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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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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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Coronavirus: Digitalisation and Contact Tracing to Lift the Confinement Measures

24 April, 2020 By Justine Lambert

In response to the global health crisis due to coronavirus, EU Member States, with the support of the European Commission have developed an EU toolbox for the use of mobile applications for contact tracing and warning. This toolbox was created in advance of the lifting of the confinement measures in order to act with a common coordinated approach across the EU.

The effectiveness, security, privacy and data protection aspects of digital solutions to address the crisis have been assessed to ensure that they will comply with EU rules. The aim is to interrupt the transmission of the virus by tracing people who have been in contact with an infected person.

The advantage of contact tracing apps is that they can supplement already existing manual contact tracing. They will be quicker to make links between the people who have been in contact with an infected person and will require less work for people working on manual contact tracing. Because of the urgence of the situation we are in, efficiency will be primordial to hope for a loosening of the lockdown measures while protecting citizens. The apps will warn health authorities of infection risks which will be essential to break the transmission chain. Without this method, it will be difficult to imagine a return to normality.

This method however raised concerns among the population as well as politicians. Using this approach to open up our societies again will require safe and compliant digital technologies, otherwise our approach will not be sufficiently efficient. Moreover, citizens should install the tracing apps voluntarily and should not feel forced to share data with public health authorities. Data protection and privacy are still to be protected during the process, no matter the gravity of the situation. Consequently, the apps will be based on Bluetooth proximity technology and will not enable tracking of people’s locations. The apps should therefore also be based on anonymised data and not reveal the identity of the infected person they have been in contact with.

These concerns of contact tracing apps arise as discussions on digitalisation and data protection are already being held at all political levels. Citizens are worried that their privacy and their data would not be safe or that it could be misused if the government had access to it. The process of digitalisation is somewhat unavoidable but it can also have a positive impact on certains aspects of society and can prove to be helpful in times of crisis.

The AER Bureau Taskforce on Digitalisation is in the process of preparing a position paper that will reflect on the challenges that the European Union will face in the new EU Digital Era. AER is aware and acknowledges that digitalisation in EU businesses and society represents enormous growth potential for Europe. Moreover, cities and regions are major enablers of digital transformation in Europe. They enable the collection of local resources as well as the mobilisation of the participation of stakeholders.

However, advancements in the field require access to the internet and a proper device for everyone, especially when it comes to contact tracing. This is costly and time-consuming. The internet will have to remain high-speed with more people using it and the electricity supply will have to be very reliable.

This is an obstacle health authorities will most likely face as well when implementing the contact tracing apps. It is primordial that the necessary tools will be available to the population. 

Contact tracing apps will be a key component of the loosening of confinement measures but their implementation and efficiency will present a challenge for the governments and more specifically, the health authorities. Governments will have to reassure the population that their privacy and online security will be safeguarded. 

Further readings:

EC – Coronavirus: An EU approach for efficient contact tracing apps to support gradual lifting of confinement measures

eHealth Network – Mobile applications to support contact tracing in the EU’s fight against COVID-19

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

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Joint Call for Twinnings: Scaling-Up Digital Health and Care Solutions

1 April, 2020 By Erik Hayes

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) and Digital Health Europe (DHE) launched a joint call for twinnings to amplify the synergies and increase the total funding amount to more than €400.000.

The aim is to support scaling-up digital health and care solutions across Europe. We are aware, from also the recent COVID 19 crisis, that investments in healthcare are crucial for the wellbeing of citizens, especially ageing people. Furthermore, health expenditure is recognised as a growth-friendly expenditure since it’s a precondition of economic prosperity.

Concrete Opportunities for Regions and Reference Sites to share experiences

The two schemes converge on the need to exchange information and knowledge at the local level but differ in the focus, eligibility and scale of funding. Check the next fact sheet below to see which one fits your needs best!

The deadline is the 4th of May for both the calls!

EIP on AHA Twinnings

Only the references sites that received this status from the previous Calls for Reference Sites are eligible. To help organisations to prepare their application, an offline form is also available. For the same purpose, an open webinar will be organised on the 03/04/2020 at 10:00am for all candidates who have questions concerning their application. To participate registration is required and available here. The twinnings last from 1 June to November 2020. To clarify any doubts, you can check also the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

DigitalHealthEurope Twinnings

The call is open to all local, regional and national health and care providers across Europe. To help with the application, a webinar will be organized on April 8th for which we ask you to stay tuned on the DigitalHealthEurope website for more details. The twinnings runs from 1 July 2020 to December/April 2020/2021 based on the three different twinning types. If you have any questions about the call, you can submit them to [email protected] before 10 April 2020. After gathering all the question DigitalHealthEurope will publish a Q&A document on their portal.

Downloads:

DigitalHealthEurope Request_for_twinning_tenders_call.pdf 

Background_document_call_for_eip_on_aha_twinnings_2020.pdf


Photo by Ani Kolleshi on Unsplash

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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 3 Progress Report Spring 2020

25 February, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Culture, Education, and Youth gather in plenary meetings. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the 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, 1 year after the adoption of the work programme.

Projects

Road to the Future: finished

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

The lead partner was JEF Europe – Young European Federalist. AER represented local and regional authorities. The consortium was composed of 21 organizations, mainly national JEF associations.

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

The final conference took place on 20-21st of January 2020. Young Europeans from all over the continent gathered together with civil society organizations and representatives of the European institutions to reflect on the “I Choose Europe” electoral campaign implemented in the run-up to May 2019.

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 Varaždin (HR), the annual Gala Ball of Varaždin County on 24 January 2020 was an opportunity to promote the project. On 13 February 2020, Varaždin also hosted an event in the context of the Together4Cohesion Project called “ESI Funds beyond 2020”. On 5 March a third event will be organised, with a contribution by South Ostrobothnia on entrepreneurship education. It is connected with Cohesion Policy since schools will also present how they develop new curricula with the help of EU funds. The recommendations will be sent to AER and be at disposal for all interested members

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”)

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Good Practice Exchange

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

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

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

Civil Servants Exchange Programme: ongoing

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

Autumn Committee Plenaries – Podčetrtek (SI): 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, and the aim was to identify strategies and actions to boost regional development and innovation in the face of contrasted realities.

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.

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

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

Workshop on youth participation: finished

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

Workshop on the future of education: finished

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

This workshop was canceled because of the exceptional circumstances in Slovenia, were Adria Airlines stopped activities during the AER plenaries.

Mutual learning on culture and health: ongoing

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

Workshop on culture in rural communities: finished

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

Raise awareness on the Eurodyssey programme: ongoing

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

The Eurodyssey Assembly took place as part of the annual Eurodyssey Forum on 24 October 2019 in Cagliari, Sardinia (IT). The event brought together more than fifty representatives both from Eurodyssey regions and outside the programme to discuss the functioning of the programme, to share experiences and best practices and to explore future initiatives for Europe’s only regional youth mobility scheme.

The conference opened with two discussions on youth mobility, looking at both aspects of personal and professional development for young people as well as how youth mobility has a positive impact on regional development. You can read more on the topic of youth mobility in this article.

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.

Exchanges around traditional cultures: ongoing

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

The next international folk festival on 25-29 June 2020. This event will feature 10 ensembles from 10 countries for 5 days of festivities. This European folk festival aims to contribute to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage by bringing together folk ensembles from all over wider Europe. AER members are invited to contact Maja Zuber, the seconded officer of Committee 3 President M Čačić.

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

Mutual learning on early school leaving: planned

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

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

From brain drain to brain gain: ongoing

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

Brain drain vs brain gain will be the debate topic of Committee 3 during the AER 2020 Spring Committee Plenaries in Covasna County, Romania, between 10-12th March 2020.

Mutual learning on the loss of workforce: ongoing

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

This topic will also be the debate topic of Committee 3 during the AER 2020 Spring Committee Plenaries in Covasna County, Romania, between 10-12th March 2020.

Lifelong learning for 50+ people: planned

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

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

Advocacy/Lobbying

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

Joint initiatives for advocacy

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

AER Bureau Task Forces

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

-Task Force on Food Security

-Task Force on Cohesion Policy

-Task Force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER action Plan

The development of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities that add value to their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committee’s work programmes. The work programmes are developed in spring each year and the 2019/2020 work programme is available here.

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

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the Committee’s work programmes and the AER action plan. The action plan for 2019/2020 is available here.

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

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Brain Drain vs Brain Gain

19 February, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

AER 2020 Spring Committee Plenaries will be held in Covasna County, Romania between 10-12 March. This year the Committee 3 debate topic will focus on brain drain vs brain gain.

Brain drain is the loss suffered by a region as a result of the emigration of a (highly) qualified person, while brain gain is when a country benefits as a consequence of immigration of a highly qualified person.

Dramatic impacts on people and territories

Brain drain has a socio-economic impact on concerned regions. Human capital flight, more commonly known as brain drain, is a problem faced by many parts of Europe. It is characterized as the emigration of highly skilled laborers to other countries. In the EU countries such as Romania, Poland, Italy, and Portugal are especially affected by brain drain, while other countries such as Sweden, Ireland, Estonia, and Denmark notice the opposite effect, namely brain gain.

The main effect is ‘brain waste’. This happens when workers who are highly skilled move to a region with incomplete or one-sided information on the labor/skill demand and then end up in being unemployed or employed in a job not requiring their high skills

Territorial approaches needed

There are both push and pull factors affecting brain drain. Pull factors include higher employment rate, higher salary and a perceived increase in quality of life, while the push factors are high youth unemployment and high enterprise death rate.

Brain drain can have a negative impact on the sending region, such as reduction of human capital, limited capacity to innovate, reduced economic growth, demographic shifts, and a higher cost of public goods. Albeit small, there are positive side-effects as well, such as return migration, incentives for investment in education and improvement of governance.

This calls for a territorial approach. The Committee of the Regions therefore suggests that Local and Regional Authorities develop instruments and promote measures to increase the attractiveness of the regions facing a Brain drain and to set up local alliances, which can help in drafting and implementing of local policies in order to mitigate brain drain.

Cohesion Policy a major asset

The brain drain and it’s negative effects have been key concerns of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture of the European Committee of the Regions. As current economic and social disparities between European regions are the main trigger to brain drain, Mr. Emil Boc has stressed the need for a strong association between Europe’s cohesion policy, which will help in addressing the existing imbalances and further promote an even development across the regions of Europe. This will also help in putting out front the measures expected to combat the problem of brain drain including investing in education, employment, innovation and social inclusion in European regions.

Understanding needs, removing barriers

A study founded by the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research, and Culture analyzed several programs across Europe and came up with the following list of best practices for combating brain drain. This list includes steps like understanding the need of skilled workers, creating mechanisms for cooperation between government, corporations, and universities, stimulating inflow of outside talent, removing structural barriers, cooperating with authorities facing the same challenges, etc.

In February 2020, the Committee of the Regions adopted an opinion, ‘Brain drain in the EU: addressing the challenge at all levels’. It observes the complex issue of Brain drain in Europe and stresses the need for a stronger association between cohesion policy and measures envisaged to deal with brain drain.

Two of the key Europe 2020 objectives, increasing the percentage of employed people and improving social inclusion, are also directly relevant to creating favorable conditions which will diminish brain drain

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Smart Specialisation Strategies: Enablers and Challenges in Rural Areas

4 February, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

AER 2020 Spring Committee Plenaries will be held in Covasna County, Romania from 11-12 March. This year the Committee 1 debate topic will focus on Smart Specialisation Strategies and its importance in rural development.

The Smart specialisation approach is a combination of Industrial, innovation and educational policies that advise the countries and regions to identify and choose a restricted number of areas to prioritize for knowledge-based investments. The goal here is to focus on their strengths and comparative advantages.

Smart specialisation in rural areas and the issues at stake

With Europe facing global competition and fiscal austerity simultaneously, it is necessary to focus resources on creating sustainable jobs and growth. For rural regions, the necessary competitive edge can be done by finding niches or mainstreaming new technology into the existing industry.

Three issues that are especially pronounced when working with RIS3 in a rural area are:
Firstly, finding the correct niche activity that promotes innovation and spillover effects. It is important to identify the resources in rural regions through the angle of present-day challenges and trends in society. The goal is to diversify the system through the generation of new options.
The second challenge relates to finding the resources and conditions that are needed to design effective policies. It is important to gather relevant sectors and actors present at the local level, in order to explore jointly the possibility of their contribution to each others growth activity. One should always remember the need to incorporate and explore the wider concept of innovation by S3.
The third major challenge is to effectively maintain the policy and monitoring system set in place. Capacity needs to be built in order to face the challenges and address the demands of the new generation.

Smart specialisation in action

While it may be challenging to develop smart specialisation strategies in less connected and more rural areas, regions have found creative ways to build their innovation strategies on assets in their territories. Examples range from developping the role of incubators to increase entrepreneurship and develop innovative digital sector companies, to connecting clusters or developping special agricultural products.

Typically, the Cohesion region Centru in Romania, which includes Covasna, incorporates Spa tourism as a part of smart specialization strategies. Covasna’s special asset in this context is a spa resort recommended for cardiovascular disease.

Where do we stand in 2020?

In the EU’s Smart Specialisation Platform, S3P, more than 200 regions have registered, from 26 different countries. A joint research group has been formed to provide concrete support to RIS3 implementation in lagging regions. Targeted support is also provided for maritime activities, digital growth, and collaboration with higher education.

It has been estimated that by the end of 2020 the smart specialization strategy will bring up to 15,000 new products to market, create 140,000 new startups and create 350,000 new jobs in Europe. Over 120 different smart specialization strategies have so far been developed in Europe with EUR 67 billion set aside to fund such initiatives.

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Internship “European Projects Assistant” – February/March 2020 (closed)

30 January, 2020 By Agnese Pantaloni

Ready to train with the EU projects team of the largest independent network of regions in Europe?

We are looking for a motivated intern (ONLY STUDENTS) to join the Project Unit at our Brussels Office, supervised by the European Projects & Private Partnerships coordinator. The placement would be for around 6 months.

Your main tasks will be:

  • Mapping calls for proposals and collecting information on funding (based on desk research and by attending relevant events and meetings at European level)
  • Writing articles on the results of your mapping as well as on running projects and activities
  • Liaising and networking with regional organisations and actors for project management and reporting purposes.
  • Disseminating information about EU-wide projects and funding opportunities on social media
  • Supporting AER’s projects team in its partner searches and follow-ups with its members
  • Contributing to the implementation of ongoing projects for all concerning activities and finances
  • contributing to the communication of ongoing projects, including news items drafting for media partners or taking minutes at projects meetings.
  • Providing inputs in terms of drafting documents to join new project proposals
  • Overall assistance in the project management at European level.
  • The intern will also assist the team with general office management tasks.

This is who we are

Here are some things that make working with us great:

  • AER, the Assembly of European Regions, is an international organisation devoted to interregional cooperation and regional cohesion at European level – which has a multi-disciplinary approach in working on varied topics, but in particular on education, youth, migration & inclusion, public health, regional cohesion policy and EU funding, and cultural administration issues, – and follows a multi-stakeholder focus (on regional governments and authorities, private companies, Universities, EU institutions and civil society organisations at European level, among others).
  • We are a team where everyone—including interns—is respected and treated equally
  • We are a committed group of professionals, with terrific people on board
  • We have a meaningful mission; helping people across Europe to work together is what drives us
  • We provide a place for personal and professional growth. Working with a diverse group of colleagues and collaborators in an array of different policy areas widens your horizons and gives you the chance to develop valuable skills
  • We use cloud-based team collaboration tools, which allow us to work efficiently, keep in close contact, and strengthen our community despite frequent travel and different locations

 This is the place for you if:

  • You are keen about European public affairs from a regional/local perspective
  • You have knowledge of and/or previous experience in European project management and funding, e.g. ERASMUS+, INTERREG, etc.
  • You have excellent knowledge of both oral and written English. Knowledge of any other European languages will be considered an asset for your work here.
  • You are self-motivated and interested in helping people work together to tackle challenges.
  • You are able to perform tasks autonomously and take on responsibilities while organising your work with the rest of the team.
  • You are a creative and problem-solving oriented person.
  • You have a high degree of multi-tasking, proactiveness and flexibility.
  • You have an open-minded attitude to work in multi-cultural, international and fast-paced working environments.

AER is happy to offer you the opportunity to:

  • Gain practical experience in the field of projects funded by European programmes.
  • Be in contact with high-ranking politicians, project officers and partners across Europe and get inspired by them.
  • Learn about regions and gain a deeper insight into contemporary issues in European politics and interregional cooperation
  • Work in a dynamic, lobbying and multicultural environment
  • Develop personal responsibility and initiative
  • Take part in high-level EU events and project-building activities in Brussels and abroad
  • Gain invaluable experience in an international professional environment

Internship requirements and conditions:

  • You must be currently enrolled in an education programme (e.g. at University or other higher education institution level) or being a fresh graduate able to have an internship experience abroad through your sending organisation (e.g. your University or other higher education institution).
  • An internship contract must be signed by AER, the trainee and a sending University/School/Institute.
  • The internship period will be for 6 months, starting AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in February or March 2020 and you will be considered a full member of the team from Day One.
  • You will receive a monthly financial contribution of EUR 150 during your internship period. Travel and living costs must be covered by the intern. Candidates are encouraged to seek other financing sources, e.g. by applying for an ERASMUS+ internship scholarship in their national country.
  • If you are a citizen of a non-EU country, you will have to make sure that you meet all the legal requirements (visa, residence permit, etc.) to stay in Brussels as specified by the Belgian Law for foreigners.
  • Health insurance must be ensured throughout your internship stay.

How to apply?

If you are interested in joining us and making AER your next professional experience, please send your CV and 1-page cover letter to Agnese Pantaloni at her email address [email protected], by 12 February 2020 by 12:00 CET, with the subject line “AER European Projects Intern”.

Interviews are planned to take place on rolling-basis in February 2020. The intern position is to be filled as soon as possible..

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

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Internship: Member Relations

12 December, 2019 By Anne Henk Bloemhoff

Member Relations Assistant (Trainee Contract – up to 6 months) – for STUDENTS ONLY

We are looking for a motivated student to join the AER Team at our Brussels Office to support our member relations coordinator. The internship period will be for up to six months, preferably starting February 2020.

Some of your main tasks will include:

  • Work closely and support the member relations coordinator
  • Keep our CRM (customer relationship management) system and other membership database up to date
  • Provide support in updating members about AER’s member activities, projects and campaigns
  • Research on European regions’ priorities and needs
  • Come up with innovative ways of keeping in touch with our members and growing our impact

This is the place for you if:

  • You are interested in gaining experience in a European Association in a hands-on way in Brussels.
  • Ability to manage relationships with colleagues and members constructively, diplomatically and with discretion
  • You are able to perform tasks autonomously and take on responsibilities while coordinating your work with the rest of the team.
  • You are outgoing, creative and a problem-solver
  • Good level of general computer literacy: Google Docs, MS Office, WordPress, Knowledge of CRM would be an asset

AER is happy to offer you the opportunity to:

  • Gain practical experience member relations in a European association
  • Be in contact with high ranking politicians, opinion-leaders and European partners
  • Learn about regions and related current European political issues
  • Work in a dynamic, multinational and multicultural environment
  • Develop personal responsibility and initiative
  • Gain invaluable experience in an international professional environment

Here are some things that make working with us great:
We are a team where everyone —including interns— is respected and treated equally
We are a committed group of professionals, with terrific people on board
We have a meaningful mission; helping people across Europe to work together drives us
We provide a place for personal and professional growth. Working with a diverse group of colleagues and collaborators in an array of different policy areas widens your horizons and gives you the chance to develop valuable skills
We use cloud-based team collaboration tools, which allow us to work efficiently, keep in close contact, and strengthen our community despite frequent travel and different locations

Before applying, please keep in mind…

An internship contract must be signed by AER, the trainee and a sending University/School/Institute.

You will receive a monthly financial contribution of EUR 150 during your internship period. Travel and living costs must be covered by the intern.

If you are a citizen of a non-EU country, you will have to make sure that you meet all the legal requirements (visa, residence permit, etc.) to stay in Brussels as specified by the Belgian Law for foreigners. Health insurance must be ensured during your stay.

How to apply?
If you are interested in joining us and making AER your next professional experience, please send your CV and cover letter in English to [email protected] by 12 January, with the subject line “AER Member Relations Assistant”.

Interviews will be taking place on a rolling basis

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted


Connecting regions – inspiring Europe

Founded in 1985, The Assembly of European Regions is the largest independent political network of regions in wider Europe, bringing together regions from 30 countries – from Norway to Turkey and from Russia to Portugal.

AER is present everywhere on the European continent, inside and outside the European Union. It is the political voice of its members, as well as a forum for interregional cooperation. AER has offices in Strasbourg (FR) and Brussels (BE) as well as a representation office in Alba (RO) 

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Debating the Role of Regions in the Digital Era

10 December, 2019 By Erica Lee

During the AER Bureau Meeting which took place in Brussels on 5 December 2019, the AER Taskforce on Digitalisation hosted a panel debate on Regions in the Digital Era at the BIP – the House of the Capital Region.

The event was organised under the leadership of the Taskforce Chair, the Region of Lower Austria.

The shift towards an information society has profoundly changed our way of living and thinking. Information society, with the help of ICT, offers great opportunities to local and regional authorities to enhance the democratic participation of citizens and increasing the quality and efficiency of public services and local administration.

Likewise, regions plan and pursue their own digital strategies in order to enhance economic growth and to promote their citizens’ wellbeing.

During the debate, experts from European Institutions, academia and the private sector had the opportunity to reflect on the challenges that regions face to foster an ecosystem that is conducive to the uptake and usage of digital applications to benefit its citizens. Concurrently, debate attendees seized the opportunity to pose questions to the panel to learn how to better harness digitalization and empower citizens in their regions.

Kerstin Koren from the Lower Austrian Regional Government moderated the debate, which was opened by Martin Eichtinger – Minister of Housing, Labour, and International Relations of the Government of Lower Austria, Chair of the AER Task Force on Digitalisation

Mr. Eichtinger showcased the work that Lower Austria is doing in promoting digitalisation by establishing different projects and initiatives, such as Digi Contest, a competition for employees to come up with innovative project ideas, alongside other citizens’ participation programmes, which can be used as examples by other European regions.

Anne-Marie Sassen, Deputy Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission gave insights into the Commission’s Digital Europe programme with a detailed presentation.

You can revisit the presentation by accessing the slides here.

She stated that there are some European organisations that have already implemented new technologies, but not all of them are making the most of things when it comes to digital competences. The same applies to regions, are implementing a lot of technologies, whereas others are not. With the Digital Europe Programme, the European Commission hopes to encourage European public services, companies and citizens to be more aware of the advantages of digitalisation and to enable these actors to seize the benefits that can come from digital technologies.

Ms. Koren subsequently asked the audience to feedback on the first thing that comes to mind when we discuss digitalisation.

Sli.do 5 Dec 2019

Thomas J. Lampoltshammer – Deputy Head of Center for E-Governance, Danube University Krems reflected on the outcomes of this audience poll and the situation of regions & companies active in the digital era, stating

“We have different challenges and we need to find a way to put together the main pillars in order to find solutions.” He advised that we need to bring the public and private sector together to cooperate on the digital transition and he stressed in particular that given that each region has its own profile and background which affects the development of digital literacy, there is a need to develop a programme for providing solutions to the problems, to make people aware of the digital era and to encourage them to get on board in the ways that work best for them.

Stefan Moritz, Managing Director of European Entrepreneurs (CEA-PME) gave the perspectives of SMEs and stressed that SMEs need to be more digitally literate. To do this we need to share good practices with other countries, and to cooperate. For regions and EU Member States, he advised that E-governance will be a pull factor for digital companies, as well as for citizens so it is crucial that public services keep up the pace.

Ludmilla Georgieva, Public Policy and Governmental Relations Manager, Google, shared her views as somebody who has previously worked in the public sector before joining the tech giant. She underscored the opportunities that digitalisation offers to governments, regions and citizens. She gave the example of the cloud as a means to help to reduce costs, to reduce time, and to improve overall quality of life.

She reiterated that digitalisation is an opportunity for regions to foster regional development, the grow local economies and keep citizens in their region by providing digital infrastructure and promoting connectivity through digital technologies.

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

14 November, 2019 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

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

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

Let’s plan the future together!

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

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

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

Work, innovation, public services or sustainability?

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

Groups will gather in parallel on the 4 following topics:

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

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

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

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Together for Cohesion project goes to the Council of Europe!

30 October, 2019 By Agnese Pantaloni

The Together for Cohesion project has been represented at the 37th session of the Local and Regional Authorities Congress, led by the Council of Europe and held in Strasbourg on 28-31 October 2019.

At our dedicated stand, project representatives promoted and advertised the project mission and activities to the interested participants attending the congress. Thanks to this event, the project information reached out to many different stakeholders from all over Europe, mostly regional and local civil servants, governmental representatives, politicians and NGOs. Indeed, more than 300 participants took part in the congress and had the opportunity to get insights and Marketing materials from our project, either for information purposes or for getting somehow involved in the project activities. The project’s mission is now in the phase of being spread and disseminated all over Europe.

Being also a member of the European Cohesion Alliance and linked to this year congress’s theme “Mayors safeguarding democracy”, project representatives mentioned to the participants who passed by our information desk the importance of EU cohesion policy and funds as a channel to implement social and economic investments at the grassroots level with the view to fostering better and enhanced growth among the regions. In this sense, AER considers EU cohesion policy and funds as an opportunity to help reduce (territorial) disparities and inequalities across the regions and therefore contribute to the respect of principles of solidarity, equity and good public governance – essential for achieving strong regional and local democracies. Indeed, our project is also touching upon this democratic dimension and is contributing somehow towards sustainable developments goals 8 (economic growth), 10 (reduced inequalities) and 16 (strong institutions).

More precisely, attendees who were interested in our information desk received a showcase on how to use the project website, how to handle the online database of good practices and learn/share about communication campaigns and reflect on examples from other regions for mutual learning. In addition, participants were invited to propose events or activities – within their regions – that can be linked to cohesion and structural funds directly or indirectly. These events are to be included in the so-called “European cohesion calendar of local events” – which is envisaged to provide an overview of the key regional events and activities on the topic of EU cohesion and structural funds, focused on the partner regions. This activity is one of the central hubs of the project implementation and will garner interest not only from the European institutions but also from the regions and citizens themselves!

In conclusion … attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the project either for dissemination purposes or for getting engaged somehow. Our project representation through the dedicated and well-organised stand in such an important event has given a strong visibility boost and political attention – not only from the Council of Europe representatives but also from key regional and local institutions across Europe.

Next Together for Cohesion project visibility activity will take place on 5 December at the AER Bureau meeting in Brussels.

Keen to learn more about this project?

Please contact Eduardo Nadal – EU Projects Manager [email protected] (+32 2 400 10 12)

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

30 October, 2019 By Erica Lee

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

More on the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum…

You can find out in this article the main outcomes and conclusions from the Eurodyssey Assembly.

Visit the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum event page to download all the working documents, presentations, pictures and other takeaways…

Photo by Resi Kling on Unsplash

Eurodyssey Assembly 2019

Eurodyssey Assembly 2019

The Eurodyssey Assembly took place as part of the annual Eurodyssey Forum on 24 October 2019 in Cagliari, Sardinia (IT) ...
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Youth Mobility at the fore during the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum in Sardinia

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

The experience of living in another country impacts a young person's personal and professional development, increases independence and responsibility, helps ...
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2019 Eurodyssey Steering Committee Elections!

2019 Eurodyssey Steering Committee Elections!

Dear Eurodyssey members, during the 2019 Eurodyssey Assembly, that took place on the 24th of October in Cagliari, Sardinia (IT), ...
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REGIONerating Europe

8 October, 2019 By Erica Lee

As part of the European Week of Regions and Cities, AER hosted an event entitled “REGIONerating Europe” 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.

The European Week of Regions and Cities 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.

The timing of this event was particularly pertinent given that new European Parliament has recently been elected and a new Commission is currently being formed.

The goal of the workshop, moderated by AER Vice-President for Democracy, Nina Björby, was to stimulate debate around key challenges facing the EU today and how regions can help to create a more democratic, inclusive and sustainable Europe.

Speaking on the value of cohesion policy and its uses, Anna Wagner, Deputy Head of Unit of the European Commission’s DG Regio stressed the importance of the partnership principle as well as the territorial dimension of cohesion policy. She welcomed the emphasis on a territorial approach and the move away from looking at cohesion purely through a sectoral lens.

Ms Wagner also highlighted the importance of “cross-fertilising” or sharing best practices between regions. She recognises the work done by AER in this field and affirmed the importance of policy learning between regions as a means to promote a bottom-up approach to governance.

Anna Casini, Vice President of the Marche Region, Italy, intervened on the subject of subsidiarity and called for a common language and common narrative when communicating on European affairs. Instead of ‘subsidiarity’, we should speak about a Europe closer to citizens.

Ms Casini gave examples from the Marche Region on how Rural Development Funding has been employed both to increase awareness about the EU’s support to regional development in rural areas and also to tackle knock-on effects of climate change. She underlined that addressing climate change is not just a matter of ethics, but also economics, citing the example of viticultural harvests which have been destroyed as a result of drought or floods in her region. Access to European funding can help to offset dramatic consequences for local farmers, businesses and supply chains in Europe’s regions.

Thomas Andersson, AER member and Rapporteur on ‘Partnership between civil society and local and regional levels’ of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, spoke about threats to democracy faced by the existing gap between institutions, citizens and civil society. He outlined the work done by the CoE Congress in cataloguing methods to improve citizens’ engagement and told the participants about an upcoming toolkit which, when published, will be an excellent resource for all local and regional authorities wishing to further the involvement of citizens in multilevel governance and European affairs.

Mr Andersson, too, asserted the importance of avoiding “top-down” approaches to communicating on European affairs, favouring instead the empowerment of individuals and groups to speak up and make their needs known.

Christopher Glück, President of the Young European Federalists (JEF), continued this thread, outlining the work done by JEF and AER on the EU-funded project “Road to the Future“, which involved a bus tour across the EU in advance of the 2019 European Parliament elections to engage young people and encourage them to get out and vote.

Mr. Glück shared his experiences of speaking to young Europeans across the continent, in both capital cities and more remote areas, and told of a feeling of lost trust in democracy and scepticism towards the European Union, partly as a result of disinformation. He concluded by providing concrete examples of how Europe’s local and regional leaders can counter this trend; by making changes that inspire hope in the European project, by tackling disinformation through education & media scrutiny, and speaking openly and passionately about the many advantages of European Union membership, including the positive impact Cohesion Policy has on citizens’ everyday lives.

Takeaways

Advice for regions on Communicating Cohesion Policy

  • Thomas Andersson: don’t be afraid to ask hard questions. Constructive criticism is needed to grow and develop. Keep an eye out for the CoE Congress toolkit on engaging civil society!
  • Anna Wagner: explore how Cohesion Policy programming is conducted in your region and establish what role you can have in shaping it.
  • Anna Casini: listen to critics & teach citizens to verify news. Regions need to speak up when the next Cohesion Policy package is designed to ensure it is shaped in their best interests!
  • Christopher Glück: inclusiveness doesn’t just happen. Resources need to be allocated to facilitate genuine exchanges between institutions and citizens to bridge the gaps. Regions need to be smart in how they interact with citizens, bearing in mind, language aptitudes, the level of info citizens have and their socio-economic circumstances.

Cohesion Policy is a central element of AER’s work. Within the Bureau, we have an active Task Force on Cohesion. In addition, we are currently leading an EU-funded project “Together4Cohesion” on communicating cohesion policy in the regions of Europe.

If you would like to learn more about either of these initiatives, please do not hesitate to contact the AER secretariat.

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