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Assembly of European Regions

Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985

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This is the tag for all posts relating to Interregional cooperation.

To another 35 years of Eurodyssey regions on the move!

21 October, 2020 By Editor

For the very first time, the AER-Eurodyssey programme was featured in the European Week of Regions and Cities in partnership with the Public Employment Service of Catalonia – SOC (es), Bureau International Jeunesse – Wallonia (be), Varazdin County (hr), Brussels Public Employment Service – Actiris (be) and the Sardinian Agency for Active Labour Policies – ASPAL (it).

A celebratory event marking 35 years of Eurodyssey

The Eurodyssey virtual lab Eurodyssey35: Regions on the move (14/10/2020), moderated by Hrvoje Kovaç, Chair of the AER Subcommittee on Youth, was joined by two inspiring panellists in the field of youth: Jovana Majstorovic, Board Member of the European Youth Forum, and Floor Van Houdt, Head of Unit for Youth policy and Volunteer Solidarity at the European Commission’s DG for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.

Kicking-off the discussion, Hrvoje Kovaç set out that mobility is at the core of European integration and that the AER has been actively promoting this principle through its flagship #Eurodyssey traineeship programme for over 35 years. Since its inception in 1985, this scheme has allowed over 10,000 people to benefit from work placements. Following these introductory remarks, the teaser of the Eurodyssey 35th Anniversary video was premiered.

Our moderator @Najdeblji sets out the key role that Eurodyssey has played in creating "inclusive, open and equitable" mobility for over 10,000 young people since it began 35 years ago. ✈️ 🌍 pic.twitter.com/vJ1EjdgaPL

— AER (@europeanregions) October 14, 2020

Hrvoje Kovaç subsequently invited a round of questions from Slido addressed both to the speakers and the audience; challenging them to dig into the links between learning, mobility, social inclusion, active citizenship and territorial cohesion.

Mobility in times of COVID-19

Jovana Majstorovic, European Youth Forum, drew attention to the negative impact of COVID-19 on youth development, noting outcomes such as high unemployment, precarious work conditions, lack of access to social protection, restrictions on mobility and deteriorating mental health among young people.

Floor Van Houdt added that the Commission’s immediate concern when COVID-19 broke out was the young people on mobility programmes abroad who ended up stuck in another country. The first measure the Commission took was to cover administrative costs for affected organisations and participants by activating force majeure clauses. In spite of the crisis, she noted that young people refused to end their participation in these programmes; choosing instead to adapt to the situation and lead from the front. For instance, the vast majority of the European Solidarity Corps projects were transformed into emergency initiatives led by young people to deliver medical equipment, help the elderly or assist school teachers.

What can be done at the regional level to encourage youth participation and inclusive mobility?

Floor Van Houdt called upon regional and local authorities to fully exploit large European funds (e.g. European Social Fund) and the Reinforced Youth Guarantee which are concrete instruments to help young people access the labour market. In addition, Floor mentioned the “Europe goes local” project carried out by the Erasmus+ National Agencies, which provides specific tools to municipalities to support youth work and co-management structures. The European Solidarity Corps is another good example of how young people can help themselves by helping others.

In her view, equality and inclusion can only be safeguarded through an ambitious, collective effort involving all stakeholders: the EU, the member states, regions, NGOs, youth associations and civil society. As for inclusive mobility, EU programmes have together with the national agencies developed diversity strategies with funding support to identify target groups and their needs when they engage with mobility schemes.

Floor van Houdt, head of unit for youth policy @EU_Commission underlines that "it's important for regions to listen to young people, because they know best what their needs are."

Don't forget to submit your questions on slido using #eurodyssey 💻💬 pic.twitter.com/V0fYo7Olb0

— AER (@europeanregions) October 14, 2020

In this regard, Hrvoje pointed out that in order to tackle youth unemployment and other issues affecting young people, regions have a duty to make young people’s voices heard in decision-making processes.

Jovana explained that the European Youth Forum is focusing more and more on consolidating youth participation in regional public life. She welcomed the Reinforced Youth Guarantee as a key instrument to encourage youth autonomy in times of COVID-19, and urged the EU institutions to extend this funding to non-EU countries for better cohesion. Jovana stressed the importance of including youth-led associations, particularly those representing disadvantaged groups in regional policy-making. She noted the European Youth Capitals initiative as a best practice example of how to develop youth inclusion policies between local/regional authorities and young people.

According to Jovana, the COVID-19 crisis is leaving young people behind, while democratic norms are increasingly eroding. In this context, young people are falling into poverty and marginalisation, and COVID-19 cannot be an excuse to neglect their needs. On a more positive note, responding to a question from the moderator regarding the European Parliament’s resolution to ban unpaid internships, Jovana answered: “it is indeed a great victory and proves that youth participation has tangible outcomes and is vital to uphold youth rights”.

Jovana Majstorovic, Board Member of @Youth_Forum stresses that regions "must involve young people in the creation of youth policies." 👫🤝

What do you think? 🤔

Join the conversation on https://t.co/Vi9XP0UwZs using the #eurodyssey! pic.twitter.com/ASLxuqZDaI

— AER (@europeanregions) October 14, 2020

What are the benefits of learning mobility and volunteering?

As a former Erasmus participant, Floor Van Houdt strongly believes that any mobility or volunteering experience abroad is enriching in many different ways. Besides learning a new language, becoming immersed in a culture and becoming more tolerant, mobility encourages young people to acquire a set of personal and professional competencies that are in high demand from employers, such as autonomy, self-confidence and a sense of initiative. Additionally, exchange programmes of this kind make for better-informed citizens, and to the internationalisation of companies and organisations.

What are the benefits of taking part in youth programmes like @eurodyssey ?

🗣️Stronger language skills;

🙋‍♀️Greater independence;

🇪🇺 More active citizens;

🤔 Challenging ideas.

What would you add to this list? Tell us on slido with #eurodyssey pic.twitter.com/reh3imej6P

— AER (@europeanregions) October 14, 2020

Jovana also shared her reflections on mobility programmes based on her personal experiences as a non-EU citizen. In her opinion, the opportunity to take part in a mobility programme abroad fosters intercultural sensitivity in young people, especially in the Balkan region where some long-standing prejudices remain. Thanks to these experiences, she became a strong advocate of inclusiveness and understanding in her community, which has been negatively influenced by a biased and politically motivated media. She underlined that volunteering significantly influences one’s personal development and brings people of different opinions and backgrounds together.

Hrvoje pointed out that mobility has an extraordinary potential to spread European active citizenship and, most importantly, to break down prejudices and preconceptions in a given community when it is introduced to foreign people, particularly in remote and rural areas. What is more, Eurodyssey proves that mobility schemes enable “brain-circulation”, as opposed to “brain-drain”, as it brings benefits to both the sending region and hosting regions.

Curious to find out more?

Rewatch the webinar!

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How to get involved in the Youth Policies of the Future with Skillman

17 September, 2020 By Birgit Sandu

On September 2nd, the Skillman Alliance, in cooperation with the European Training Foundation, hosted the “Youth Policy Partnerships” webinar. This was the fifth webinar on EU funding opportunities that are being co-organized by AER within the Skillnet project framework (co-founded by the Eramus+ Programme) in order to gather experts and practitioners in the field of TVET to exchange experience, network, and establish fruitful partnerships to be applied to future project opportunities.

The webinar served as a great occasion to fuel discussions and exchange practices on how youth can be concretely “engaged, connected and empowered” as foreseen by the European Youth Strategy, as well as to lunch the newly established Skillman Youth Forum, a Basecamp platform where youth experts (TVET providers, academic staff, policy and decision-makers, representatives from youth organizations, other stakeholders, and especially youth themselves)  can debate about youth-related challenges and co-design joint-solutions and joint-activities through knowledge sharing and peer learning. 

The online event included inspiring contributions from a panel of experts in the field. In his introductory speech, Giovanni Crisonà, Skillman President, highlighted the major constraints that young people are facing starting from the unfavorable economic conjunction resulting from the financial crisis to the unknown and unpredictable post-covid era. Accordingly, the need and willingness are to establish transnational and horizontal (involving all the major actors concerned) partnerships to draw solutions and reforms through a holistic approach. As detailedly explained by Elena Romanini, Skillman Youth Forum Leader, the Skillman Youth Forum provides a space where these partnerships can be established and actions can be developed and evaluated. The platform is open to the contribution of all the interested individuals or organizations. To know more about the forum, visit the dedicated landing page on Skillman.eu. 

The second part of the webinar focused on concrete examples of how transnational mobility can contribute to foster “engaged, connected and empowered” youth. First, Mano Andreadis, Senior Project Manager of Assetec and EYE Coordinator, presented the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme. Through a transnational mobility scheme, EYE provides a mutual opportunity for aspiring young entrepreneurs and experienced entrepreneurs running or managing an SME in another country. While the former develops top-skills by assisting the experienced entrepreneur, the latter gains new and fresh inputs from the young trainees. 

Lastly, Andrés Munos Rojo and Yasser El Koura, AER Youth Programmes Coordinator, and Eurodyssey trainee respectively, showed how interregional cooperation and fair mobility can support youth inclusion. Eurodyssey was presented as a good example in light of its focus on the promotion and delivery of fair mobility providing: A win-win for stakeholders; autonomy and flexibility to the regions to prioritize the field that they would like to strengthen through the trainee; an integral experience for youth (traineeship, language courses, and immersion in the hosting culture); and a wide variety of traineeship not targeted only to graduates. The benefits of this approach are confirmed by the statistics, pointing to both higher youth employability and inclusiveness after the Eurodyseey experience. 

What’s next?

As mentioned, our work on youth policy partnerships does not stop here! We invite you all to join the Skillnet Youth Forum and contribute to the design of effective actions! 

Upcoming webinars on EU funding opportunities are currently being organized; stay tuned and do not miss the opportunity to change the future of TVET!

Have a look at the previous articles published within the ‘Partnerships in Focus’ series:

1). Partnerships in Focus n1: Capacity Building in Higher Education  

2). Partnerships in Focus n2: Skills and Education Guarantee Pilot 

3). Partnerships in Focus n3: Knowledge Alliance in the Maritime Sector

4). Partnerships in Focus n4: Implementation of Innovative VET Policies through Transnational Cooperation

EU Funding Opportunities:

  • Call for proposals: Civil Society Projects 2020 3 August 2020 The call for proposals  Civil Society Projects 2020 (Call EACEA/52/2019) has been published.
  • Selection results: Support for Development of European Video Games 2020 31 July 2020 Selection results for the call Support for Development of European Video Games 2020 have been published.
  • Selection results: Support for Development of Audiovisual Content – Slate Funding 2020 31 July 2020 Selection results for the call Support for Development of Audiovisual Content – Slate Funding 2020 have been published.
  • Selection results: Cultural Cooperation Projects in the Western Balkans 2019 30 July 2020 Selection results for the call Cultural Cooperation Projects in the Western Balkans 2019 have been published.
  • Selection results: Town Twinning 2020 – Round 1 27 July 2020 Selection results for the call Town Twinning 2020 – Round 1 have been published.
  • Selection results: Networks of Towns 2020 – Round 1 20 July 2020 Selection results for the call Networks of Towns 2020 – Round 1 have been published.

Photo Credits: Skillman.eu

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#EURegionsWeek – Eurodyssey35: Regions on the move

3 September, 2020 By Editor

The Assembly of European Regions is pleased to announce one more contribution to the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC). For the first time, the Eurodyssey programme will be featured in the #EURegionsWeek through our virtual participatory lab, Eurodyssey35: Regions on the move, which will take place on 14 October at 9:30 AM.

In this session, policy-makers, regional officials and young activists will engage one another in an open dialogue on what is at stake for youth development, and the instrumental role of youth mobility in fostering territorial cohesion and a sense of European identity. 

Mobility is at the core of European integration. For over 25 years the EU has actively promoted the mobility of students, researchers and citizens to deliver in strategic policy areas: employment, education and inclusion. Since 1985, the AER has put regions at the forefront of fair mobility for young people through our Eurodyssey programme. Regional and local authorities have a key part to play in driving youth development and tackling barriers to short-term mobility and longer-term cohesion.

Through parallel discussions, the audience will not only take a deep-dive into the ins and outs of youth mobility but will also challenge the invited storytellers to reflect upon the linkages between fair mobility, quality employment, social inclusion and active European citizenship.

 

DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Closing date: 7 October 2020

Speakers:

  • Mr Hrvoje Kovač, Chair of AER Subcommittee on Youth, Assembly of European Regions (AER).
  • Ms Jovana Majstorovic, Board Member, European Youth Forum.
  • Ms Floor Van Houdt, Head of Unit for Youth policy and Volunteer Solidarity, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.

Webinar: implementing innovative TVET policies

10 July, 2020 By Mathilde Perrier

You are all invited to attend the webinar organised by Skillman Network on the implementation of innovative technical, vocational education and training (TVET) policies through transnational cooperation. Mr Hrvoje Kovač, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Youth in the AER Committee for Culture, Education and Youth and Deputy Mayor of the Town of Lepoglava in Varaždin County (HR), will provide a presentation about mutual learning on skills development amongst European regions.

SKILLNET – Sector Skills Network in Advanced Manufacturing

AER recently joined a new project SKILLNET, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme. It aims at helping Vocational Education and Training (VET) organisations to network and anticipate changes in needs for skills. Skillnet addresses challenges such as the skills mismatch between the industry and the workforce that many regions are currently facing.

This project works with VET organisations and is coordinated by the Skillman Network, a transnational platform of centres of vocational excellence for the advanced manufacturing sector. Within Skillnet, AER will facilitate mutual learning activities and will contribute in providing information on EU funding opportunities through webinars and informative bulletins.

Implementing innovative TVET policies through transnational cooperation

Skillman Network will host a webinar on 15 July 2020. It will provide insights on transnational cooperation to implement innovative TVET policies and elaborate recommendations to policymakers to foster improvement and innovation in the education and training fields. This webinar is part of a series that will take place within Skillnet project until October 2021.

Experts will present their approach to skills development in relation to transnational cooperation and will share successful experiences of innovative transnational training programmes. Among them, Mr Hrvoje Kovač, representing both AER and Varazdin County Council, will present mutual learning methods and activities on skills development amongst European regions. He will first present the idea of mutual learning and interregional cooperation within AER Committee for Culture, Education and Youth and then he will share examples from Varazdin on skills development and the way they are working with other regions on this matter.

Wednesday 15 July 2020 from 10:00 to 11:15 am CET
Agenda
Registration
Watch back

The presentations used during the webinar are available below:

Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash

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Job Vacancy: Secretary General

3 July, 2020 By Anne Henk Bloemhoff

Founded in 1985, the Assembly of European Regions is the largest independent 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), Brussels (BE), and Alba (RO).

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is looking for its new Secretary General to start ideally by early November. We are looking for an experienced leader to oversee the management of our three offices, to ensure a smooth transition and implementation of our ambitious work programme, and to represent AER externally.

JOB DESCRIPTION

As Secretary General, you will be responsible for leading and coordinating a team of 10 employees (the Secretariat). You will work in close cooperation with the Executive Board and the other statutory bodies of AER. The Secretary General will also provide updated reports on budget utilisation and current progress to the Executive Board 4-5 times a year as well as a report to all members during the annual General Assembly. Additionally, you will be responsible for strategically developing the future work plan and budget of the organisation. 

KEY TASKS

  • Maintaining and developing relations with official bodies and institutions and policymakers, especially towards the European Institutions, the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Furthermore, maintaining and developing relations with national and regional offices in Brussels
  • Coordinating and preparing meetings of the Executive Board (4-5 times annually) as well as other statutory meetings per the internal guidelines
  • Connecting and maintaining relationships with members, as well as attracting new members. Ensuring that activities provided answers members’ needs and that members are properly informed on new developments of interest to them.
  • Nurturing working relationships with other local & regional organisations as well as partner networks
  • Representing AER at high-level conferences and seminars including speaking engagements on behalf of the organisation. Additionally, contributing to AER’s visibility in European, national and regional media. 
  • Managing an international secretariat of 10 highly skilled and enthusiastic members of staff and set up and maintain a good and fair working atmosphere that favours team motivation and goals achievement. 
  • Overseeing the budget and administration of the secretariat. This includes liaising with the auditors and social secretariat to ensure the sound financial and legal running of the organisation. 
  • Developing the future work plan of the organisation in line with the goals and priorities of the members. 

COMPETENCIES 

  • Relevant academic degree
  • Excellent knowledge of regional affairs at European level
  • Experience working in a politically run organisation
  • Knowledge of European Union Institutions ways of working
  • Solid managerial experience in an international setting
  • Ability to develop and communicate a strategy empowering a team
  • Perfect knowledge of English (AER working language) and at least one additional European language
  • Computer literacy and the ability to be self-supporting
  • Experience with developing a strategic plan

PROFILE

  • Inspiring speaker and charismatic leader
  • Negotiation and diplomatic skills
  • Time management skills and the ability to work under pressure
  • Hands-on, willing to be flexible with deadlines and able to assist the team at all levels of work when required

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

  • Applications (cover letter + CV) must be done via the Eurobrussels platform by Friday 31 July midnight (Brussels Time). Please be sure to include your CV, Motivation Letter and References in one PDF.
  • If you have any questions regarding this position please contact us at [email protected]
  • Interviews will take place online for the first round (week of 24 August) and in-person for the second round in Brussels (week of 31 August). 
  • AER is looking for a Secretary General able to start as soon as possible and ideally no later than Monday 2 November. 
  • Given the high number of applications anticipated, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
  • Please note that AER cannot refund travel and accommodation costs for the interviews. AER has no budget to cover relocation costs for candidates who are not based in Belgium or France.
  • AER will require candidates to demonstrate that they have the right to live and work in the EU
  • Frequent travel is required for this position
  • Please note that you may be contacted by our recruitment agency, Rtesian
  • AER is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes any application, whatever gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT

  • The SG will be required to work either in Brussels (BE) or Strasbourg (F), with frequent travels to the other office and to member regions.
  • The contract will be under French or Belgium law depending on the above.
  • The contract will be long-term
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CLOSED: Communication & Events Assistant

19 June, 2020 By Editor

This vacancy has now been closed. Shortlisted candidates have been contacted and invited to interview.

We are looking for a colleague to build on a renewed brand identity and to continue innovating our communications systems, taking AER to the next level.

We want this to be combined with a knack for organising events, from workshops, to multi-day conferences.

We offer a Belgian 1-year full-time employment contract, with a competitive salary, and a possibility of extension.

You must have the right to live and work in Europe.

Are you our next colleague?

We need someone who is creative, responsive and upbeat. In this position, you will be expected to constantly strive to improve AERs visibility, recognition and image, to use your insights in a proactive manner, delivering results in a smart, politically sensitive way.

Our new colleague should speak and write fluently in English, have experience in a communications/PR position, as well as event organisation experience, be interested in the regional dimension of Europe, ready to travel across the continent and have a good working knowledge of all modern channels of communication (MS Office Suite, WordPress, Slack, Mailchimp, social networks … ).

Your professional profile should fit the responsibilities below:

Managing the implementation of AER Events (50%)

The Communication & Events Assistant will also be responsible for coordinating the organisation of all our major events. We have statutory events all around Europe, and each of them requires the development of a format that suits our members, and their rich discussions.

In this role, you would

  • coordinate the sourcing of hosts (member regions) for all of our statutory events;
  • coordinate the organisation of the AER General Assembly;
  • coordinate the organisation of the bi-annual AER Bureau & Committee Meetings.

Leading AER’s communications & community (45%)

As Communication & Events Assistant in our Brussels office, you will lead our team in “telling the story” of AER. You will disseminate results of our day-to-day activities, contribute to branding AER as the place to be for regions, and help to bring visibility to individual regions and politicians via our channels.

Some examples of how you’ll do this include:

  • building on AER’s new strategy for engagement and community development;
  • reaching out to AER’s audience via social media;
  • developing and managing our main communication channel (our website);
  • managing our mass mailings and other communications;
  • liaising with the Member Relations coordinator to promote individual regions and their success stories;
  • preparing the annual activity report.

Other Tasks (5%)

As a small team, all colleagues do more than just their main tasks. As a computer whiz, we hope you’ll be able to take over the handling of our IT responsibilities: handling the email accounts, setting up computers (Mac OS), and making sure the website is up and running efficiently.

Apply

If this piques your interest, here’s how you can apply:

Please send a short cover letter with your CV in English to [email protected] with “AER Communication & Events Assistant” as the subject line.

Please include examples of your related communications work (campaigns/website/articles) and the types of events that you have organised (workshops/conferences/trainings).

Please label any attachments as follows “FirstName_Surname_FileName” and send in PDF format.

Deadline for application: Sunday 5 July – midnight.

Anticipated Interviews:

Round 1: 8/9/10 July

Round 2: 16/17 July

Starting date: September 2020

Due to the large number of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Apply Now!

Connecting regions – inspiring Europe

Set up in 1985, The Assembly of European Regions is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe, bringing together regions from 35 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).

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A youth voluntary response to COVID-19!

27 May, 2020 By Editor

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

Regions mobilising youth voluntary work!

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

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

AER examples of youth voluntary work

Lepoglava, Varazdin County (HR): 

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

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

Regional Youth Centre of Ajara (GE)

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

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

The Eurodyssey example:

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

Share your success story!

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

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

FILL IN SURVEY



Thanks in advance for contributing to this initiative!

Photo credits: @Lepoglava municipality / @Ajara

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Connectivity & Infrastructure in Europe

15 May, 2020 By Anne Henk Bloemhoff

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

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

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

INTERVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Webinar with the College of Europe

4 May, 2020 By Erica Lee

On Thursday, 30 April 2020, the Assembly of European Regions participated in a webinar entitled “Subnational Diplomacy in Multi-Level Europe” in collaboration with the College of Europe in Natolin’s ‘Regions of Europe’ Society.

Mathieu Mori, Secretary-General of the Assembly of European Regions, gave a keynote address and explained to students how cities and regions design and implement public policies throughout the world. He focussed in particular on the role regions play in European and international decision-making and highlighted the work of the Assembly in this regard.

Mr. Mori’s address was followed by a presentation by AER Member Relations Coordinator, Tina Wu on the specificities of the Assembly’s network, its membership and how AER works across policy, programmes and projects to foster interregional cooperation.


College of Europe in Natolin – Regions of Europe Society

The Regions of Europe Society, founded by a group students of the College of Europe in Natolin, publishes a journal on regional affairs: La Regionisto. 

The journal focuses on regional economic, political or cultural issues and its aim is to enable everyone to deepen their curiosity for various regions of Europe and beyond, in a classic or fun way. 

Three editions of the journal have been published in the current academic year with texts in English or French. The journal also offers the contributors the opportunity to publish in their regional language.

Past editions of the journal may be read online HERE.

The Assembly of European Regions has contributed an article to the forthcoming fourth edition.


Also on Thursday, AER Communications Coordinator, Erica Lee, an alumna of the College, gave a Communications Masterclass to the members of the Regions of Europe society in which she outlined tips & tricks for compiling, editing and publishing a Journal such as La Regionisto.


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Eurodyssey response to COVID-19!

28 April, 2020 By Editor

Following the decision 13/03/2020 of suspending temporarily Eurodyssey due to the COVID-19 emergency, a Eurodyssey monitoring group was immediately established to respond to the crisis and coordinate joint actions to protect the Eurodyssey trainees in mobility.

Joint actions, joint solutions!

As it is already well-known, Eurodyssey has proved once again to be a remarkable example of interregional cooperation across Europe by adopting joint measures aimed to ensure the wellbeing and safety of the Eurodyssey participants stuck in another region amid the sanitary crisis.

In light of the first signs of the virus outbreak in Europe in early March, a group of Eurodyssey correspondents from different regions immediately reacted to the international sanitary call. A round of individual consultations, coordinated by the AER Secretariat, followed to closely evaluate the situation in each Eurodyssey territory.

As a result, it was unanimously decided to temporarily suspend the programme and cancel any mobility sending of participants for force majeure reasons. This way, the Eurodyssey regions may have anticipated to eventual worse scenarios derived from the pandemic.

A weekly review of coordinated measures…

Since the suspension took effect (13/03/2020), a Eurodyssey monitoring group composed of more than 15 member regions has been assessing every week the individual situation of those participants who were directly affected by the crisis.

Such an emergency has posed daunting challenges to the regional administrators ranging from contracts extensions or cancellations, travel assistance or repatriation and medical insurances to financial aid for those stuck in mobility in another region. Some examples of these are illustrated as follows:

Graphics posted on AER-Eurodyssey social media platforms

Acknowledgements from the Presidency!

@estany_esther,President of AER-Eurodyssey, has a message to share with all the member regions in recognition of their efforts to contain the spread of the #COVID19 and to keep the participants safe during the sanitary crisis👏🌐👉Read more in the article: https://t.co/LqXXe9slgr pic.twitter.com/q76PQeup0v

— AER (@europeanregions) April 29, 2020

I want to express my sincere recognition to all the Eurodyssey member regions for their invaluable efforts in guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of the Eurodyssey participants during this sanitary crisis of the COVID-19.

I am very proud of the network not only for anticipating on time to eventual worse scenarios derived from this crisis but also for the weekly monitoring to keep the participants safe.

Following the crisis, Eurodyssey will be back stronger and full of new ambitious goals to the benefit of our young participants!

Esther Estany, President of AER-Eurodyssey
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COVID-19: A Global Crisis That Requires a Collective Response

1 April, 2020 By Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


CONTACT US

AER COVID-19 Hub

AER Secretariat Contact Info

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

Photo by visuals 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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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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Territorial approaches to Regional Development

22 January, 2020 By Shubhaangi Srivastava

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 specialisation strategies in Europe, health innovation and wellbeing, as well as brain drain vs brain gain.

Why do territorial approaches matter?

A territorial approach focuses on the specific characteristics of a region. While this may seem sound and obvious, many economic decisions are still taken by and mainly with national stakeholders.

The territorial approach stresses the importance of negotiation, consensus-building and conflict resolution, through a focus on a region’s caracteristics and its intangible human capital such as knowledge and networks.

In a context where a ‘geography of discontent’ has been identified in Europe, referring to a mix of local economic conditions in many rural areas and medium-sized and small cities, it is all the more urgent to generate better engagement and territorial cohesion.

Similarly, the OECD 2019 Regional Outlook also highlights the need for place-based policies to address the persisting inequalities, which exist between and within OECD countries.

Interregional cooperation, innovation and influence

As the Territorial Agenda of EU 2020, pointed out, the integration of territories through territorial cooperation is helpful in fostering global competitiveness.

Regional interdependencies are increasingly important, which calls for continued networking, cooperation and integration between various regions of the EU at all relevant territorial levels.

At the Assembly of Europe, regions believe that interregional cooperation in Europe increases a territory’s innovation potential via mutual learning and qualitative networking.

The added value however is not only in the increased innovation potential. There is a consistent link between developing coalitions and influence at European level on the one hand, and generating opportunities for regional stakeholders. Which in turn creates engagement from a variety of stakeholders in a territory.

This is one of the highlights of the AER yearly seminar at the European College of Cluny on “Cities and Regions: New Actors of Change in Europe”. Indeed the flow of knowledge and practices, which happens through interregional cooperation, encourages innovation and fosters the resilience of territories

This is why the plenaries in Covasna will also feature a workshop on influence & coalitions at European level for regional development.

Photo by Joel Vodell on Unsplash

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