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New financial and networking opportunities for environment: LIFE Calls!

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AER has a long tradition of knowledge sharing and initiatives on “green” topics. As President of AER, Mr Magnus Berntsson, is also President of R20 – Regions for Climate Action. In order to promote an integrated approach on this matter, AER regularly attended the UN climate Conference of Parties (COP), shared the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and organised ad-hoc activities for members as the study visits in the Province of Gelderland (NL) on energy transition and climate change.

In terms of EU funding and projects, we would like to share with you the opportunities now available for 2019 within the LIFE Programme, the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate actions.

LIFE Programme & Calls

The EU LIFE Programme provides funding opportunities for the support of Environment, Nature Conservation and Climate Action projects throughout the EU.

LIFE calls for 2019 are now open and planned as follows:

1.Environment sub-programme

  • Environment and resource efficiency traditional projects – deadline concept note 17 June 2019
  • Nature and biodiversity traditional projects – deadline concept note 19 June 2019
  • Environmental governance and information traditional projects – deadline concept note 19 June 2019
  • Integrated projects – deadline concept note 5 September 2019
  • Technical assistance projects – deadline 12 June 2019
  • Preparatory projects – date to be announced

2.Climate action sub-programme

  • Climate change mitigation traditional projects ​​​​​- deadline full proposal 12 September 2019
  • Climate change adaptation traditional projects​ – deadline full proposal 12 September 2019
  • Climate governance and information traditional projects – deadline full proposal 12 September 2019
  • Integrated projects – deadline concept note 5 September 2019
  • Technical assistance projects – deadline 12 June 2019

3.Operating grants for NGOs

  • Operating grants to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in view of concluding framework partnership agreements (FPAs) and specific grant agreements (SGAs) – deadline 3 June 2019

LIFE calls are opened to…anyone!

  • Public body operating under a national government’s authority, e.g. local authority, national administration etc.
  • Private commercial organisation
  • Private non-commercial organisation (NGOs etc.)

In contrast to other funding programmes LIFE projects are very flexible in terms of how they are set up. You can run a project on your own as well as with partners from your own or another country.

Anyone registered in the EU can make a proposal for LIFE traditional, integrated, preparatory, and technical assistance projects under the sub-programmes for environment and climate action. Specific conditions apply only to capacity building projects.

LIFE Information & Networking Day

The European Commission is organising an Information & Networking Day on the 2019 LIFE call for project proposals that will take place in Brussels on 30th of April. With this occasion you will be able to acknowledge the significant changes of the programme compared to previous years, you will have the chance to meet the representatives of the LIFE Programme from the European Commission and get to know potential partners for your project.

Therefore, don’t miss this opportunity and join it! The registration is open until 25th of April 2019, so no time to wait! In case you cannot come to Brussels, you can watch the event by streaming.

Useful tips!

  • In each EU country there is a national and sometimes several regional contact points to help you with your application
  • The Research and Innovation Participant Portal allows you to find partners for your project ideas among the organisations registered in the portal Beneficiary Register.

The AER Secretariat is also eager to connect our member regions and partners ready to apply for this Programme.

We advise you to read carefully all relevant documentation listed by the EASME (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) before applying.

Photo by pixabay

European Projects

Agnese Pantaloni

Phone: +32 2 400 10 52 E-mail: a.pantaloni(at)aer.eu Skype ID: agnesepanta Languages: it, en, pt Articles by Agnese
  • EU funding
  • Calls for projects and tenders
  • Partner search

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Coming to Vojvodina? Join our Summer Academy meeting!

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If you have not yet heard about the AER Summer Academy, then you should join us at our next meeting on Thursday 27 September – during the AER Autumn Plenaries in Novi Sad (Vojvodina, SRB)– in order to find out more about what this initiative can offer your region. Registrations for the Plenaries are closing on Friday 14 September! 

What is AER Summer Academy’s mission?

According to its Statute –recently approved by the AER General Assembly– the programme aims to:

  • To facilitate the exchange of experience and good practices between regions on issues of common interest.
  • To facilitate exchanges between policy makers and young people.
  • To support mutual learning.
  • To promote regional democracy in Europe & implementation of the principle of subsidiarity.
  • To provide an opportunity for regional representatives to build networks with their peers across wider Europe.
  • To foster interregional co-operation.
  • To highlight regional good practices and promote the host region
  • To promote European construction, European identity, between young people

Join our Summer Academy Organising Committee !

The AER Summer Academy Organising Committee (SAOC) is looking for new regional partners. There are many benefits to hosting an AER Summer Academy, including opportunities to:

  • learn about EU affairs;
  • network with experts and European counterparts;
  • promote the cultural heritage of your region; and
  • empower young people.

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday 27 September on the sidelines of the Plenary in Novi Sad. It will be a good opportunity for non-member regions of the Summer Academy to know more about this programme. You will have an opportunity to meet the members of the SAOC, watch a short video of the past edition in Maramures, listen to Vojvodina’s proposal for 2019, and provide comments and feedback to the committee members. Please, do not hesitate to contact Andrés Muñoz Rojo at the AER Secretariat for further information.

Looking forward to seeing you in Novi Sad!

Photo credits: @Maramures County Council

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Summer Academy: registrations now open!

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Registrations for the 2016 AER Summer Academy in Østfold (NO) are now open! This mutual learning event on youth entrepreneurship  will take place from 16 to 19 August and will gather policy makers young and less young from all over Europe.

Investing in the future

The title of this year’s Summer Academy is “Investing in our future: Youth entrepreneurship in Europe’s Regions” and will feature workshops, study visits and seminars on topics ranging from energy and ICT to achievement in the business jungle without College or University experience.

The AER Youth Regional network will have a major role in the Summer Academy with the organisation of a business game on youth entrepreneurship and a plenary session on social entrepreneurship.

Youth: a priority

For AER supporting youth in the job market is a priority, this is why this Summer Academy is focusing on youth entrepreneurship, a topic where Europe still needs to improve. Join the Summer Academy experience and bring new ideas home to support youth entrepreneurship in your region!

Practical information, programme & registrations

Page of the Summer Academy programme

 

 

 

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ECREIN+ European interregional cooperation to strengthen eco-innovation

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Uppsala (S), 19 February 2010.

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) participated these days in the kick off event of a new European interregional cooperation project, aiming at fostering eco-innovation. ECREIN+ (European Clusters and Regions for Eco-Innovation Network Plus) is an Interreg IVC project led by the region Rhône-Alpes (F), to which AER is a partner. The kick-off event took place in Uppsala (S), an internationally recognized region for its expertise in the field of environmental technology.

ECREIN+ aims at raising awareness and broadly sharing techniques, financial instruments and best practices all over Europe. It will reinforce and complement the ongoing eco-initiatives existing in the partner regions. The partners wish to share expertise on how to better support SMEs and clusters which are already involved in eco-innovation or would like to develop strategies that go into that direction.

“ECREIN+ is of critical importance if we want to turn our regions into green excellence territories. It is an ambitious and comprehensive project that will lead us all, should we truly work together, to foster a prosperous green economy in our regions. But to reach this objective, we need a strong political involvement from all partners.” stated Hélène Blanchard,Vice-president of Rhône-Alpes Regional Council (F), in charge of environment.

“We look forward to participating in this cooperation. Partly because we have a lot to contribute with, but also much to learn. This is a kind of cooperation that we believe will produce tangible results. This can and must contribute to solving our global environmental problems,” says Arne Sandemo, Chairman of the Uppsala Regional Council.

12 regions are working together in ECREIN+ and AER is completing the partnership, bringing its wide network for dissemination and its expertise in interregional cooperation at the service of this promising initiative. The partners are: Rhône-Alpes (F – lead partner), Andalucia (E), Baden-Württemberg (D), Galicia (E), Ile-de-France (F), Lombardia (I), Malopolska (PL), Romanian Municipalities Association (RO), Stara Zagora (BG), Uppsala (S), Wallonie (B), West Midlands (UK) and the Assembly of European Regions.

For more information: [email protected]

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Communicating the European Citizens’ Initiative: Regions contribute to make Europe more democratic

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Brussels, 12 February 2010.

The Assembly of European Regions’ (AER) debated yesterday the new European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, which sets the frame for a new form of direct democracy and public participation in European Union policy shaping.

According to Johannes W. Pichler, Professor for European Law at the University of Graz and Director of the Austrian Institute for European Law and Politics in Salzburg (A), “The European Union is more than just an association of sovereign states. Therefore, we need to find new instruments in order to democratically legitimize the decision making. It is only via the European citizens that opinions and clear majorities can emerge. Article 11.4 of the Lisbon Treaty by no means is the miracle solution, but it represents a possibility to reduce the democracy deficit in Europe. And regions are at the forefront to communicate this new means of direct democracy to its citizens.“ Sebastian Kurpas, representing the European Commission, added: “The European Commission has an interest in getting regions on board when it comes to communicating this new instrument and raising awareness about it.”

The ECI enables one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States to call directly on the European Commission to bring forward an initiative of interest to them in an area of EU competence. As regions are the point of reference for regional identity and the best promoter of a European identity, it is therefore one of the priorities of AER as a regional network and information multiplier to explain this unique tool to the citizens.

Thanks to a Live Web Streaming organised by co-organiser Steiermark (A) region, participants were able to directly answer to citizens’ questions and concerns. Over 100 internet users joined the live webstreaming, some of them asking questions such as whether it is possible to sign their cause for an initiative online. Erich Korzinek, Head of the Steiermark Office Brussels, underlined: “We as Steiermark believe that webstreaming as a communication tool has a big future. The challenge is how to reach the citizens in Europe and raise awareness about European topics. Webstreaming can be a useful tool to reach citizens and to create ownership and legitimacy.”

Yesterdays’ meeting also kicked off the 4th edition of the AER Communication Award, this year split into two categories:
– Communicating the ECI – AER will award those regions which promote a citizens friendly understanding
of the new instrument.
– Communicating received European funding – AER will award those regions which communicate in the most effective ways the financial assistance provided by the funding to their citizens.

For more information: [email protected]

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