote prosperity, freedom and security in the EU during the next half year, by focusing on Migration, Innovation, Economy and Energy Policies. The Assembly of European Regions can provide a wealth of knowledge and experience from the regions about these themes, these being at the core of its engagement. This is especially relevant given AER’s 2016 focus on Revitalizing Democracy, with a number of topics and events in line with the priorities of the Netherlands Presidency.

Dutch regions

AER boasts a special relation with the Netherlands, through the participation in AER of three very dynamic Dutch Regions: Flevoland, Gelderland and Noord-Brabant. These provinces already cooperate with regions from across wider Europe inside AER  on the four core priorities of the Netherlands Presidency of the European Union, and will have a pivotal role in the next six months.

Priorities of the Netherlands EU Presidency

Migration & International Security. The Netherlands Presidency of the EU is committed to a common border control, asylum and migration Policy. AER’s longstanding experience in interregional cooperation is instrumental in the implementation of hands-on solution: we cannot afford to not take advantage of each others’ experience. Feedback from peers in other regions allows for agile policy making & implementation of sustainable solutions.

Innovation and Job Creation. During the next half year, the Netherlands will prioritise new jobs and innovation in the economy of the EU. This sounds as an acknowledgement of AER’s continuous commitment for entrepreneurship, youth employment and the silver economy. By carrying out peer reviews on smart jobs creation, youth employment, innovation policies, by supporting regions to boost entrepreneurship and more specifically youth entrepreneurship, by encouraging youth participation, AER has put relentless efforts in innovation and job creation. The AER Regional Innovation Award typically shows the incredible innovation potential of regions. The AER Summer Academy is another example of a highly succesful initiative for innovation and job creation.

Finance and Eurozone. The Netherlands Presidency wants to continue the ongoing reforms to ensure modern economies with healthy public finances. AER reiterates its position that decentralisation is correlated with economic growth. Healthy and sustainable public finances will only be achieved with a user-based and territorial approach.

Forward-Looking Climate & Energy Policy. The AER enthusiastically welcomes the decision of the Netherlands  to commit to a coherent approach on climate, the environment and sustainability. AER member regions have been strongly promoting sustainable energy policies for many years and can share their experience and findings on topics such as the implementation of regional strategies for renewable energies and energy efficiency or the developement of the funding market for RES.

Forthcoming AER meetings

Many of the above mentioned issues will be discussed in the coming Committees’ Plenary and Bureau meeting. In addition, the AER and the Dutch member regions will soon organise a Breakfast Briefing in Brussels on the current Presidency of the Council (more information soon).

More information

Visit the website of the Netherlands Presidency of the European Union

Contact the AER Secretariat for more information

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Report on regionalisation: trends and challenges

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The Observatory on Regionalisation is a network of some 40 experts, from Academy and research centres throughout Europe, passionate about the state of regions in their respective countries, independent from the AER and contributing on a voluntary basis to publish this comprehensive study and overview of the State of Regions in Europe.

After publishing the individual country reports, the AER experts are now faced with the challenge of drawing conclusions and an overall analysis of the situation in Europe.

Enrico Martial former Director of the Italian Conference of Presidents of Regional Assemblies, and former Secretary General of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) presented the first trends and challenges identified by the experts at the AER General Assembly on 1 December 2015 in Brussels.

Trend 1: Regionalisation as a “European reform”

For many member States of the last accession phase, for the three States which signed an association agreement in 2014 and for candidate states, “regionalisation” is understood as a way to strengthen it’s European dimension or even as compulsory reform. Some states succeed in this process like Poland, others are on the way, like Ukraine but some of them should face internal challenges and resistances, on centralisation and minority specialities.

Trend 2: An ideal model for federalism?

Germany and Austria have developed highly effective models in their respective countries and these are often perceived as being ideal. But not only are these two models different from one another, they also cannot be applied blindly to other countries. Specificities and minorities need to be taken into account for each country in order for the model to be effective.

Trend 3: “A step back and a step forward”

Reforms towards more and less decentralisation are happening simultaneously across Europe. France is moving towards a merging of regions with a risk of losing local identity and moving away from citizens. Italy on the other hand is removing a level of governance (the provinces) and transferring all concurrent responsibilities back to the central government thus resulting in more centralization. On the other hand, in both cases we can see more regionalisation: Italy is setting up a Senate of the regions, France will give more responsibilities to regions in economic development.

Trend 4: When independence knocks on the door

Catalunya and Scotland are the most recent and active examples of regions trying to gain their independence. Others have taken a step back in their efforts, such as Flanders and Basque Country, and there are some claims for independence in other European countries. The search for independence is quite different today than it was historically because of the presence of the EU regulating many policies and the juridical framework. Namely, becoming independent would require these regions to follow the full accession process before integrating the EU.

Trend 5: when Regionalisation is “business-as-usual”.

In some countries, reforms and progress are taking place without making the headlines, such as in Denmark and The Netherlands. Many good practices in participation, transparency and effectiveness are available and should be shared through the AER.

Challenges:

  • The process of regionalization is still on the move in Europe, both with centralization and decentralisation effects
  • Regional democracy as political background, improving the participation of people and citizens on decision making process and control
  • Better  economic development with fair and good Regions: a path in the reforms in many Countries, in the whole Europe, from Poland and Romania to Italy and France

Media

The Romanian Television assisted to the presentation and interviewed Enrico Martial and Gratian Mihailescu about the state of regionalisation in Europe, and Romania (report in Romanian, interview in English)

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Priorities 2015-2017

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In these troubled times of crisis, when confidence in public institutions is decreasing and there is a tendency for everyone to focus efforts on their own communities, regions have to be the leaders for change. The end goal of regional authorities must always primarily be to make their territory the best possible place to live for their citizens. To this end, they need to improve the services they deliver to the people in order to keep their trust. The AER’s mission is to address regional political concerns and foster leadership excellence, in order to provide services for better decision-making and offering visibility to regions in Europe. The objective is to make regions a driving force for political, economic and social development, with a view to accomplishing a multi-player Europe. Our guiding principle is subsidiarity. To this end, the AER fosters interregional cooperation: this means working together on common projects, sharing and transferring best practices and learn new methods and ideas to enrich regional policies. The AER must be a driving force in the field of governance, territorial reform and (re)definition of regions’ competences, building on the experience of its members and on its guiding principles. An example of this is the lobbying work carried out by the AER towards the main European institutions, aiming to integrate a territorial dimension into the centre of all policies designed at the European and international level. In accordance with its mission, decentralisation, youth and equal opportunities, remain key transversal issues that are an integral part of the AER DNA.

(Use Pop Out button to Download/Open)

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France prepares for new regions

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The National Assembly and Senate have adopted the draft bill on the new territorial structure of the country after a first agreement from the Joint Committee on the text on 16 July.  This represents the 3rd part of the territorial reform instigated by President Hollande. 

Decentralisation allows the transfer of administrative competences from the State to local authorities. Today, France is made up of 4 levels of local administration: 101 departments, 36 700 municipalities, 22 regions and 2 600 intermunicipal groups in France. These levels result in a complex organisation with shared competences and financial overlap making it quite difficult to understand for the citizen and hindering the efficiency of the public sector.

The reform seeks to change the face of the French territory for the next decades and aims at reducing public expenditure and to better respond to the needs of the citizens.

Find out more about the new regions in France. (French)

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“The future of regionalism is bright”

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“Regions, federated states and autonomous communities are above all mainstays of democracy; they strongly support cultural diversity in Europe and they are major partners in socio-economic development”. This message has been AER’s core vision for the last 30 years. It was the basis for its creation in 1985, was manifested in the AER Declaration on Regionalism adopted in 1996, and has not lost any of its relevance today, in 2015.

At its annual General Assembly in the Swedish region of Västra Götaland in the beginning of June, AER members showed their commitment during the 30th Anniversary celebrations to the importance of regional democracy and good regional governance.This was enforced by the presence of AER’s institutional partners, the Committee of the Regions, and the Chamber of Regions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as well as its partner network CALRE.

Apart from looking back, AER members also acknowledged and discussed continuous challenges such as climate change, debt crisis, youth unemployment and decentralisation. Prof. Fredrik SÖDERBAUM University of Gothenburg offered the following conclusion “[…] regionalism is thriving! The future of regionalism is bright — which is not to deny the many challenges that still exist […] regionalism has become more dynamic and more relevant in spite of the transformation of the nation-state and the many radical changes in the world during recent decades. This means that regions are likely to continue to thrive in the 21st century. However, the future of regionalism is in many ways different from earlier forms of regionalism.”

 

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“What future for the regions” by Fredrik Söderbaum

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What future for the regions?

Fredrik Söderbaum

Professor of Peace and Development Research, School of Global Studies,
University of Gothenburg
E-mail: [email protected]

Thanks to the organizers for inviting me to this exciting event. It is a great privilege to be invited to speak about on my favourite topic.

One general conclusion that can be drawn from this event, and from regional processes around the world more generally, is that regionalism is thriving! The future of regionalism is bright — which is not to deny the many challenges that still exist.

It needs to be acknowledged that, in many ways, regionalism has become more dynamic and more relevant in spite of the transformation of the nation-state and the many radical changes in the world during recent decades.

This means that regions are likely to continue to thrive in the 21st century. However, the future of regionalism is in many ways different from earlier forms of regionalism.

When reflecting on the future of regionalism, one core question is to understand why some regions thrive while others are less successful, or even failures?

One of the most influential scholars in the field of regionalism, Professor Michael Keating, points out that ‘new regionalism is modernising and forward-looking, in contrast to an older provincialism, which represented resistance to change and defence of tradition’.

This means, among other things, that while old regionalist strategies often centred around industrial location and growth poles within a particular nation-state, today it has become clear that there is not one best mode of production and economic regionalism. Capitalism is socially embedded and takes different forms in different regions.

Regional specialists have written extensively about the new approaches to regionalism and regional development. The problem is that it has proved remarkably difficult to pin down the nature of the qualities that make for a successful and competitive region. It has proved even more difficult to show how successful regions can be reproduced elsewhere.

This is because ‘new regionalism’ is characterized by complexity and diversity. There are thus many varities of regions and economics, politics and culture may be combined in different ways. Complexity and variation rule out easy solutions and definitions.

A general feature of successful regionalism seems to be that regions are able to adjust and adapt to new circumstances and conditions. It is also evident that compared to previous forms of regionalism, which primarily centred around the relationship between the subnational region and the central government, new forms of regionalism often extend beyond the boundaries of the nation-state. The future of regionalism will deepen this trend.

About one decade ago, a scholar from Gothenburg, called Jörgen Gren, wrote an interesting book entitled The Perfect Region. The conclusion was that ‘the perfect region’ managed to adapt to the transformed political and economic landscape in Europe and successfully exploit the relationship with national government but also with the EU. The less successful region were less responsive and adaptive to the nation- state and to the EU.

This perspective of the Perfect Region is, it seems, compatible with the Declaration on Regionalism in Europe adopted by the Assembly of European Regions. A key passage of this declaration states that:

“The regionalist movement in Europe adheres to the belief that the powers vested in the regions complement the power vested in the nation-states as well as the supranational powers vested in the European Union.”

This statement in the Declaration is, of course, familiar to most of you, perhaps even somewhat elementary. Yet, it has far-reaching implications.

I will make two general reflections around this point, the first focuses on the relationship between regions and the nation-state, while the second deals with the international and transnational links of the regions.

Regarding the link between regions and states, the regions should not try to imitate or replicate the nation-state or attempt to become a new type of region-state, which competes with the nation-state. Even if there, of course, may be conflicts and competition between regions and nation-states, both need each other, and both will prosper if they recognize that they fulfil different and complementary roles within a larger system of multi-level governance — centred around regional, national and supranational governance.

In the academic world, this type of thinking has given rise to a very influential theory, labelled “multilevel governance”. The main point of multilevel governance, which is basically outlined in the Lisbon Treaty, is that authority is dispersed at various levels, and governance at one level cannot function in isolation from another.

It is often neglected that this way of thinking is not necessarily compatible with the well- known principle of subsidiarity. Although there are many interpretations of subsidiarity, one problem with subsidiarity is that it tends to favour one particular level of governance, usually the lowest level of governance, instead of the interaction of governance on multiple levels.

The increasing relevance of multilevel governance is related to the unbundling of the centralised nation-state. The unbundling results in that a multitude of private and public actors both below and above the level of the nation-state are able to cooperate within a multi-layered and multilevel governance system. This opens up for a much more dynamic and complex type of interaction both inside the nation-state and on the international scene.

The point is that multilevel governance is more relevant and efficient than subsidiarity/decentralisation in providing solutions to the challenges that regions, states and societies are currently facing, such as climate change, economic development, employment and migration.

Regarding the transational dimension, the Assembly of European Regions is of course a reflection of that international and cross-border contacts have become deeply institutionalised within European regions. Yet, the intensification of globalization implies that the world outside Europe has become closer and more important. This has many implications.

One thing is clear, something has happened to international diplomacy and to international governance.

In the past, the centralised nation-state was controlling outside international relations and international diplomatic contacts. To some extent, the nation-states are still in control. However, there is a quickly growing tendency that regions and large cities

develop their international contacts and engage in what is referred to as paradiplomacy — the foreign policy of subnational governments.

Such paradiplomacy is by no means restricted to Europe — there is a global pattern of paradiplomatic activities. We thus need to think beyond Europe, and add another, global, level or layer to the multilevel governance perspective.

As an example: One of my former PhD students left the University and after some years advanced to become the Head of the São Paulo State Government’s Office of Foreign Affairs. São Paulo State has quickly emerged as one of the most prominent subnational players on the global scene. And my former PhD student often emphasize that São Paulo State could be ranked as the 19th world’s largest economy. This statement was intended to reveal that regions and metropolitan regions have emerged as new players on the global scene, but also to draw attention to that the sharp distinctions between states and regions have become blurred in the emerging world of globalised diplomacy.

Such paradiplomacy is a recent and still rather embryonic phenomenon. Even if it is tightly linked to efforts to strengthen economic competitiveness and innovation, it still means that international relations is not simply confined to nation-states. In fact, paradiplomacy is even written into the constitution of several federal states.

My time is up and my final word is simply to conclude by stating that the role of regions and cities on the global scene is likely to continue to expand in the future. It is an exciting change, even if it is too early to say how comprehensive and deep such paradiplomacy and global contacts will become in the future. Needless to say, not all regions will benefit or have an interest in engaging on the global scene.

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AER Political Priorities

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Ratified by AER General Assembly 2015

In these troubled times of crisis, when confidence in public institutions is decreasing and there is a tendency for everyone to focus efforts on their own communities, regions have to be the leaders for change. The end goal of regional authorities must always primarily be to make their territory the best possible place to live for their citizens. To this end, they need to improve the services they deliver to the people in order to keep their trust.

The AER’s mission is to address regional political concerns and foster leadership excellence, in order to provide services for better decision-making and offering visibility to regions in Europe. The objective is to make regions a driving force for political, economic and social development, with a view to accomplishing a multi-player Europe. Our guiding principle is subsidiarity.

To this end, the AER fosters interregional cooperation: this means working together on common projects, sharing and transferring best practices and learn new methods and ideas to enrich regional policies.

The AER must be a driving force in the field of governance, territorial reform and (re)definition of regions’ competences, building on the experience of its members and on its guiding principles. An example of this is the lobbying work carried out by the AER towards the main European institutions, aiming to integrate a territorial dimension into the centre of all policies designed at the European and international level.

In accordance with its mission, decentralisation, youth and equal opportunities, remain key transversal issues that are an integral part of the AER DNA.

In this context, here are the AER priorities for 2015-2017 :

Supporting regions in ensuring a sustainable future for all

Supporting regions for fostering a more sustainable growth and investing in future generations

The AER aims at fostering economic development for all regions and at supporting regions in ensuring the sustainability of their policies, from a social and environmental perspective. This encompasses issues such as territorial planning and environment, sustainable strategic choices in energy policies, but also regional policies dedicated to youth, neighbourhood policy actions and responsible social choices. This aims at providing equal opportunities for all citizens, as well as education measures to strengthen the future generations. For regions to perform better in these areas, resources are needed: the AER will remain vigilant on the implementation of the European Union cohesion policy and will start reflecting on the future of this policy after 2020.

Supporting employment policies in European regions

The AER has made it a priority to support employment in all European Regions. Regions act in the field of education, training and entrepreneurship and many AER activities will continue to help regions in their fight against unemployment.

Building a sustainable future also means peace and stability in the wider Europe

The AER contributes to ensuring continued dialogue between countries at war or stuck in frozen conflicts. Hence the importance of the work performed in the framework of the neighbourhood policy, around the Black Sea, the Mediterranean areas and for the Eastern Partnership.

Sharing regional policies that improve wellbeing

Any strategy does not and should not only make regions an attractive place for businesses and investments, but first and foremost for its inhabitants

The attractiveness of a territory, in terms of transport, health and social policies, attitude to new businesses, leisure, culture, is a key for economic development but also for the wellbeing of citizens. In our old European societies, this means also to take concrete measures on demographic change and AER should support its member regions in this respect.

Supporting integrative forces within the regions

The AER focuses on creating inclusive societies that will encourage citizens’ participation to public life, prompt them into starting new businesses and become genuine integration drivers. Inclusion comes through education, equal opportunities and employment: 3 key topics that are central to the AER. Territorial integration is not sidelined either: this includes transport and communication policies, and maintaining public services in rural or disfavoured areas. Territorial cohesion is a condition for social inclusion.

The AER may also focus on issues relating to both the integration of asylum and refugee reception and integration in general.

Making European Regions the connecting link between Europe and citizens, while increasing the link between the European Regions

Promoting multi-stakeholder approaches, cooperating with different parts of the society: this is what partnership is about

Working with youth, empowering citizens via innovative participatory approaches, listening to business owners and investors and understanding what their needs and expectations are, reflecting on regional media, to maintain proximity information and mix it with more macro information, thus introducing Europe at the local level, finding new ways to deliver public services to all the citizens.

Interregional partnership and cooperation remains at the heart of AER actions

Making AER the connecting link among regions also means contributing to their attractiveness, notably through enhancing the connectivity of territories and citizens, via the Trans-European Transport Networks, among other initiatives.

Using networks and interconnections to boost the regions’ innovation potential

AER, as a network, is a key tool for interconnection of stakeholders at international level. By sharing best practices and making AER members interact with each other, by raising the international profile of European regions and bringing them the necessary support for change management, AER is fostering innovation and economic cooperation on the territories. Regions are drivers for innovation, for example in healthy ageing, adapt to the digital agenda and cooperate via many different EU programmes on innovation strategies. AER’s mission is to aggregate all this energy and knowledge and disseminate it all over Europe.

Multiculturalism is also an innovation vector: intercultural dialogue, interregional exchanges, promoting language and cultural diversity are at the core of AER action.

Accompanying youth towards better involvement and participation in public life

The AER promotes the foundation of youth councils and other types of youth representative organizations and supports the development of education systems so as to increase youth participation. In line with the priorities of the EU and UN, the AER sees youth, and working with youth, as the key to growth, success and sustainability, as well as to a wealthy society with proper jobs.

With these priorities, the AER aims at making our regions stronger. Using its different tools, the AER is gathering, capitalising and disseminating its members’ expertise and also contributes to actively train regional teams throughout wider Europe.

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Decentralisation policies: Reshuffling the scene

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Our expert from the Academic Council of the Assembly of European Regions, Pekka Kettunen, spoke about the decentralisation conference that took place in Croatia.

There was an international conference on Decentralization policies: Reshuffling the scene, 7-10 May 2015, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The conference was organized by the Institute for Public Administration, Croatia, in collaboration and with the support from Research Committee 5 Comparative Studies on Local Government and Politics (IPSA), Research Committee 32 Public Policy & Administration (IPSA), the Croatian Political Science Association, the Faculty of Law, Study Centre for Public Administration and Public Finance, the Faculty of Political Science University of Zagreb.

In the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, tens of papers by both PhD-students and senior scholars were presented and discussed during the four-day conference. The discussions proved that regional development, and more generally the sub-national development, varies a great deal in the various parts of Europe, some countries being EU-members and others perhaps in the process of negotiating to have a closer relationship with the EU. It also was clear that in some cases regional institutions are seen more as from the representation viewpoint, i.e. how to ascertain a fair representation of the sub-regional interests, while in other cases regional institutions are seen from an instrumental perspective asking the best ways to deal with, say, coordination, service provision and networking in the European arena. Of course the two perspectives are connected. It was also noted that sub-national politico-administrative architecture is usually historically rooted and hence lessons to learn have to be taken with caution.

Pekka Kettunen, Dr. Abo Akademi University, Finland

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Congress post-monitoring visit to Ukraine

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A post-monitoring visit of the Congress of the Council of Europe took place in Kiev on 12 March. AER was represented at the meeting by one expert of its Academic Center, Mr Enrico MARTIAL.

Chaired by the vice-minister for Regional Affairs, Mr Vyacheslav NEHODA, with the participation of members of the National Parliament, of representatives from the ministries of Regional Affairs and finance, and of leaders of Ukrainian regional and local associations, the meeting focused on financial autonomy and voluntary merger of municipalities.

Some progress on decentralisation has already taken place and a constitutional reform is undergoing at the national Parliament about a territorial reform. Regions and local authorities will receive more competences. Whilst the boundaries and the number of regions will not change, the number of local authorities will be reduced.

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AER backs the giant steps in EU-Georgia relationship

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AER President and acting Secretary General went to Tbilisi (GE) in October. This visit came a few months after the regional elections in Georgia and the historical signature, in June, of an association agreement between EU and Georgia, which deepens political and economic ties in the framework of the Eastern partnership.

The timing was perfect to discuss the state of decentralisation and the role regions will play in the future. The delegation met with Alex Petriashvili, State Minister for European integration, who stressed the importance of the government decentralisation agenda and the role AER could play in helping both the State and the regions deliver more subsidiarity.

AER met Aleksandre Iosebashvili, deputy governor of the Imereti region, keen to be among the first new regions to join AER. Building on the positive experience of the Adjara region, an active AER member, and on the State commitment, the follow up is now being done to welcome new Georgian regions.

This trip was also the occasion to greet Innovator, member of the AER Business Community.

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Dolnoslaskie Political Statement

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AER proposes a new deal to the European Parliament: further subsidiarity for a better Europe, focused on the citizens and closer to their needs

Statement adopted at the AER General Assembly in Wroclaw, on 28 May 2014.
Rapporteurs: Anna Magyar (Csongrad-HU), Jean-Luc Vanraes (Bruxelles-Capitale-BE), Rodrigo Oliveira ( Açores-PT) and Johan Edstav (Uppsala-SE)

Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie (PL), 28 May 2014

With stronger powers granted to the European Parliament thanks to the Lisbon Treaty, the European Union (EU) elections 2014 are the most important elections to date. The Assembly of European Regions (AER) wishes to congratulate the newly elected and re-elected MEPs and call upon them to use the European grass root expertise of the regional level.

AER notes the low turnout of European voters and the increased tendency towards eurosceptic parties. We hope that, together with the European Parliament, other EU institutions and member states we can continue building a better Europe based on democracy, Human Rights and Gender Equality. AER encourages the Parliament and the Commission to continue their collaborative work across wider Europe as well as with its neighbouring regions. It is our duty to help citizens feel European and make clear to them how Europe improves their lives. We realise that a considerable share of European voters supports a strong cooperation in the framework of the EU. We, as regional politicians, are in constant dialogue with citizens in every parcel of the European territory. We want a better Europe, a Europe focused on what matters to citizens and closer to their needs. This is why subsidiarity must be key in the European decision making process and the priority must be given to the following issues:

– Use the regional expertise to design cohesion policies. Regions are at the forefront of the citizens’ need. They must therefore be involved, from the very beginning, in the drafting of partnership agreements and operational programmes for a social, territorial and inclusive regional policy.

– Defend Youth employment at regional level. AER calls for the EU to acknowledge the true added value of regional programmes for youth mobility and employment. Every year, the AER’s Eurodyssey Programme sends hundreds of young women and men across wider Europe to gain professional experience after their studies, and help them both equally enter the European labour market. This success story must be supported.

– Help regions face European demographic change. Europe is growing older which makes active and healthy ageing a priority. An inclusive and intergenerational approach is needed. The regions are pioneers in making and implementing user-based, efficient solutions. They should be supported in this. AER, as a forum for exchange of knowledge and best practices, is the right EU partner in this field.

– Support an effective economic subsidiarity. 99% of European Enterprises are SMEs, that is to say 23 million enterprises. At a time when globalisation of markets has changed the rules, the EU must focus on new opportunities and turn to its regions and SMEs to make the most of the benefits of this evolution. In the framework of the EU ‘Business Agenda 2014-2019’, decentralisation is a key factor when unlocking potential for competitiveness: the Europe 2020 goals can only be reached with the participation of regions.

– Reinforce regions’ role in innovation. Our regions are host to some of the best universities and research centres in the world. Europe’s role as a world economic power comes from high quality and high tech sustainable products and services. We therefore urge you to put regions at the centre of the Horizon 2020 programme. After the end of the “regions of knowledge” programme, research and innovation need to return concretely to the regional policy agenda.

Drafted by AER secretariat, 23/05/2014
Revised by the AER Bureau, 27/05/2014
Revised by the AER General Assembly, 28/05/2014

Download the political statement

For more information: [email protected]

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AER’s undertaken action with the French Ministry of Decentralisation, State Reform and Public Service

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In the framework of the debate that has been relaunched on 8 April by the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls regarding the government’s ambition to restructure the French territorial organisation, AER has undertaken an action with the Ministry of Decentralisation.

Having a great experience in regional matters thanks to its Observatory on Regionalism, AER has offered to Mrs Lebranchu’s office the opportunity to feed into the current discussion about the reform planned by the government. The Minister’s services have already expressed their interest regarding the offer. A meeting will be organised in Paris.

NB: The French government plans to halve the number of regions in 2017.

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Regions and business vouch for an effective economic subsidiarity

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The Assembly of European Regions, a key partner for the European Business Summit 2014

Brussels (BE), 15 May 2014

Since 2013, the focus of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) has shifted with the ambition of creating stronger links between the business sector and regions throughout Europe. It was therefore a natural progression that AER became an official partner of the European Business Summit (EBS), the event “where business and politics shape the future”.

Within the framework of this year’s EBS topic, “Rebuilding a Competitive Europe – The Business Agenda 2014-2019”, AER organised a session on “How European Regions contribute to competitiveness?”, attended by more than 130 participants, among which Commissioner for Regional policy, Johannes Hahn. At a period when globalisation of the world markets has changed the rules of the game, Europe must focus on opportunities, and turn to its regions and SMEs (99% of European enterprises are SMEs) to reap the benefits from this evolution. Regions are close enough to their citizens to grasp both the practical reality and needs of their entrepreneurs and strategic enough to inscribe local and regional development in European strategies. So, what better level than the regional to promote economic development in Europe?

Regions can play a key role in avoiding that companies leave from one European region to another, or even out of Europe. For this, a better use of the European funds is needed, mainly through a simplification of procedures. It is indeed sometimes too difficult for SMEs to complete the procedures, as they do not have the necessary human resources and legislation knowledge. Regions must also adapt themselves to the new situation, and support their SMEs in the same way. Some concrete examples coming from Açores (PT), Timis (RO), Bruxelles-Capitale (BE), Noord-Brabant (NL), Dnipropetrovsk (UA) and Liverpool (UK) showed that, despite the geographical and cultural differences, all regions have underlying potential to be exploited. It was unanimously agreed that this diversity is an asset for Europe! Regions and their SMEs must find their way to keep or attract investors and young talents, and AER is the place to share experiences and ideas to reach this goal.

The level of decentralisation is a key factor when unlocking potential for competitiveness: the more decentralised regions are, the more they are able to exploit their resources and help their SMEs to be attractive. It is not only about money, but increased competences give the freedom to better use and connect all existing resources.

Dialogue, support and recognition from regions to entrepreneurs is also essential. During the session participants exchanged views with SME representatives. Mr Tim Kievits, an entrepreneur from Noord-Brabant (NL), strongly stated that “Politicians at all levels should understand that it’s not all about money and financial help, we should focus more on people. The boost of confidence we get from being recognised for our contributions and successes helps greatly in further developing our SMEs’ future in and outside of Europe”.

Dr Hande Özsan Bozatli, AER President, warmly thanked Commissioner Hahn who all over his mandate was attentive to the regions’ needs and proposals: “You have been a great supporter of our work at AER and I thank you for the trust and confidence that have always characterised our many exchanges.”

Building on the EBS Regional session, on 2nd day of the Summit, Hande Özsan Bozatli gave the three main AER messages to the audience:

– Regions need to be actively involved in the formulation and implementation of European policy and programmes addressing globalisation, be it the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives, especially “An Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era” and “Innovation Union” or ultimately in the free trade agreements’ negotiations.
– Regions have done and are doing their homework already to participate in the global competitive environment.
– Free trade and open markets have their benefits, but we need to be careful not to trade off our own European cultural heritage and diversity and in particular cultural products.

The AER Delegation of 60 elected and business representatives from 20 regions, as well as the 20 journalists, welcomed the inclusion of a regional dimension into the European Business Agenda, and reinforced the message that without the regions, the EU2020 goals cannot be reached.

For more information: [email protected]

European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014 European Business Summit 2014

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AER hand in hand with its Ukrainian members and their citizens

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Ukraine (UA), 25 April 2014

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) follows with deep concern and sorrow the developments taking place in Ukraine. What is happening there will have an impact on the future of Europe and beyond. This is the reason why DR Hande Özsan Bozatli, AER President, visited Ukraine these past days, accompanied by the Secretary General Mr Pascal Goergen. This visit was the occasion to show AER’s support and solidarity with the Ukrainian officials and people, and to see what their needs are and how AER can support them.

AER does not support separatism and military force and denounces all forms of violence. Since its creation, its main goal has been the promotion of regional democracy and pluralism of culture and society. These are the values AER wants to promote in Ukraine and beyond.

“AER has been engaged in the Eastern Partnership countries for many years, especially in Ukraine. Today, it is the Ukrainian people and citizens who have to raise their voice in order to decide on the unity and integrity of their territory”. This was the message delivered by AER President to Mr Groysman, Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine in charge of regional development.

During her meeting with Mr Tchernov, Head of the Regional Council Kharkiv and President of the Association of Ukrainian Regions, AER President stated: “Representing regions from the Azores in the far West of Europe to Tatarstan in the East, AER believes in the power of subnational democracy, promoting dialogue beyond different cultures and language backgrounds. We will put our commitment into practice, helping our member regions and Ukraine to develop regional development strategies and providing them with best practice examples from other members of the AER family”.

AER strongly supports the wish of Ukrainian regions to see the central government implement a reform of the country’s territorial organisation. Direct election of regional leaders and budgetary independence of local and regional authorities must be key in this process of regionalisation that AER is willing to accompany. This is also the message of the Dnipropetrovsk resolution, adopted by over 800 local and regional representatives meeting on 24th April in this Region, providing concrete suggestions for an effective and sustainable decentralisation.

Back from this important visit, AER President immediately wrote a letter to Commissioner Füle, with a clear message: “Our insights are relevant for the newly set up Support Group for Ukraine which you, Commissioner Füle, are coordinating. We propose to include representatives of the Assembly of European Regions as special advisers to this group in order to bring in the regional perspective on Ukrainian needs and challenges. In the current situation we have to bring all forces together in order to built up and support strong institutions on all levels of governance.”

For more information: [email protected]

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Regions daring to succeed through entrepreneurship

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“First time you fail, second time you win”*

Edirne (TR), 3 April 2014

“With the focus shifting from the crisis to recovery, regions are more than ever catalysts for innovation and growth. We believe that it is necessary to continue engaging European Institutions and stakeholders in the need for further support to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs generate 4 million new jobs every year in Europe and regions play a key role in encouraging and promoting economically sound ideas to be turned into business ventures; the Assembly of European Region’s (AER) role is to help these initiatives come to life and develop on a European and international scale”, stated AER President Dr Hande Özsan Bozatli as she opened the round table conference “Daring to Succeed: Entrepreneurship for better growth”, gathering yesterday 130 participants in Edirne (TR).

“Hosting one of the top Turkish universities, Edirne is home to many young talented and creative people who are looking for opportunities to develop their skills. The exchange of best practice during this conference gives us precious insights into ways we can improve our entrepreneurship policies.” said Dr Hasan Duruer, Governor of Edirne (TR). Deputy governor Dr Ayhan Özkan underlined: “AER contributes valuably to our efforts for a stronger decentralisation in our country”.

Three workshops on the internationalisation of SMEs, social as well as women entrepreneurship and a Training Academy on fostering a culture for Entrepreneurship stressed the need for entrepreneurs to overcome their fear of change, take risks and welcome innovation. Concrete examples include:

Supporting young entrepreneurs in Donegal (IE)

“The key is to not stigmatise failure but to help develop new attitudes towards the idea and culture of entrepreneurship”, said Maria Ferguson, EU Policy and funding Unit manager from Donegal Council (IE), as she presented the INTERREG IVA “Business Bootcamp” project. This initiative provides young entrepreneurs with step-by-step local and cross-border support for new start-ups and businesses with export growth potential.

Removing barriers in Edirne (TR)

Participants witnessed Edirne’s commitment to changing mindsets and tackling obstacles to entrepreneurship during the visit to the Public Education Centre as well as through various success stories, such as from Elmas Aslan, Chief of Women Entrepreneurs and Sevtap Engin, Company owner.

Growing talent in Flevoland (NL)

Bob Pels, General Manager for European Territorial Cooperation put forward the Regions4GreenGrowth (INTERREG IVC),SMART EUROPE (INTERREG IVC) and Summer Entrepreneurs initiatives, encouraging and helping SMEs to innovate and work sustainably by efficiently using the EU Funding for 2014-2020 and thereby improving competitiveness.

Telling the world in Bruxelles-Capitale (BE)

Jean-Luc Vanraes underlined that regions are a platform for SMEs to meet, share information and innovate together in order to access a new market. “Incubators, the organisation of business delegations and the participation in trade-missions can boost SMEs in becoming internationally active”.

Committees 1 and 2 jointly take the next step:

The joint plenary of ‘Economy and Regional development’ (1) and ‘Social policy and Public health’ (2) gave AER the perfect chance to gather these good practices and ideas into concrete recommendations on the topic of entrepreneurship. Based on AER’s previous activities and experience, these will highlight the next steps to take and the tools to use in order to foster education and skills for entrepreneurship.

* Quote by Maria Zvolska, member of the European Economic and Social Committee during the Daring to succeed Round table, April 2nd 2014.

For more information: [email protected]

 

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