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Cohesion and partnership must be the driving force for European recovery

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The #Cohesion Alliance – an EU-wide alliance of 12,000 signatories calling for a stronger cohesion policy after 2020 – welcomes the European Commission’s revised 2021–2027 EU budget and Recovery Plan proposals including the extension of the current cohesion programmes with increased flexibility and additional funding.  However, the Alliance urges the European Commission and Member States to ensure the involvement of cities, municipalities and regions and maintain a strong focus on cohesion in all recovery measures, aimed at rebuilding the economy, fostering sustainability and strengthening the territorial and social fabric of our Union, including in the European Semester process.  

The EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and Recovery Plan must focus on cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union, to pursue major challenges such as the European Green Deal, the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights as well as the digital transformation. In the current crisis, cities, municipalities and regions need the direct support of a strong cohesion policy more than ever to prevent widening territorial disparities and an asymmetric recovery as Member States have different financial means to address the current economic and social challenges.

The #CohesionAlliance welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to ensure the role of Cohesion policy as a strong EU long-term investment policy, as well as the investment of 55 bn EUR (2018 prices) through REACT-EU to provide an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic consequences. The extension of the current Operational Programmes will allow for a quick implementation of crucial investment. In addition, the increased flexibility for transferring resources between funds and the widening of scope to support the health services, tourism and culture sectors as well as to provide working capital to SMEs will help local and regional governments invest money where it is most needed, provided that it fully respects the cohesion core principles.

The Alliance is nevertheless concerned that without consideration for the diverse needs of regions, cities and municipalities as well as strong involvement of local actors, the Recovery and Resilient Facility – which is the most powerful investment tool of the EU recovery plans – is at risk of failure. For now, most measures are only directed to Member States without clarifying how much say local and regional authorities would have in revising programmes and in spending resources. The strong link of the Facility to the European Semester and to country specific recommendations can lead to a further centralisation of the recovery plans. The Alliance urges all EU and national institutions – and in particular EU Reforms and Cohesion Commissioner Elisa Ferreira – to take the needed steps to ensure that the national plans for recovery and resilience comply with the Partnership Principle, respond to the real needs of citizens and businesses and allow for stronger and more structured involvement of local and regional authorities.

The #CohesionAlliance partner organisations have put forward their priorities in a new draft declaration affirming cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union and a key objective for all its policies and investment. The partners of the Cohesion Alliance 2.0 will launch the new declaration during their next meeting in early June.

 Contact the #CohesionAlliance secretariat:

[email protected]

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A youth voluntary response to COVID-19!

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On the 14th of May, AER participated in the webinar Euro-Mediterranean Youth Voluntary responses to the COVID-19 hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). AER programmes coordinator, Andrés Muñoz, joined a discussion panel on the role of regions and municipalities mobilising young volunteers to contain the spread of the virus. Two examples from AER member regions were featured in the discussions: Lepoglava municipality in Varazdin County (HR) and Ajara region (GE).

Regions mobilising youth voluntary work!

Regional and local authorities are at the frontline of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic engaging with communities to avoid the spread, delivering healthcare and other essential services and supporting the most vulnerable population, including young people. But youth has also proven to be a highly effective partner to respond to such sanitary emergencies and a valuable asset to the frontline actors for vital livelihood support.

Regional and local authorities rely on the contribution of the organised civil society and community groups, including young volunteers, together with international or private organisations to respond to the challenges of the pandemic. Many young activists and volunteers across the globe have embarked on exemplary initiatives and are generating innovative ideas to save countless lives within their communities and help in the longer-term recovery process.

AER examples of youth voluntary work

Lepoglava, Varazdin County (HR): 

The region allocated resources and organized lots of young volunteers for food and medicines delivery, prioritising the most vulnerable segments of the population. Starting from helping the elderly people in bringing them groceries, medicine and other essential goods to include people in self-isolation into such a solidarity campaign. Special attention was paid to very poor communities who were delivered free warm lunch every second day.

The organised youth took also an active part in “patrolling” the streets to inform the local stores, retailers and businesses about the distancing rules, disinfection and hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Besides that, during the “patrolling” the young volunteers distributed free masks and gloves to those citizens in need of prevention equipment.

Regional Youth Centre of Ajara (GE)

With the pandemic outbreak, activities of the Regional Youth Center of Ajara region (GE) shifted from planning and executing youth projects to coordinating young volunteers in the crisis management strategies to respond to the COVID-19.

The youth centre launched a call to recruit volunteers and, in cooperation with the Georgian Red Cross Society, trained over 400 volunteers who delivered food and medicines to over 10.000 families. As a result, the Ajara’s Youth Regional Centre has successfully acquired new skills in the field of crisis management. This solidarity youth response reaffirms the commitment of the Ajara region towards young people’s inclusion in public life.

The Eurodyssey example:

Eurodyssey’s joint actions to contain the COVID-19 crisis were also featured in the discussions as an example of interregional response to protect young people in mobility.

Share your success story!

AER is mapping further youth voluntary initiatives from member regions to give visibility to the role being played by young activists in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The main goal is to showcase more success stories and, ultimately, organise an online workshop to exchange lessons learnt and best practices in this area.

Please, just answer a brief survey to share your story and upload any relevant pictures or files for social media purposes:

FILL IN SURVEY



Thanks in advance for contributing to this initiative!

Photo credits: @Lepoglava municipality / @Ajara

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Impact of COVID-19 on regional economies & jobs: Meeting with Commissioner Schmit.

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On Wednesday 13 May, AER’s president, Magnus Berntsson and Vice-President for Employment and Skills, Alessandra Zedda met online with Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs & Social Rights.

Magnus Berntsson presented AER’s work and its existing programmes supporting its members in promoting job creation, equal opportunities and inclusion.  AER is keeping itself busy with a focus on Sustainable Development Goals,  and the launch of the Intercultural Regions Network, the kick-start of the IncludEU project and the expansion of the Eurodyssey programme.

Ms Zedda stressed that local and regional authorities have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus outbreak. The AER Vice-President shared some examples of how European regions are responding to the crisis and its economic impacts, supporting the economy and employment.  

Commissioner Schmit discussed the EU measures to support the creation and safeguarding of employment, including the initiatives in response to COVID-19 crisis and how these can support regional authorities to recover from the pandemic.

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Webinar for SMEs tackling Covid-19 in Catalonia.

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Do you work for an SME that needs help to tackle the financial impact of COVID-19 crisis? Check out the next event organised in Catalonia, Spain.

After several successful events organised in the frame of Together for Cohesion, such as the workshop in Csongrad County, the International Conference on Entrepreneurship Education in Varaždin and the Training Session on Communication in Trentino, the Generalitat de Catalunya is organising a webinar.

When? The 27th of May 2020 from 9.25 to 10.30 AM
Where? Online, on the Zoom platform
The event will be held in Catalan.

This event will be a one-hour webinar comprising a panel of experts to discuss the subject: ICF Eurocredit. This loan from European Funds helps SME with cash issues caused by COVID 19 crisis. In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, such funding can provide relief to ailing SMEs all over Europe and help rebuild local economies. Among others, speakers will include Pere Cots, Director of the Strategic Consulting and Financing Department of PIMEC, Anna Àlvarez, General Manager of Credit Investments at the ICF (Catalan Institute of Finance) and Pere Aragonès, Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance in the Government of Catalonia. This event will be an opportunity to learn more about the EU opportunities, especially the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for SMEs.

Programme

09.25 AM: Opening of the channel assigned to the platform so that registered people can connect to it using the link provided to them.

09.30 AM: Start of the seminar and presentation

  • By Lluís Juncà, General Director of Economic Promotion, Competition and Regulation, Government of Catalonia.

Institutional welcome

  • Albert Castellanos, Secretary-General of the Department of the Vice-Presidency and Economy and Finance.
  • Josep-Ramon Sanromà, CEO of the Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF).

09.40 AM: Interventions

  • Pere Cots, director of the Strategic Consulting and Financing Department of PIMEC.
  • Anna Àlvarez, General Manager of Credit Investments at the ICF.

10.00 AM: Opening for a round of questions

10.20 AM: Closing of the seminar

  • By Pere Aragonès, Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economy and Finance, Government of Catalonia.

Visit Together4Cohesion to know more about the project and check out our Cohesion Calendar to be updated on upcoming events!

Photo by Ankush Minda on Unsplash

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EYE 2020 Online: Work in Times of Crisis (and afterwards…)

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The European Youth Event (EYE2020) is the major event at the European Parliament (EP) aiming to stimulate and involve active citizenship amongst young Europeans. It takes place every two years, but unfortunately, this year has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID19 outbreak.

In its stead, the European Parliament has organised a special online edition, with a variety of activities in digital format!

Among the various topics dealt with, the session on 14 May on work today and after COVID-19 was particularly engaging. A number of stimulating questions were raised, including:

  • What impact does COVID-19 have on our work?
  • Could the present situation be the right opportunity to redefine the way we work?
  • Can this crisis lead to a lasting culture change for teleworking solutions and more flexibility such as a reduction in working hours?
  • Are we taking a step back and reconsidering what we consider to be meaningful jobs?

The speakers: Katarina Barley, Vice-President at European Parliament; –Miklós Antal, a researcher at MTA-ELTE Lendület New Vision Research Group and Erik Roebroek, Founder of Meaningful Work; moderated by Monika Kiss, a Policy Analyst at European Parliamentary Research Service – tried to reflect on this questions.

The debate was split into two parts. The first part was focused on the current situation and possible solutions, while the second focused more on the ways to assess and learn from the crisis from a future perspective.

Katarina Barley, was first to take the floor as she explained the impact of the crisis on the workers and supports from the European Parliament. She pointed out that many workers lost their jobs and many others are teleworking. Thus, a collective and prompt response is demanded. Many measures have to be taken by governments at national level as they are beyond the competence of European Parliament (EP). Despite this limitation, the EP is coordinating and supporting all member states with very important means and financial support, especially the part of the economy and the sectors most hit by the crisis. Another tangible impact of the outbreak is the border closure, which blocks workers from easily travelling from one European country to another. Similarly, it makes it difficult for companies to send and receive goods. From this side, the European Commission made a commendable effort and reduced many restrictions. Finally, the European Parliament compensates workers’ hourly reductions, in order to reduce layoffs and allow reintegration once the crisis is over.

In exploring the idea that the crisis could lead us to rethink our approach to flexibility, Miklós Antal, highlighted that there are different types of working-time reductions. The time reduction we are experiencing right now is a “supportive” one, as it is supported by the States or by the EU Institutions. Whereas, it is interesting to also consider a permanent reduction. Studies by Miklos’s group research proved that reduced working time has the potential to solve many EU issues. For instance, work-life balance, environmental issues, and even the economic perspective can benefit in terms of productivity, growth and profits. In times of crisis, often there is a mutation on what is perceived as important for the community. For example, if we usually reward scarce skills in the labour market, in times of crisis, we can shift toward the utility concept instead. Therefore, is very difficult to forecast if the more blurred boundaries between work-life and non-work-life will have a positive or negative effect, as the response is very subjective. Surely, it is much more important to question ourselves on how to transform the current situation and take from it positive outcomes.

By entering the core of the topic, Erik Roebroek, shifted the attention to the meaningfulness of work. He pointed out that crises lead to many re-evaluations of professions, and people who remain excluded might start to ask themselves about the meaning of work. This question could raise awareness of work as a simple tool to achieve a greater sense of collectivity and thus might lead to general demotivation, which is undesirable.

Deepening the benefits of working time reduction, Miklós explained the consistent link, in the current economic system, between growth and unemployment. Considering that we are aware of negative environmental effects derived from continuous growth, the question that arises is:

Do we choose growth, which is environmentally unsustainable, or no-growth, which is socially unsustainable?

According to Miklós, we should choose the reductions in working time as it allows us to conserve high employment without effective growth. Currently, we are transferring the benefit of productivity growth into more consumption, but for many people, it doesn’t bring additional wellbeing. Thus, we consume more but nothing appears in the wellbeing indicator, so the consequential question that comes to mind is whether it is possible to transform the productivity growth with more free time. For 100 years, economists have considered this vision as promising, but until now nothing has been done. Indeed, this could be the right time to reflect on how to shift towards this perspective.

Katarina Barley underscored that global development has an impact on people’s lives and the role of politicians should be to try to combine this development so that everyone benefits from it. Rhetorically, she asked why the benefits of digitisation, for example, must always go to the state, entrepreneur, or shareholders rather than workers. Therefore she stressed the importance to bring collective values back to the centre, as these can be considered more important than profit.

Finally, the debate concluded with Miklós’ perspective on the future. He highlighted that there are still many barriers in the system. To give an example, many jobs today are dependent on general overconsumption. For instance, the laborers that take flights multiple times per year are supporting the workers who are working in the airline industry, and so on. Hence, if we move in this direction, we need to be ready to face many disruptions and minimise them. Otherwise, there could be a chain reaction resulting in a dramatic loss of not just jobs, but also livelihoods.

A measured response focused on long term economic, social and environmental sustainability is desirable.

Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev on Unsplash

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Agenda 2030: Now More Than Ever

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The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN in 2015 has always been of great importance. From Poverty to Education through Health and Climate Action, and many more areas, the SDGs offer a broad range of activities needed to improve societal and environmental issues. 

However, recently, life has taken an unusual turn and the achievement of the SDG goals has gained significance. With the appearance of COVID-19, many areas have been affected or have shown to be needing improvement. Whether it is on a national or a local level, the crisis showed us that improvements have to be made in acting long-term and in a sustainable way. The health sector is not the only one that took a hit during this crisis but so did the economic sector, affecting many other areas such as employment, poverty, education, etc..

This crisis revealed the weaknesses in our systems and now gives us the opportunity to rethink and rebuild stronger bases for the future. Therefore, Now More Than Ever, it is time to act together on sustainable solutions which include each and every stakeholder and sector.  During this crisis, we have seen that in extreme situations, extreme measures could be taken and citizens were willing to implement them to make a change. There are lessons to be learned from the past months and behavioural changes that can be made towards common objectives. 

The relevance of the SDGs continues to increase as time passes by. However, there will be new challenges to face on the road to their achievement. There needs to be an active approach towards them and the different stakeholders involved will have to coordinate in order to be as efficient as possible. The emphasis needs to be put on finding long-term sustainable solutions rather than short-term fixes that will only result in later issues in the future. The danger we are facing now is that governments turn to short-term solutions in order to quickly fix what the crisis has caused. Instead, now is the best time to review our approach to SDGs.

The crisis will give opportunities to work on the tactics and the means to the final goals. Local and regional involvement more specifically will be increasingly required, hoping for inclusive multi-level governance. Acting at the level closest to citizens means acting faster. The 10-year window that is left is our opportunity to act. All stakeholders involved need make an effort to achieve SDGs, not one-by-one, but as a whole. Because they are interconnected, the issues connected to one another should be worked on simultaneously. 

AER strongly believes that the achievement of these goals is necessary and urgent which is why the SDGs form the basis of its work, not only in the Bureau Taskforce, but throughout our work in policy, programmes and projects. The upcoming webinar on 24 June is the first event of a one-year-long action plan to stimulate action around SDGs. The action plan will end with a two-day conference in June 2021. In doing so, AER is partnering up with other organisations and institutions to unite our actions and reach as many stakeholders as possible.

Now More Than Ever is the time to act, to rethink and to rebuild together.

→ link to event page

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Connectivity & Infrastructure in Europe

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Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Spring Committee Plenaries of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) in Covasna were cancelled. 

The Committee Plenaries provide an opportunity for our member regions to come together, exchange ideas and best experiences and promote further interregional cooperation. Committee 1, headed by Kenneth Backgard (Norrbotten, SE) focusses on Economy & Regional Development and allows AER members to share experiences and improve regional policymaking. One of the key topics covered in this committee is transport & mobility.

During the plenaries, Martin Tollen, Head of the Working Group on Transport & Mobility, was to organise a workshop on ‘Connectivity & Infrastructure in Europe’ with MEP Iuliu Winkler and Arne Engholm, County Councillor from Vasternorrland (SE). Although it did not go forward, AER has conducted interviews with the speakers of this workshop.

INTERVIEWS

MEP Iuliu Winkler (Hunedoara, RO) discussed infrastructural and soft connectivity, the challenges in Romania and the challenges faced when considering the EU Green Deal.

Martin Tollen (Ostergotland, SE), chair of the Working Group on Transport and Mobility, advised that while connectivity in his region, to other regions and to other countries is very good, the challenge to build an interconnected region has both a local and European dimension.

Arne Engholm (Vasternorrland, SE) advised of the importance of transforming the current single track train line to a double track. This has not only implications in Sweden and in his region but also to other parts of Europe.

Connectivity and infrastructure is a topic that is very important to many of our member regions. Through internet connectivity, these interviews were able to happen!

If you would like to share your experience, know more about strategies in other regions or initiate a joint project with regions in Europe, contact the AER Secretariat!

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Spring Digest: Funding opportunities for EU and non-EU member regions

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Looking for funding for your projects? Here are some opportunities you could be interested in!

The AER Project Unit has prepared a selection of calls for proposals on the following subjects: Cohesion Policy, energy, climate action, civil society, citizen’s rights, youth and social economy.

If you require any further information, are looking for partners, or planning to apply to these calls, don’t hesitate to contact the AER project unit.

*** Update ***

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, some deadlines for funding application have been postponed. The Horizon 2020 call titled Boost Rural Economies through Cross-Sector Digital Service Platforms, previously shared in this article have been updated. The submission deadline for this topic has been extended from 22 April to 17 June 2020.

Cohesion Policy

Support for citizen engagement in the implementation of cohesion policy (DG REGIO)
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Eligibility: EU Member States
DG Regio has launched an open call for proposals, which the main action is the implementation of innovative actions or tools to engage citizens in cohesion policy, co-financed by the EU. This call has been mentioned in this article previously.

Energy

Mitigating household energy poverty (Horizon 2020)
Deadline: 10 September 2020
Eligibility: EU and non-EU Member States (check the list of eligible countries here)
This call focuses on alleviating energy poverty and developing a better understanding of the types and needs of energy-poor households and how to identify them. The proposed action should help to facilitate behavioural change and financial or non-financial support schemes and to disseminate innovative schemes for energy efficiency.
Supporting public authorities in driving the energy transition (Horizon 2020)
Deadline: 10 September 2020
Eligibility: EU and non-EU Member States (check the list of eligible countries here)
The focus of the call is on decentralisation of energy governance, with the main goal of enhancing political commitment at a local level through a shift of responsibility in implementation and monitoring of energy efficiency solutions. The proposed action should be a support to local and regional public authorities and respectively support into transposing the Energy Efficiency Directive.

Climate Action & Environment

National roundtables to implement the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings initiative (Horizon 2020)
Deadline: 10 September 2020
Eligibility: EU and non-EU Member States (check the list of eligible countries here)
This call aims to facilitate the creation/set-up of national roundtables focused on energy efficiency investment. The roundtables should gather the relevant stakeholders in permanent multilateral discussion forums. The focus must stress the exciting private and public buildings, industry and SME’s. The roundtables should analyse the possibility to upscale existing best practices from the national and European level, develop strategies, roadmaps and action plans, propose improvements in the national policy frameworks and measures, and follow their implementation, develop jointly template documents and contracts leading to better functioning of the market.
LIFE Calls for proposals
You can find several calls for proposals from the program LIFE under the Environment and Climate action sub-programs. Those calls are detailed in this article previously published.

Civil Society

Civil Society Projects (Europe for Citizens)
Deadline: 1 September 2020
Eligibility: EU Member States, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo
The project should consist of stimulating and organising reflection, debates or other activities related to the multiannual priority themes of the Programme. The proposed actions should also propose practical solutions that can be found through cooperation or coordination at the European level. Projects should actively involve many citizens in the implementation and aim at setting the basis or develop long-lasting networking between many organisations active in the field.

Citizen’s Rights

Call for proposals to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities (Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme)
Deadline: 02 June 2020
Eligibility: EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Serbia
The first objective of this call is to promote the collection, exchange and dissemination of innovative effective practice for the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The proposed actions should also promote their active inclusion and participation in the society taking into account socio-economic trends such as the ageing of the population and digitalisation. The second objective is to fill in data gaps related to the situation of persons with disabilities.

Youth

European Youth Together 2020 (Erasmus +)
Deadline: 28 July 2020
Eligibility: EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey
This call aims to create networks promoting regional partnerships, to be run in close cooperation with young people from across Europe. The networks should organise exchanges, promote training and allow young people themselves to set up joint projects, all of which could be done through both physical and online activities. Projects should particularly address challenges related to inclusive participation for all young people, regardless of their background. This call was launched to give a needed immediate response to help mitigate the socio-economic impacts in the youth sector that emerged against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Social Economy

Social Economy Mission (COSME)
Deadline: 9 June 2020
Eligibility: EU Member States and countries participating in the COSME programme
The call for proposals will support consortia in developing inter-regional learning and collaboration, and creating opportunities and incentives for future inter-regional partnerships in the field of priorities of “Social economy missions”. Project proposals must aim to enhance interaction and improving collaboration and boost inter-regional learning between a social economy network and stakeholders. It must also aim to contribute to the gradual building of a Social Economy community. You can find more information about this call in this article.

Photo by Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash

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Roadmap For Recovery: Paving the way towards a more resilient, sustainable and fair Europe after COVID-19.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a catastrophic crisis with dramatic effects on our society. The European Union had to come up with a strong response reflecting determination, unity and solidarity; the roadmap for recovery. 

The roadmap for recovery is the result of the collaboration of the European Council, the Commission and the European Central Bank. It aims to show that the EU can and should have a coordinated exit strategy, a comprehensive recovery plan and unprecedented investment. 

The roadmap proposes broad guidelines to follow in order to recover from the crisis. The first part focuses on the principles to follow. These principles are in line with those of AER.

The first principle stresses the importance of solidarity, cohesion and convergence in the recovery plan; not all regions will be impacted the same nor will they have the same means to tackle the crisis. The second principle reminds the Member States, as well as institutions, to remain flexible and to keep in mind that the plan to recovery will need to evolve over time depending on how the situation evolves. The third principle emphasises the need to remain inclusive and that the recovery is and will be co-owned all parties involved. The final principle states that the EU is based on a set of values and rights and that no matter how urgent this crisis is, these values should be upheld at all times. 

The EU Action Plan to recover the economic impact of the crisis is the next part laid out in the roadmap. It recognises that Member States have already taken some measures to prevent companies from going bankrupt and to avoid unemployment. It also refers to actions by the ECB that have created space for them to prevent the entire collapse of a country’s economy.

The first action to be taken is to restore and further deepen the single market; it is a key component of the EU’s prosperity and resilience. During the recovery, the value and supply chains that have been disrupted must be re-established. t is necessary to keep working on a green and digital transformation in order to modernise and relaunch the EU’s economy. There is a need for strategic autonomy through dynamic industrial policy – this would include producing critical goods in Europe to reduce over-dependence on third countries. This will avoid countries finding themselves in situations where there is a mask shortage for example, as it was and is the case for this crisis.

The second step will be to come up with a Marshal-plan type of investment effort to fuel the recovery and modernise the economy. Once again, there will be a need to invest massively in green and digital transitions and circular economy, alongside other policies such as cohesion. The future Multiannual Financial Framework will, therefore, be a key instrument to support the recovery.

Finally, the EU must think about acting globally. It cannot act in isolation as this is a global crisis. Collaboration with partners such as the UN, WTO, G20 and G7 will be of primordial importance. Moreover, no one should be left behind which is why the EU should provide assistance to countries in need, especially neighbouring countries and countries from Africa.

In general, the EU will aim to be more resilient, more efficient and effective and will try to keep its principles and values at the centre of its work during the execution of the future actions taken in light of this roadmap.

Although this roadmap is more directed to EU institutions or Member States, a lot of what has been mentioned resonates with AER’s values and its approach to related issues. Regions will also have an important role to play in the recovery process of the COVID-19 crisis and there is no doubt that a lot of the steps in this roadmap will have to be implemented on a more local level. 

Cohesion policy will be of major importance in the steps towards recovery. As for the achievement of the SDGs, cooperation and regional initiatives will greatly help in turning the economy around. Moreover, as indicated in the roadmap, the EU will have to start producing locally to avoid depending on third world countries. Some companies will, therefore, have to specialise in the production of specific goods as well as training workers. 

Regions will work in parallel with SDGs to find sustainable solutions to come out of this crisis. The focus will be on the green and circular economy, the creation of employment, digitalisation, local economy and so on. In the end, every actor (citizens, NGO’s, regions, national governments, EU institutions, etc.) will have a role to play in the recovery process and will need to collaborate with others – so that nobody is  left behind.

Photo by Margarida Afonso on Unsplash

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Call for Proposals: Social Economy Missions

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“Social economy missions” aim to accelerate the development and awareness of social economy potential within the European Union, in particular at local and regional level. Often the commitment towards this mission is insufficient with a lack of active collaboration.

The European Commission, through the “COSME programme”, launched a call for proposals tailored to engage a network of regional and local authorities established in the EU and COSME participating countries to constitute a space for inter-regional learning and collaboration.

Sharing of good practices and mutual learning

The call will support consortia in sharing and replicating best practices, creating opportunities for future inter-regional partnerships on priorities related to “social economy missions”.

The expected result is to support the development of the European social economy community by encouraging interaction between different partners, both at public and private level.

Boosting social innovation at inter-regional level is fundamental to shift towards a more sustainable and green economy. The Social Economy has the potential to support the green transition within the new European Green Deal.

The call requires applicants to clearly identify a topic and specify the objectives to be achieved by the mission. Listed below are the main topics. Nevertheless, consortium partners can propose any other topic with relevance to the development of the social economy.

  1. Building resilient regional and/or local ecosystems;
  2. Socially responsible public procurement;
  3. Building Clusters of Social and Ecological Innovation or participation in traditional clusters;
  4. Support to social economy business development;
  5. Support to local and regional initiatives in the area of green and digital transition;
  6. Local or regional measures tackling unemployment;
  7. Sustainable agriculture and rural development;
  8. Education and training to develop the social economy ecosystem;
  9. The development of horizontal policies to support social economy at local or regional level;
  10. Social economy initiatives to integrate migrants;
  11. Other (identified by the applicants).

Who is eligible ?

  • Participants must be legal entities forming a consortium established in EU member states or COSME countries.
  • The coordinator must be a regional or local public administration
  • The consortium partners must be regional or local public administration
  • At least 3 regional or local public administration from 3 different countries
  • The participation of the same regional or local public administration in more than one proposal is not permitted

What are the activities ?

  1. Kick off meeting with the EASME and the European Commission in Brussel
  2. Online or offline session with invited representatives of the consortia, organised by European Commission to release guidance on participatory methods for planning and organising workshops
  3. Organize three compulsory workshops in the field of priority of “social economy mission” (read the call for the details)
  4. Optionally, other additional learning activities such as workshops, webinars, peer-to-peer learnings, etc. can be organised

All the proposals have to be submitted through the Funding and tenders portal before the 9 of June 2020 at 17.00 (Brussels time). Applications must be sent in one of the official EU languages.

The total budget is estimated at EUR 1 900 000, the maximum grant per project is EUR 100.000 and in total EASME is expecting to fund 19 proposals.

Before submitting the proposal read carefully the call text and the guide for applicants released by the European Commission. If you have additional questions you can address them to [email protected] . All the collected questions receive an answer in the FAQ’s document regularly published and accessible to everyone in the COSME webpage.

Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

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A Regional Approach to Reduce Brain Drain

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AER Committee Plenaries in Covasna were cancelled. Committee 3, which focusses on youth, education and culture, had planned a debate on brain drain vs brain gain. We are very happy to present the article drafted by Mr Radimir Čačić, President of Committee 3 as well as a video by Mr Hrvoje Kovac, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Youth.

Many regions of Europe, and especially rural regions, are facing the problem of brain drain. Brain drain is the loss suffered by a region as a result of the emigration of a (highly) qualified person.  In Croatia, the number of inhabitants has decreased by 16% since the 1990s. Although most emigrants have only completed secondary education, 10% are doctors, IT experts, engineers, and other highly-skilled workers, which has led to a huge negative consequence on the national economy. 

How to keep highly educated people in their home region is a question that I as the AER President of Committee 3 on Youth, Education and Culture would like to pose to all regions who are facing a similar situation. As Prefect, I have implemented and introduced ways to prevent/diminish brain drain and emigration. Varaždin County is the only region in Croatia that has not registered mass emigration. 

Like many other European countries, Croatia faces a loss of doctors and nurses. This is why Varaždin County has recognized this problem and has introduced subvention of housing bank loans, and financing of education and training of doctors (PhD doctorates) and other encouraging measures, in order to motivate them to stay in the country. Encouraging measures and a structured system are crucial for keeping people and enabling their return, regardless of their educational background. And for that, we need a vision.  

Video from Deputy Mayor of Lepoglava, Hrvoje Kovac (Varazdin, HR) on the Positive and Negative Effects of Brain Drain as well as Brain Gain

Role of regions

Regions and local authorities, as the level closest to its citizens, have a crucial role to play in the diminishment of brain drain. The responses taken by Varaždin County to reduce this emigration has focussed on improving education and healthcare.  Some of these initiatives include: 

  • Rural areas face a challenge of depopulation, not only to other countries but to larger cities within the country. During my first mandate in 2005, I ensured equal opportunities for all students and pupils
  • 32 schools were built or renovated with the help of the public-private partnership model, which also enabled schooling in one shift. This has led to 94% of pupils to attend school in one shift, providing more free time for extracurricular activities
  • Free transport, textbooks, meals, student loans and scholarships were introduced for pupils at risk of poverty 
  • Establishing 10 centres of excellence to concentrate on the quality of programmes and work with highly motivated pupils in subjects such as mathematics, physics, entrepreneurship, etc. These centres provided an environment allowing pupils to achieve great results. These centres were accepted as part of the European Talent Centre Network in 2019. This title provided by the European Council for High Ability was founded in 1988 to develop a network and support for those included in the work with youngsters with high abilities (teachers, researchers, psychologists, parents, highly motivated pupils, etc.). Varaždin County is the only regional government which is considered a European Talent Centre. 

These are all examples of how regional governments can intervene, in the scope of their competences. Of course, a positive investor-friendly atmosphere should be created.

Finally, I would like to emphasize the importance of Cohesion Policy in reducing territorial disparities leading to a diminishment of brain drain. As the negotiations of the Multiannual Financial Framework continue, it is necessary to reiterate that Cohesion Policy is the best instrument in the promotion of economic convergence, to fight inequality and for the future of Europe.

Regions and local authorities, as the level closest to its citizens, should launch initiatives to address and mitigate brain drain and turn it into brain gain, brain regain or brain circulation. We would like to inspire the debate and learn from one another. How are you tackling brain drain in your region? What are the initiatives that have been working?

To download the full paper on brain drain vs brain gain, see here.

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

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Territorial approaches: the governance of Abruzzo for rural areas

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To facilitate continuous knowledge flow between regions a series of articles and interviews is being published on the topic which was to be discussed in Covasna: “Territorial approaches to regional development”, with a particular focus on urban-rural divides. Indeed, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Spring Committee Plenaries of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) in Covasna were cancelled.

The Committee Plenaries provide an opportunity for our member regions to come together, exchange ideas and experiences and initiate joint projects.

Nicola Campitelli, Regional Minister for Urban Planning, Abruzzo (IT), and AER Committee 1 Vice President for Rural development, Energy and shares here the experience from his region. Rural development has never been more current and the post-COVID-19 economic recovery will require ambitious territorial approaches.

Breath-taking landscapes and huge protected areas

The territory of the Abruzzo region, according to the National Institute of Statistics altimetric classification, is 62.8% mountain, 14.8% internal hill and 22.3% coastal hill. Almost all of the territory belongs to rural areas, while only 0.9% is urban and peri-urban areas. The percentage of agroforestry area in rural areas is 76.3% and the forest area is 438.590 ha, that is 40.6% of the regional surface. The extension of the regional protected areas, 58 sites under the Habitats EU Directive, is 36.3% of the regional territory, first place at national level, thus highlighting the importance of the Region in safeguarding biodiversity.

One metropolitan area and many small towns


Abruzzo has 1,312,507 inhabitants, half of which (54.4%) reside in intermediate rural areas, about a quarter in areas with development problems (26.8%), 12.9% in urban and peri-urban areas and 5.9% in rural areas with intensive and specialized agriculture. The population ,with the exception of the Pescara metropolitan area, is distributed heterogeneously among the many small towns that characterize the Abruzzo region (which counts 305 Municipalities).

Territorial approaches for sustainability & inclusion

This situation requires territorial planning and involves natural, demographic and cultural resources, thus representing a priority component of an effective local development strategy.

The following priorities are at the core of the entire 2021-2027 planning of the Abruzzo Region:

  • quality work
  • territory and natural resources for future generations
  • homogeneity and quality of services for citizens
  • culture as vehicle of economic and social connection.

The focus of the regional planning, therefore, is a sustainable and intelligent growth of the entire territory.

Post-COVID-19 economic recovery should be anchored in sustainable development principles

The newly allocated funds for the restart following the lockdown for Covid-19 has to suit the criteria and guidelines of sustainable development, the circular economy and climate change, to set up a possibly lasting development strategy. Therefore, the 2030 and 2050 planning has to be maintained in all Europe: reduction of energy costs, energy self-supply and sustainable development; this will allow economic security and stable economy recovery.

It is therefore necessary to confirm the use of financial sources for interventions in energy savings and in reducing pollution emissions, in line with the 2030 objective, supporting companies that are already structured and able or, enabled, to develop virtuous activities. Otherwise, there is a high risk of not being able to be competitive and exit the market. Agriculture itself must be developed according to sustainable production systems: techniques that reduce the consumption of raw materials and increase the sequestration of CO2.

Furthermore, the restart has to take place by activating local businesses, e.g. energy efficiency intervention on public and private buildings. This way many local companies and professionals will be activated and the management costs of the buildings and the related services will be reduced, promoting the immediate pollution reduction that, according to new researches, also could be a carrie of viruses . This action is the sole credible strategy, adopted today across Europe: the 2030 strategy. It is therefore essential to finance virtuous enterprises and immediate intervention programs.

A strategy focused on sustainable and inclusive smart growth


In relation to the activities already running in the Abruzzo Region, the Rural Development Program (PSR) represents one of the tools to support the growth of agriculture, forestry, rural areas and is concentrated, as all regional planning, on sustainable and inclusive smart growth. The Plan is implemented in coordination with the National Rural Network, through which Italy joins the European Rural Network (REE), which integrates all activities related to the rural areas development for the 2014- 2020 period.

Participation the essential element for success

The Abruzzo rural development program proposes interventions aimed at encouraging different local actors and at strengthening the bottom-up approach of local communities, in order to create a development based on the resources of the territory, in response to the specific needs of local areas and aimed at stimulating the aggregation of different skills and professionals.

The PSR has been developed also through the participatory process, promoting the participation of stakeholders, local authorities, associations, and agri-food, forestry and environmental operators. In the 2014-20 period, specific policies have been addressed to the less developed rural areas, by integrated planning tools and services to the population, also in connection with the national strategy for internal areas. To achieve the inner areas strategies goal, measures have been promoted to create and develop short supply chains ( even for sustainable use of biomass in food and industrial production) and local markets and to support promotional activities.

The bottom-up approach is also the basis of all regional planning of strategies and interventions for the Climate Change and sustainable development governance, which promotes the coordination of all regional planning and actions. All the municipalities of Abruzzo, and therefore also the municipalities of the rural areas, are coordinated by the Region in the processing of SECAP (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan) according to a district logic, that are also homogeneous climatic areas. All 305 municipalities have joined the Covenant of Mayors and are monitoring their Energy Action Plans (SEAP) to upgrade SEAPs into SECAPs. In particular, as part of the JOINT_SECAP (Interreg Italy-Croatia) project, two pilot areas have been identified, one of which is represented by 4 municipalities in the internal area (Penne, Elice, Castilenti and Castiglione Mr. Raimondo) . These municipalities under the coordination of the Region and the involvement of experts, have carried out a territorial analysis of the risks and vulnerabilities with the goal of a joint SECAP, identifying pilot actions to be implemented to make territory more resilient and to guarantee sustainable development.

Protection and sustainable management of natural resources

The regional Sustainable Development Strategy, moreover, being implemented with other Italian regions, identifies parks and protected areas as key players in the implementation of sustainable development policies; a specific agreement is foreseen, aimed at implementing the ecological network, supporting the rebuilding processes in the internal areas and implementing the ministerial guidelines on VIncA (Environmental Impact Assessment).

Many municipalities in the rural areas have also committed to a voluntary strategic and planning tool that pursues the protection, the correct management of water resources and the enhancement of river territories, together with the protection from hydraulic risk, contributing to local development: the River Contracts.
These contracts provide the implementation of open and inclusive participatory processes, which allow the sharing of purposes, duties and responsibilities and define a shared Action Program. River Contracts suite and even improve basin plans and programs. 20 river contracts are running in the region. Among these, the Feltrino river contract was included by the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and the Sea (MATTM) in the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC) as a “pilot project / good practices / noteworthy initiative”.

Powering effective local collaborations

A further initiative promoted under the Rural Development Plan are the GALs (Local Action Groups), made up of several municipalities, that could get Regional dedicated fund to develop renewable energy supply chain, supply chain innovation, social inclusion and sustainable tourism actions. Cooperation between Municipalities is also carried out through the initiative BORGHI In RETE – ABRUZZO, the union of several Community Cooperatives, under the regional law n.25 /15. They are local businesses set up by the inhabitants of villages and are developed, in particular, in the internal areas and in the most fragile economies at risk of depopulation, with the aim of developing economies with human and environmental value.

Multimodal connectivity

Among the sustainable mobility initiative carried out in the Abruzzo region, the municipalities of the Rocche highlands, in line with the energy and climate objectives of the European Union are activating an interesting project related to the multimodal access to the Ovindoli and Campo Felice ski facilities by energy vehicles (hydrogen powered) with zero environmental impact, thus contributing to the green and economic development of inner areas.

What about you?

If you would like to share your experience, know more about strategies in other regions or initiate a joint project with regions in Europe, contact the AER Secretariat!

Pictures: courtesy of Luigi Filice https://www.luigifilice.com for Regione Abruzzo

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Cohesion Alliance: Press Release – 27 April 2020

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Deal on EU budget and Recovery Fund is needed by June or delay will put citizens’ safety and cohesion in Europe at risk

Following the video conference of the members of the European Council on 23 April the Cohesion Alliance – an EU-wide alliance calling for a stronger cohesion policy after 2020 – calls for cohesion policy to remain a priority amid talks about the Covid-19 recovery strategy taking regions and cities needs and experience on board.

The fight against the COVID19 pandemic and the relaunch of Europe’s economy are a race against time. Any further delay in securing an adequate EU recovery plan, based on a bold EU budget, will undermine our capacity to protect citizens’ health and social rights, preserve Europe’s productive capacity help businesses survive the emergency and invest in a sustainable future.

We need Member States to take a crucial step ahead for Europe by:

  • securing the continuity of emergency measures backed by cohesion policy in the worse hit countries and territories, with adequate funding and special rules.
  • strengthening the planned investment for cohesion policy 2021-2027 to speed up the recovery and deliver a resilient, more just and sustainable Europe in the longer term. 
  • make sure that extraordinary financial initiatives contribute to social, territorial and economic cohesion by addressing local tax losses and revenues and supporting local and regional authorities – and related public-owned companies – in running local services for citizens in the pandemic and post-pandemic scenario.
  • bringing the negotiations on the future cohesion policy to a successful end to allow for the timely start of the funding period in 2021 and ensure that cohesion policy can be carried forward in the following years.
  • bringing together all levels of government to invest on improved health services across the Union both by increasing the funding for health under cohesion policy and establishing a specialised Health Mechanism. acknowledging the good examples of cross-border and transnational cooperation during the current crisis and actively involving EGTCs, Euroregions and all EU’s border regions in fighting against the virus, as well as in the future economic recovery.

We demand that both the “core” EU budget and the extraordinary financial investment initiatives rely on the experience and knowledge developed by local actors dealing with the pandemic and its consequences. EU investment must benefit from flexibility and simplification but any over-centralisation would seriously undermine its effectiveness.-Cohesion Policy is EU’s best tool to structurally strengthen regions’ and cities’ social and economic development (including health and climate action). It must be strengthened and fully mobilised to enhance the resilience of all local and regional authorities in the long term to ensure they are sufficiently prepared for the economic consequences of the current crisis as well as any future crises and thus complement existing and future emergency reaction instruments.

With regards to the potential reinforcement of the Reform Support Programme, a real involvement of regions and cities in the needs’ assessment and in the shaping of interventions, in close coordination with cohesion policy plans, will be decisive to ensure that no place is left behind and the territorial asymmetric impact of reforms is effectively managed. Furthermore, regions and cities should participate in the debate on how to strengthen the resilience of European societies in dealing with the pandemic crisis and its economic and social effects from a territorial point of view.

It is vital now that EU institutions go ahead in a spirit of solidarity and responsibility. The final outcome of the negotiations cannot be a set of over-centralised funds and uncertain financial instruments, relying only on private markets’ reactiveness. We must provide Europe with an effective mix of tools, where grants and loans are properly balanced, and the partnership principle is fully implemented to better respond to EU citizens’ needs.

Only by finding the courage and the mutual confidence to act together can we lead Europe out of this emergency. 

Contact the Cohesion Alliance Secretariat

The #CohesionAlliance is a coalition of those who believe that EU cohesion policy must continue to be a pillar of the EU’s future.

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COVID-19: A Global Crisis That Requires a Collective Response

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A message from the AER President, Magnus Berntsson on COVID-19 and AER’s current and future work.

The Assembly of European Regions and its members are acutely aware of how the current pandemic, the coronavirus, is affecting all members of society, not just in Europe but around the globe.

Regional and local leaders are at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic – engaging with communities to avoid the spread and coordinating health and other essential services to look after those who become infected.

Although this virus is a new challenge for European regions, there are some lessons we can take from previous crises. It is only through cooperation that we can successfully battle this virus and deal with its long-term societal and economic effects. Nationalist and protectionist strategies will not succeed against an ‘enemy’ that does not respect borders. Coordination, cooperation, sharing of best practices and solidarity are needed now more than ever.

As we look around the regions most affected by the virus, we see acts of kindness, communities coming together, workers providing essential services, keeping our societies and economy going.

The virus does not discriminate based on skin colour, citizenship, level of education, or income. As it progresses, we are learning, too, that it does not discriminate based on age, either. Those of us who can work from home should do so, grateful in the knowledge that we are safe and we are keeping other people safe.

The AER Political Priorities include a pillar on “Fostering a society that is based on the promotion and protection of equality.” Now more than ever, it is important that we bear in mind the importance of fostering a society of equals.

As we work with the Intercultural Regions Network, we are reminded of the struggles of newcomers to our regions, particularly in challenging times such as these. Regions are working hard to make informative resources available to new communities in a wide range of languages as this is crucial for safeguarding the health of all members of society.

The current crisis will most probably also have an impact on the environmental and sustainable agenda. This crisis shows us more than ever that we must act globally on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

It is disappointing that we must to postpone the AER event dedicated to the SDGs, whose aim was to launch a regional roadmap on localising the SDGs. The many event partners and AER are adamant that this postponement will not mean putting our work on sustainability on hold. Activities will carry on and will be shared shortly.

In the meantime, AER has contributed to the Local Authorities Major Group 2020 position paper to prepare for the UN High-Level Political Forum. You are warmly invited to follow the AER’s work on the SDGs on our dedicated platform: Regions2030.com

Through our European projects, such as Includ-EU on regional and local expertise, exchange and engagement for enhanced social cohesion in Europe and the SCIROCCO Exchange project on Integrated Care, our members and the secretariat are continuing their everyday work in these areas and playing their part in responding to the public health crisis and its societal implications.

AER is a network for interregional cooperation. COVID-19 has shown that coordination and cooperation between regions are more relevant than ever.

As a member-led organisation, we are open to hearing your suggestions & inputs for how we can help you to respond to the crisis, by facilitating mutual learning, the sharing of best practices or spreading the word about EU-related funding opportunities.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us via the link below.

CONTACT US

AER COVID-19 Hub

AER Secretariat Contact Info

EUROPEAN WEB SITE ON INTEGRATION: COVID-19’s impact on migrant communities

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Global Sustainable Development Report: Is it already too late?

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On Monday 23rd February representatives from AER attended a Webinar on the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report.
The webinar was organised by the UN DESA (Department of Economic and Social Affairs), presented by Astra Bonini and Stephanie Rambler and focused in particular on which transformation is needed to attain the sustainable development goals.

As we currently are lagging far behind in progress on the Global Sustainable Development Goals, it is important to highlight the need for all cities and regions to play an active part in achieving these goals.

Overview

The 2019 report was a product of a group of scientists with a diverse background, nominated by UN member states and appointed by the Secretary-General. It aims to be a tool to help develop policies for advancing towards the SDG goals.


The report concludes that it is time to sound the alarm bell. Looking at the table above (1-1 in the report), it is clear that most goals will be impossible to reach by 2030 if we continue along the current trend, with key systemic challenges facing both biodiversity loss, climate change and income inequality.

Another major issue mentioned in the report is that no country has managed to achieve social thresholds without significant environmental impact, shown in Figure 1-9. This clearly shows what was a major point highlighted in the webinar, namely the interconnection between different sustainable development goals, where progress along one goal can have adverse or positive effects on another goal. An example of it would be:
In order to achieve Goal 2, Zero Hunger, more land would need to be allocated to agriculture and food production. This would negatively affect Goal 15, Life on Land, but at the same time have a positive effect on Goal 1, No Poverty, and Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being.

Entry-points and levers

Recognizing this tradeoff effect between goals is especially important as policies are implemented to address sustainable development goals. The report highlights 6 entry-points where action can have a positive effect on several points:

  • Human wellbeing and capabilities
  • Sustainable and just economies
  • Energy decarbonisation with access
  • Food systems and nutrition patterns.
  • Urban and peri-urban development
  • Global environmental commons

Further on, a set of four levers are identified which can be used to bring about the necessary transformations set forth by the entry-points, namely governance, economy and finance, individual and collective action, and at last science and technology. One action can enact upon several levers at once, and the report highlights that there needs to be cooperation between government, the private sector and academia in the development of policies.

Harnessing science for knowledge-based transformation

At last, the webinar highlighted some surprising aspects, and especially how scientists from poorer countries opened the eyes of scientists from richer countries. Institutions in poorer countries do not always have access to paid journals, and as such, it is important for science related to the SDGs to be open-access.

The scientists also highlighted that the agenda needs to be enacted at a local level, and therefore the science also needs to work on the local level. This makes it crucial for research to also be conducted locally, not only internationally. The research should still be made available internationally in order to enhance knowledge-sharing and experience exchange.

The presentation from the webinar can be found here.

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

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