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Territorial Approach to Smart Specialisation: Experience from Värmland

4 June, 2020 By Editor

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the AER Spring Committee Plenaries in Covasna County, Romania. The debate on “Smart specialisation strategies in rural areas, inclusion & wellbeing” could therefore not go ahead as planned. In order to harness the knowledge and expertise of our membership, AER is sharing content from speakers online instead.

In the below article, Kenneth Johannesson, Committee 2 Vice President for Health Innovation shares experience from Värmland (SE) on Smart Specialisation.

Welcome to Rural Värmland…

The Värmland region is part of North Central Sweden. Värmland borders Norway and the Oslo region and is thus a border region in the EU. Proximity to Oslo is an important condition for business and employment. The population of the region in 2014 was 274,691 inhabitants and the population grew by 0.5% from 2009 to 2014.

Värmland is facing important challenges, such as slow population growth, a low level of education, low wages and a low degree of employment compared to the Swedish average. Companies in Värmland are dependent on good communications due to the long distances to the metropolitan regions. Compared with other regions, Värmland is home to large tracts of forestland, which is promoted as an asset for the region and its forest industry in the Värmland strategy. The public sector provides most of the jobs in Värmland, followed by the manufacturing and steel industries and retail trade industry.

The labour market is gender-segregated both horizontally and vertically, which means that women and men find themselves in different sectors and industries, and in different positions within one and the same industry or workplace. In the case of business and entrepreneurship, most men in Värmland operate businesses in farming, forestry and fishing, while most women run companies offering cultural and personal services.

Defining Smart Specialisation in Värmland

The goal of smart specialisation in Värmland is to create new good jobs and sustainable and inclusive growth in Värmland. It is a holistic strategy that involves citizens, industry, the business community, municipal councils, the county council and the region of Värmland.

In short, smart specialisation involves learning how to prioritize and invest in innovations in order to bolster Värmland’s competitiveness. This is achieved by profiling the business and research sectors of Värmland, defining the areas of specialisation, as well as forming collaborative partnerships in Europe to successfull network and influence European policies.It is important that it is a comprehensive process where actors understand the importance of the strategy that they are creating.

Värmland has a number of priorities when it comes to Smart Specialisation, they include:

Leading the way for gender equality…

Värmland is the first region in Europe to have conducted a gender analysis study and undertaken a conscious gender-mainstreaming of the strategy for smart specialisation. In this regard, Värmland stands out as a pioneer for gender equality.

Services that create value for users

Given the progress already made in Värmland within research related to service innovation, service design and servitization, we are continuing to develop research in order to enhance the abilities of private and public actors to contribute to value-creation for customers, users and society as a whole.

Forest-based Bioeconomy

A thriving bioeconomy is demonstrated throughout Värmland through innovation and also by increasing the selection and demand for forest-based products and services. At the same time, we blaze a trail to convert to a fossil-free and sustainable society. Our fundamental strength is a sustainable forest industry with high-quality raw materials. Forest industry processes and products are the spearhead of our industries.

Digitalisation of Welfare Services;

We are developing and testing welfare services in actual environments with users: women, men, girls and boys as co-creators to provide varying types of solutions, many of which are digital. The public sector is an important user and producer of these processes. This results in better and more efficient care, education and other social services and ultimately happier, more competent and healthier citizens.

Advanced Manufacturing and Complex Systems;

We develop and offer energy- and resource-efficient system solutions and components for – primarily – heavy vehicles, the forest industry and within renewable energy, energy efficiency and hydrodynamics. For companies, we offer membership in a cluster organisation with an open climate of collaboration in which we help each other with solutions to problems, in the development of composite systems, and with service offers.

Nature, culture and Place-based Digitalised Experiences;

We visualise knowledge, stories and natural values of places using digital technology and media in order to create unique experiences for visitors. Värmland possesses a rich diversity of more or less utilised opportunities for outstanding experiences. We have a lively cultural legacy in music, art, handicrafts, historic finnish culture and storytelling traditions. Värmland’s nature offers features such as clean water, biological diversity, different climate zones and activities such as hiking, cycling, canoeing and boating as well as an unexplored unique inland sea. Our region is also popular for winter sports with good access to skiing.

System Solutions with Photovoltaics;

We contribute to renewable power for more people all over the world and we have solutions for our own control over the production of electric power. The specialisation helps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as we develop and offer solutions for the production of electric energy from photovoltaics.

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

22 May, 2020 By Erik Hayes

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

22 May, 2020 By Justine Lambert

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

14 May, 2020 By Mathilde Perrier

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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A Regional Approach to Reduce Brain Drain

11 May, 2020 By Editor

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

6 May, 2020 By Editor

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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Call for proposals : LIFE 2020 for Environment and Climate Action

7 April, 2020 By Aurelien Godin

If you are a public, private or a non-commercial organization and are committed to taking action for environment and climate change, this call is for you!

AER is happy to introduce this call for proposals launched under LIFE 2020 by the European Commission. The main objective of LIFE 2020 is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value.

LIFE, created in 1992, is the European funding Programme for Environment and Climate Action. The LIFE Programme is composed of two sub-programmes: environment and climate action.

The sub-programme for environment covers three priority areas:

LIFE Environment and Resource Efficiency
LIFE Nature and Biodiversity
LIFE Environmental Governance and Information

The sub programme for environment also covers:

Integrated projects under the sub-programme for environment
LIFE Technical assistance projects under the sub-programme for environment

The sub-programme for climate action covers three priority areas:

LIFE Climate Change Mitigation
LIFE Climate Change Adaptation
LIFE Climate Governance and Information

More information can be found here.

Important to note: An information and networking day online on 30 April 2020 on LIFE call for project proposals is planned (here)

Application and Eligibility

For action grants : Any entity registered in the EU can make a proposal for LIFE traditional, integrated, preparatory, and technical assistance projects under the sub-programmes for environment and climate action. This can be a public body operating under a national government’s authority (e.g. local authority, national administration etc); a private commercial organization; and private non-commercial organisation (NGOs etc.)

A special note for NGOs must be mention : LIFE programme provide operating grants for European non-governmental organisations. Some eligibity criteria must be met. (More information here)

LIFE funding programme is flexible in terms of how you are setting up projects. You can decide if you want to run a project on your own, or if you prefer to join forces with partners from your own or another country. Partnership searches can be set up to help you find the right partners for your project proposal. (More information here)

Important to note, UK applicants and beneficiaries remain eligible to receive LIFE funds. This applies to existing grants, ongoing procedures and calls for proposals published in 2020 even if the grant is signed after 31 December 2020

The deadlines for this call can be found in the tables below. For some of the priority areas, there are two deadlines – deadline for concept notes and the deadline for full project proposals.

Environnement sub-programme	Launch of call	Deadline for submitting concept notes	Deadline for submitting full project proposals
Environment and resource efficiency traditional projects	2 April 2020	14 July 2020 (extended)	February 2021
Nature and biodiversity traditional projects	2 April 2020	16 July 2020 (extended)	February 2021
Environnemental governance and information traditional projects	2 April 2020	16 July 2020 (extended)	February 2021
Integrated projects under the sub-programme for environnement	2 April 2020	6 october 2020 (extended)	March 2021
Technical assistance projects under the sub-programme for environment	2 April 2020		16 July 2020 (extended)

Climate action sub-programme	Launch of call	Deadline for submitting concept notes	Deadline for submitting full project proposals
Climate change mitigation traditonal programme	2 April 2020		6 October 2020
Climate change adaptation traditional projects	2 April 2020		6 October 2020
Climate governance and information traditional projects	2 April 2020		6 October 2020
Integrated projects under the sub-programme for climate action	2 April 2020	6 october 2020 (extended)	March 2021
technical assistance projects under the sub-programme for climate action	2 April 2020		16 July 2020 (extended)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the AER Projects Team.

Photo de Saph Photography provenant de Pexels

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“Learning from Lockdown: Opportunity to reflect on climate change”

3 April, 2020 By Justine Lambert

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis is having an impact not only on health systems, global travel and work patterns, but also on our environment.

This week it was announced that the COP26 climate summit, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, due to take place in Glasgow in November 2020, would need to be postponed until 2021. Holding an inclusive and ambitious COP this coming November would be impossible in light of the global challenge the world is facing at the moment.

However, efforts still need to be made. Regions have an important role to play in tackling climate change and protecting the environment. Why not take this time to reflect on how they could take action on a local level?

Cities and regions are responsible for 80% of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. We have the opportunity to rethink the way we approach climate change and the role we could play in saving the environment. The emptying of cities and the standstill of many transport means have resulted in positive outcomes for the earth: Dolphins in the ports of Sardinia, clearance of the water in Venice, drops in air pollution and CO2, etc.

How can we maintain or even improve those changes once quarantine is lifted? Now is the time for cities and regions to (re)think creative solutions to stop climate change and prepare for the future of the planet.

Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash

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

1 April, 2020 By Editor

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.

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?

31 March, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

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.

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Committee 1 progress Report Spring 2020

25 February, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

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

On the occasion of the Spring 2019 Committees’ plenaries in Örebro, AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions. A year later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

Evaluating progress

During the elaboration of the work programme in Örebro, planned activities were organized in 3 categories:
Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

The below progress report was compiled for the spring 2020 plenary meeting in Covasna. It gives an overview of the situation, a year after the adoption of the work programme.

Projects

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! ongoing

“Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” is a project submitted under a call launched by DG REGIO. This project raises awareness on the importance of programmes, projects, and services funded by the cohesion policy funds. It also encourages the participation of citizens and stakeholders to become active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy. AER coordinates the project and has collected experiences on cohesion policy together with regions.

This project was officially launched during the 2019 General Assembly in Larnaca (CY). Six AER member regions are partners in this project: Varazdin (HR), Csongrád (HU), Trentino (IT), Timis and Alba (RO), and Catalonia (ES). The project also had an information stall dedicated to the Together for Cohesion project at 2019 Autumn Committee Plenaries.

Partner regions have organized several local events to raise awareness on Cohesion policy among EU citizens:

The first event of Together for Cohesion held, the “Apulum Agraria” Fair in Alba (RO) held from 20-22nd September 2019, promoting agriculture, the economy of Alba and local farmers and members of professional associations.

The project was also represented at the 37th session of the Local and Regional Authorities Congress, led by the Council of Europe between the 28-31st October 2019.

The project contributed to the organisation of a Career management fair in Alba (RO), which raised awareness on the use and benefits of the EU cohesion policy and funds – with a special focus on how to find employment opportunities and how to receive the appropriate career guidance.

The Forum for Mayors, on the 11th of December, in Szeged, Hungary, by the General Assembly of Csongrand County was an opportunity to learn more about why cohesion policy and funds are crucial for the social and economic development of the cities and towns led by the Mayors taking part in the Csongrad Forum

Regions have also prepared several trainings focused on developing communication skills and understanding of European cohesion policies. The first training, on Together4Cohesion: how to use social media to better communicate the EU cohesion policy took place on the 23rd of January, in Trentino, Italy.

In Varazdin (HR), the annual Gala Ball of Varaždin County on 24 January 2020 was an opportunity to promote the project.

CUBES: Cultural Administration Boosting with the Engagement of Sustainability for Local Communities ongoing

The CUBES project was developed to create a bridge between cultural heritage, administrative bodies, and digitalization. The project will:

raise awareness
emphasizing the importance of culture
increase competitiveness and economic growth.

Target: local communities, public authorities, NGOs and CSOs. The kick-off of the CUBES project took place on the 25th of October 2019 in Lisbon, the project will end in April 2020

The experience of the CUBES project on grassroots approaches for sustainable regional development will also inform the discussions at the conference “Territorial Approaches to Regional Development” in Covasna on 11 March 2020.

Includ-EU: Regional and local expertise, exchange and engagement for enhanced social cohesion in Europe ongoing

AER and the International Organisation for Migration, together with several regional and local authorities have joined forces in the Includ-EU project. This project will improve transnational knowledge and experience sharing, cooperation and partnerships to build a more inclusive and cohesive Europe.

AER will organise 5 workshops to facilitate knowledge and experience sharing as well as to support the implementation of pilot activities around the 5 key priorities of the EU action plan: post-arrival support, education, labour market integration, access to services, citizen participation & inclusion. AER will also organise 5 webinars on these topics, to share experiences regarding practical aspects such as housing, health services or the integration of services especially regarding the access to the labour market. These activities will be open to AER members, especially regions in the Intercultural Regions Network (see below “Lobbying”)

E-health in rural areas: planned

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

Regions interested in developing such a project should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative.

Project development on farming, rural planning, and infrastructure: planned

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

Regions interested in developing such a project should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative.

Project on rural development: planned

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

Regions interested in developing such a project should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative.

Good Practice Exchange

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

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

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

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

The topic of the thematic event of the plenaries was Cohesion & Contrasted Regional Realities. The thematic event consisted of discussions with perspectives from all of Europe, with a special focus on Ireland and Slovenia. Despite the varying experiences and realities in the regions represented, it was agreed that a holistic approach to regional development is necessary

The aim was to share experiences, especially from regions with considerable disparities within their territories to learn about different strategies and practices as well as enablers and barriers to more cohesive regional development.

2020 AER Spring Committee Plenaries – Covasna: ongoing

The main focus of the AER 2020 Spring Committee Plenaries in Covasna County (RO) between 10-12 March will be territorial approaches. Urban-rural divides within regions will be in the spotlight.

While the Autumn 2019 plenaries “Territorial cohesion and Contrasted Realities” looked at how regions address territorial differences, this spring’s plenary will take stock of the situation in Europe. How to bridge the gap between theories on place-based policies and the actual implementation of effective and participative policies?

Members will, in particular, discuss the state of play of smart specialization strategies in Europe, health innovation and wellbeing, as well as brain drain vs brain gain.

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

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

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

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

Mutual learning event on economy 4.0: Finished

On 4 December 2019, AER, the Brussels Capital Region and the Government of Catalonia organized a mutual learning event on economy 4.0. Economy 4.0 describes a new era of productive, industrial and economic development characterized by the implementation of big-scale automatization, artificial intelligence (AI) robotic instruments, computational big data analytics software, and high tech infrastructure. It aims to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions who are welcomed to share inputs and regional examples.
The report on the event can be found here.

Workshop ” connectivity vs sustainability?”: finished

On the occasion of the Autumn plenary meeting in Podčetrtek (SI), the working group on transports & mobility chaired by Martin Tollén organised a workshop on connectivity and sustainability. Speakers featured Matej Gojčič from the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region and Sergi Alegre, President of the Airport Regions Conference.

New mobility services: ongoing

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

Workshop on sustainable transport and mobility: canceled

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

Lowering emissions in transport: planned

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

Regions interested in developing such a project should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative

Waste collection in rural areas: planned

Within the working group on rural development, members would like to have an exchange of good practices on how to raise awareness of recycling and waste collection in rural areas.
This topic could be addressed either in the context of a meeting of the working group on rural development or in separate events, such as Breakfast seminars in Brussels.

Regions interested in developing such a project should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative

AER Delegation at Smart City Expo World Congress: finished

AER took part in SCEWC19. The 3-day conference confirmed its role as the world’s greatest meeting point for cities and companies sharing the same goals as regards the future of cities. Different stakeholders gathered together in Barcelona and explored new innovative ways to make cities inclusive, efficient and sustainable.

All member regions and partners interested in attending the next iteration of SCEWC 2020 as speakers can submit an application here

Small hydropower plants: planned

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

Regions interested in developing an activity on this topic should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative

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

Several regions in AER have expressed the need to exchange experiences on how to attract more workforce to regions that are largely rural.
This action could be developed within the context of the working group on business and SMEs.

The 2020 Spring plenaries in Covasna will specifically look at territorial approaches and the ways in which regions address challenges linked to regional development, innovation and rurality.

Regions interested in developing an activity on this topic should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative

Effective legislative frameworks: planned

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

Regions interested in developing an activity on this topic should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative

Energy efficiency: planned

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

Regions interested in developing an activity on this topic should share their idea during the development of the 2020-2021 work programme on 12 March in order to find regions who want to cooperate on this and start developing this initiative

Advocacy/Lobbying

Building a Network of Intercultural Regions: ongoing

The Bureau Task Force on migration organized a Breakfast debate on the occasion of the General Assembly in Larnaca to examine the possibility of creating an intercultural regions programme, similar to the existing Council of Europe Intercultural Cities Programme. The network will support regions for the design and implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies. The Intercultural Regions Network was launched on 5th November 2019.

The process to develop this network requires intense dialogue with institutions.

AER and the Council of Europe are now planning activities for the coming months, a first meeting is foreseen on 16 March. This meeting will be followed by a public presentation of the Network, and a training on tactics and strategies for effective intercultural messaging by Nigel Smith, media and communication expert at the Council of Europe. Regions interested to participate in the public meeting and the training should contact Gisela Guari Cañada

European Week of Regions and Cities: ongoing

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

As part of the European Week of Regions and Cities, AER hosted an event entitled “REGIONerating Europe” on the 8th of October 2019, focusing on the role regions can play in regenerating the European Project as well as how citizens in the regions of Europe benefit from EU membership through Cohesion Policy, structural and development funds.
AER is preparing for the next European Week of Regions and Cities 2020.

The call is now open for regions to apply to become a partner at the European Week of Regions & Cities 2020, that will take place from 12-15th October 2020 in Brussels

Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC: ongoing

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

Protection of Romanian forests: ongoing

Primary forests are rare in Europe and the ones in Romania are threatened by excessive logging. AER members, therefore, agreed at the Committee 1 Spring plenary meeting in Örebro, to support Romanian regions to protect this invaluable natural heritage.
At the AER Autumn Committee Plenaries on 26 September, the AER Working Group on Rural Development hosted a Breakfast Debate on European Biodiversity: Protecting Primary Forests. AER was pleased to be joined by some external experts on this topic, among them, Shiroma Sathyapala, Forestry Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia

Joint initiatives for advocacy

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

Cohesion meeting with members of the European Parliament: finished

An AER delegation led by President Magnus Berntsson met a large number of Members of the European Parliament, including the Chair of the REGI Committee, to discuss the future of Cohesion Policy and the upcoming EU Budget for 2021-2027.

AER Bureau Task Forces

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

-Task Force on Food Security

-Task Force on Cohesion Policy

-Task Force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals

The Committees’ work programs and the AER Action Plan

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

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

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

Photo by Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash

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Committee 2 Progress Report Spring 2020

25 February, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Social Policy and Public Health gather in plenary meetings. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the elaboration of a joint work programme and to evaluate progress every six months.

Evaluating progress

During the elaboration of the work programme in Örebro, planned activities were organized in 3 categories:

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

The below progress report was compiled for the spring 2020 plenary meeting in Covasna. It gives an overview of the situation, 1 year after the adoption of the work programme.

Projects

SCIROCCO Exchange project – Personalised knowledge transfer and access to tailored evidence-based assets on integrated care: ongoing

The SCIROCCO Exchange project, under the EU Health Programme, is based on the SCIROCCO project, which resulted in the development of an online self-assessment tool for integrated care. The project runs from January 2019 to August 2021. It supports regions, mainly health and social care authorities for the adoption and the scaling-up of integrated care. The Maturity Model, at the core of the project, offers a tool for regions to better deliver integrated care for their citizens while at the same time empowering citizens. With this tool, regions can assess their current status, revealing areas of strength and also gaps in their capability managing the many activities needed in order to deliver integrated care.

The lead partner is the Scottish Government, a recent AER member. The consortium is composed of 14 organizations.

AER is leading the Working Package on knowledge transfer, helping the regions in preparing the local environment for implementation and scaling-up integrated care.

The Institute of Social and Behavioural Medicine of Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice in Slovakia, one of SCIROCCO Exchange consortium partners, organized a local conference “Integrated care for people with chronic diseases” on 15 May 2019. The conference was organized as part of the European Public Health Week “Care4Care”. The objective of the conference was to raise awareness about the importance of integrated health and social care for people suffering from multiple chronic conditions. The conference was particularly useful to review the current progress with the adoption of integrated and long-term care in Slovakia and highlight the existing challenges such as change of culture, stakeholder engagement or political commitment

The project was presented at the Smart City Expo, which was held between 19 to 21st November 2019.
The project was also represented in the European Parliament at a debate, “EU 2019-2024: Health Champions Wanted”, held on 9 October 2019.

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! ongoing

Partner regions have organized several local events to raise awareness on Cohesion policy among EU citizens:

The project was also represented at the 37th session of the Local and Regional Authorities Congress, led by the Council of Europe between the 28-31st October 2019.

In Varazdin (HR), the annual Gala Ball of Varaždin County on 24 January 2020 was an opportunity to promote the project.

AMiD project for the inclusion of migrants with disabilities: finished

This project was led by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities and aimed to improve the access to services for migrants with disabilities. AER was a partner and Valencia, Timis and Värmland were all members of the Advisory Board. The AMiD project provided opportunities for experience sharing and capacity building in this area for all AER members.

During the 2019 Summer Academy in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS), a workshop on AMiD was organized. Participants were invited to reflect on the challenges that migrants with disabilities face on a daily basis.

The final conference of the AMiD project was held on 5th November 2019 in Brussels. After a wave of presentations and questions, participants split into three groups to discuss and agree on recommendations. They concluded:

Improving capacity for CSOs – Civil Society Organisations working in the sector.
To set and spread the multi-stakeholder approach to inclusion.
Engagement to raise the topic of migrants with disabilities in the next Disability Strategy 2020-2030