This tag is for all posts relating to R20.

AER President takes part in panel discussion at the R20 Austrian World Summit

29 May, 2019 By Anne Henk Bloemhoff

“We are in a crisis – a climate crisis”. During the R20 Austrian World Summit, Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old activist from Sweden delivered a moving speech calling on the world leaders to influence, to make an impact and to start protecting our world. Indeed, the Summit saw world leaders joining together calling for nations to reaffirm their commitment to the Paris Agreement. Leaders such as Alexander van der Bellen, Federal President of Austria; the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres; and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chair of the R20 and former governor of California delivered key note interventions calling on us to act now. Antonio Guterres delivered a strong message that we needed to “end fossil fuel subsidies and to stop using taxpayers’ money to destroy the world”. At the current rate of action, the world would warm by 3C not the 1.5C envisioned. The main message of the Summit was to reaffirm the need for climate action, goal 13 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As such, during this Summit there have been discussions on many different topics related to the SDGs. Today, the AER and R20 President, Magnus Berntsson participated in a panel on Sustainable Cities (goal 11) and specifically carbon-neutral housing & mobility. He shared the stage with Arnout Smit from the Arnhem Nijmegen City Region, Rana Adib, Executive Director of REN21 and Claire Roumet, Executive Director of Energy Cities. During his intervention, Mr Berntsson stressed the importance of partnerships and cooperation with one another. Furthermore, the need to share and spread the example to other regions and the world.

Meeting with Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann of Baden-Württemburg to discuss electrification and future collaborations between their regions.
Meeting with ICLEI President/Mayor of Bonn Ashok Sridharan

Mr Berntsson also provided examples regarding the topic of mobility and the how the move to electrification is moving much quicker than what was originally planned. This means that there is much more planning that needs to be done in order to pass this benefit to the citizens. Additionally, he advised that in his region of Västra Götaland, they showcased how the electrification of buses has other effects such as lowering greenhouse gases in urban environment as well as the decrese in sound changing how city can plan their city. This was demonstrated by having a bus stop in a library.

Following Mr Berntsson’s intervention, Fran Pavley, former California State Senator provided concrete examples of what is being done in California to combat climate change. Many of her examples showcased how climate action comes from the cities, exemplifying the importance of regions, cities and local governments play in being the change to reach the Paris Agreement.

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AER to attend the R20 Austrian World Summit in Vienna

23 May, 2019 By Anne Henk Bloemhoff

Next week, the R20 Austrian World Summit will again be taking place in Vienna. This long-term initiative to create a network platform to help regions, states and cities implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals and meet the global climate protection targets outlined in the Paris agreement stems from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s R20 Regions of Climate Action and is now in its 3^rd edition.

The effects of climate change can be felt globally via the increase of heatwaves, floods, droughts, melting glaciers and rising sea-levels. An estimated 9 million deaths are attributed to pollution every year. Additionally, a recent study found that the melting Artic permafrost could add nearly 70 trillion to the global cost of climate change if the planet warms by 3C by 2100. Even if action is taken to limit this increase to 1.5C, it would still add 25 trillion to overall climate costs.

Following the increased call for climate action and strikes for the climate worldwide, the United Kingdom and Ireland have declared a national climate emergency. Indeed, one of the goals of the R20 Austrian World Summit is to amplify the call on nations to act and to step up their ambition under the Paris Agreement by publishing new commitments before 2020 and cut emissions on a science-based trajectory that limits this warming. During the Summit, innovative solutions, policies, best practice projects, examples of cooperation and role models from different countries, cities, regions and sectors that are dealing with pollution and championing a future of renewable energy will be showcased.

AER delegates will be attending the R20 Austrian World Summit, which will include almost 1500 participants from over 50 countries. The AER President and R20 President, Magnus Berntsson, will be in attendance, and will be contributing in a panel session on Sustainable Cities: Carbon-Neutral Housing & Mobility on 29 May. Additionally, delegates from Västra Götaland (SE), Värmland (SE), Kosice Self-Governing Region (Slovakia), West Slovenia Cohesion Region, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and the AER Secretariat will be attending the R20 World Summit.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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Committee 1 Annual Report June 2018 – May 2019

17 May, 2019 By Johanna Pacevicius

The General Assembly is the highest authority of AER and convenes representatives of all its full members at least once a year. The General Assembly adopts among other things, the annual reports of the Thematic Committees.

This report is the compilation of actions developped and implemented within Committee 1 between the 2018 General Assembly in Lillehammer, Oppland (NO) and the 2019 General in Larnaka (CY).

Activities are organised in 3 categories:

Projects
Good practice sharing
Advocacy/ Lobbying

The AER Action plan, which brings together all the activities carried out within AER, is constantly updated.

Projects

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! project: ongoing

This project is funded by DG REGIO. It will:

raise awareness on the importance of programmes, projects and services funded by Cohesion Policy funds
encourage the participation of citizens and stakeholders to ensure they are active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy.

The project officially started on 1^stof April 2019 and will last for 12 months. The following regions, which have sent a letter of support for this project will be involved in different actions funded by the project to engage citizens and communicate about Cohesion Policy in their territories:
Trento (IT), Alba (RO), Timis (RO), Catalonia (ES), Varazdin (HR) and potentially Csongrad (HU).
All AER members are invited to share examples of communication campaigns on Cohesion Policy and to participate in the launching event of the project on 5 June 2019 in Larnaka on the occasion of the AER General Assembly.

Silver Economy Awards (SEED): finished

The Silver Economy Awards aimed to catalyse a sustainable European digital Silver Economy movement by promoting and rewarding innovative solutions to improve the quality of life for over 50s. The Awards were an opportunity to raise awareness around the lesser-known notion of the Silver Economy. They illustrate the breadth of the consumer markets and the public spending involved and the size of the opportunities available for entrepreneurs, investors, public authorities and civil society. Last year the Silver Economy Awards replaced the traditional AER Regional Innovation Award. The first Awards Ceremony took place on May 2018 in Brussels. SEED was a two-year project: 10/2016 to 09/2018

ARLEM project – Capacity building for an integrated and sustainable urban development: canceled

This is a joint project of the Committee of the Regions regional and local authorities focused on the Mediterranean. In this context, AER answered to the call of ARLEM – Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly in order to provide technical expertise and political support. AER expressed its interest to focus piloting actions in Turkey, Tunisia, and Morocco. This project aims to reinforce the capacities of local and regional authorities from the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean both in terms of urban management and integrated urban development. AER will contribute in the capacity building activities as well as the organisation of regional conferences. It is funded by the Finnish Development Agency and activities are planned for 2 years and six months.

REFIT Project – New regulative frameworks to foster innovation in the transport sector: not accepted

The REFIT project, under the Horizon 2020 Programme, will improve the regulatory framework to make it consistent with the development of new forms of mobility, including shared used mobility, having in mind to safeguard the interest of the users and to attend societal goals. The main result will be the creation of a user-friendly governance tool facilitating regulatory processes to support the deployment of innovative transport technologies and services in the EU.

Event: EU funding for Croatian & Albanian regions: finished

The event on EU funding for Croatian regions, hosted by Varaždin (HR) and Committee 3 President Radimir Čačić, and the event on EU funding for Albanian regions, hosted by Korcë (AL) and MEG member Ana Verushi brought together about 70 participants, both members and non members of AER to:
-hear about AER’s activities
-learn more on AER services for projects and services
-obtain information on the areas of cooperation with EU
-get a relevant update on the current and forthcoming EU funding opportunities
-become aware of the successful experiences of project applicants

Breakfast seminar “The Sustainable Development Goals and regional growth – Is it possible?” finished

On 15 May 2019, AER and Oppland (NO) co-organised a seminar entitled “The Sustainable Development Goals and regional growth – Is it possible?“ in Brussels on integrated regional policymaking with the OECD and regional examples.

The Sustainable Development Goals as a policy framework: ongoing

The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change organised a workshop on using the Sustainable Development Goals as a policy framework on September 26th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS). Many regions are very active in this space. Oppland (NO), Värmland (SE) and the UNDP in Belgrade provided case studies.
On the occasion of the Joint Plenary session in Örebro (SE), the the role of regions with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals were discussed by Ida Texell, Member of the Swedish delegation Agenda 2030
The Working Group on Energy and Climate Change organised a workshop on ambitious regional planning with views to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals on March 27th in Örebro (SE)

Using the SDGs to communicate AER activities: ongoing

Oppland suggested that as many of the AER activities are contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, AER should promote the 2030 Agenda, raising visibility of how AER and its member regions are contributing to reach goals. AER is further developing its collaboration with UCLG and other networks and organisations around this topic and will organise a major event on this topic in 2020 in Grand Est (FR)

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

The AER Secretariat disseminated information about the TAIEX-EIR peer to peer learning programme and supporting members to use this programme to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies on topics as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, the circular economy. This programme which is relatively easy and quick to access is a good complement to activities carried out within AER and an opportunity to access support from the Commission to carry out exchanges with other regions.
The TAIEX-EIR programme was presented at the Autumn plenaries in the workshop of the AER Working group on rural development.
The AER Project Unit will also organise a webinar in May or June 2019 to help members use the programme.
The region of Gelderland is organising a TAIEX-EIR workshop on ecosystem services, which is open (and financed by the European Commission) on 4 – 5 July 2019

Workshop on Life Cycle Approaches to Regional Sustainable Development: finished

Following the September 2017 workshop on life cycle approaches for renewable energy, circular economy and regional development, members of the working group on energy and climate change were invited to participate in a workshop in Bordeaux, France in 4 and 5 March 2019.
This workshop was intended as a consultative forum to gather advice, experience and further case studies to facilitate this move. It will help to develop an outreach programme on Life Cycle approaches to sustainable regional development.

Study visit on the energy transition: finished

The main focus of the study visit, was the bottom-up approach for the energy transition, which was implemented in the region. This multi-stakeholder cooperation was materialised by the Gelders’ Energy agreement (GEA). The shared goal is to make the province energy-neutral by 2050. Local and regional industries, governments and NGOs’ in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands, have pledged for the province to become energy-neutral by 2050. It facilitates a co-creative process where initiatives, actors, and energy are integrated into society. Participants shared good practice and experience, and in particular:

-observed Gelders’ Energy agreement working process
-met with Gelders’ Energy agreement regional partners
-carried out visits to observe regional results
-participated in a serious game on energy and the diverging interests of stakeholders to exchange about challenges.

Open data and blockchain in transports, Working group meeting: finished

The AER working group on Transports and Mobility, which is chaired by Martin Tollén, member of the Transport and Urban Planning Committee of Östergötland (SE), met on 28 March 2019, on the occasion of the Spring Committee Plenaries in Örebro.
Members discussed the following topics:

New mobility services: ongoing

Good practice exchange on electric cars (production of batteries) and infrastructure. Participation of the working group in the REFIT H2020 project on policies to support New Mobility Services. Exchnages around the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities.

Seminar “Food for thought action”: finished

AER organised a seminar on the topic of food and innovation on the occasion of the Örebro Spring Plenaries on 27 March 2019. Speakers shared examples from the regions and showed how central food and innovation is to regional development.

Food: short supply chains & quality food: ongoing

The Working Group on rural development organised a side event on the occasion of Smart City Expo World Congress on the topic of food. Findings of this side event aim to feed the work of the Bureau Task Force on food.

Study visit on food production: canceled

The idea was to focus the study visit on the approach to food production in order to see how microfirm became large company, which was implemented in the Norrbotten region. The initiative could potentially have been linked with the TAIEX EIR peer learning opportunity of the European Commission. This idea was not implemented.

Youth entrepeneurship: ongoing

Members expressed the wish to develop youth entrepreneurship actions in link with Committee 3. EMAX, a Swedish organisation, which organises innovation camps presented their work on the occasion of the Autumn Committee 3 plenary meeting. They also organise a Breakfast Debate on youth entrepreneurship on the occasion of the Spring 2019 plenary meetings in Örebro (SE).

International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in Regions: finished

The three AER committees and the AER Task Force on Migration worked closely together to develop messaging ahead of the International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in Regions event in Barcelona on Tuesday 18 December 2018.
Participants shared their experiences and good practices in diversity management at regional level, including examples of policies, programmes and was implemented inclusion, participation in civic, economic and political life, positive intercultural interaction and the sense of belonging.

Meeting of the Working Group for Equal Opportunities: finished

The AER Group on Equal opportunities has regular phone meetings and met as well in Novi Sad to discuss the development of a Code of Conduct for AER.

Spring Plenary meeting Committee for Economy and Regional Development: finished

Committee 1 gathered on the occasion of the Spring Committee Plenaries in Örebro (SE) to assess progress, define their 2019-2020 work programme and elect new representatives. The results of the elections are the following:

Committee President: Kenneth Backgård, Norrbotten (SE)
Vice-President for Economic Development and Mobility: Michiel Scheffer, Gelderland (NL)
Chair of the Working Group on Investment, Business & SMEs: Maricel Popa, Iași (RO)

Autumn Plenary meeting Committee for Economy and Regional Development: finished

The 2018 Autumn Committee Plenaries were hosted by Vojvodina in Serbia from 25 – 27 September 2018. A detailed recap of all the meetings that took place is available here. The Committee on Economy and Regional Development members decided that the Task Force on Cohesion Policy, which for historic reasons was under the responsibility of this Committee, should be transferred to the Bureau for coherence purposes, as it is the Bureau which is in charge of the identification of policy messages and advocacy activities.

Sustainable Urban Mobility, Working group meeting: finished

The Working Group on Transports and Mobility decided in Spring 2018 to work on sustainable urban mobility. At the Autumn Committees Plenary meetings, Miroslav Tadic, UNDP Climate Change Portfolio Manager shared the experience of UNDP in Serbia.

Waste management in rural areas, Working Group on Rural development meeting: finished

The Working Group on rural development organised a workshop on waste management in rural areas on September 27th in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS). Svetlana Marusic presented the situation in Vojvodina (RS) and Olimpia Neagoe, Chair of the Working Group, presented a project which is being implemented in Dolj (RO) and which is substantially supported by EU funding. Sustainable Waste Management involves both considerable investments in infrastructure and a lot of work on behavioural changes.

Webinar on New Mobilities: canceled

The Working Group on Transports & Mobility will organise a webinar on New Mobilities for all AER members. Date & topic tbc.

International event on Biomass: canceled

Organisation of an international event on Biomass in Vojvodina (RS) in collaboration with AER members. It was replaced by an International Business Summit on the occasion of the 2018 Autumn Committee plenaries in Vojvodina.

International Business Summit: finished

The Regional Business Forum co-organised by AER and Vojvodina gathered in one place Regional chambers of commerce and Regional agencies in charge of investments, support for SME and promotion of business and commerce from wider Europe. It wass an opportunity for regions to promote their business potentials and achievements through both dialogue and bilateral meetings. The programme included a one-day conference, a high-level panel debate on Open Data for startups together with all the policymakers from AER member regions, B2B meetings and different study visits.

Panel discussion on Open data for regional development: finished

On the occasion of the Autumn plenaries in Vojvodina, the panel discussion “Open data for regional development: governance, start-ups and innovation” took place.

The discussion focused on how public institutions collect and generate enormous quantities of data in areas as varied as unemployment, air pollution, hospital consultations etc and how this data can best be re-used to create or improve both public and private services. There is a need to change the political perception of Open Data and instead view it as opportunity for policy-making.

Mutual learning event on the Sharing Economy: finished

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On December 4th 2018, Brussels Capital organised a mutual learning event on the sharing Economy together with Catalonia, in Brussels, Brussels Capital Region (BE). This event organised upon the invitation of Committee 1 President Jean Luc Vanraes, aimed to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions were welcome to share inputs and regional examples.

The event brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics and representatives of the third sector for vivid exchanges. A follow up article with updates on what happened in Brussels was published.

Explore collaboration opportunities on European certification initiative for SMEs

An innovative European certification initiative for regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could represent leverage for growth and improved cross-border economic relations.

It is in this context that Mr Vanraes, met with with a delegation from CAC en mouvement. CAC en mouvement is a think tank representing around 70% of the French statutory auditors. It has initiated a deep reflexion on how to modernise the profession to make it more useful to local businesses in France and around Europe. One possibility which was mentioned during the meeting was to potentially invite CAC en mouvement to present its European platform of certified regional SMEs to the Committee for Economy and Regional development during its autumn working session. The ultimate goal is to develop synergies with the interested in the project. This will be further discussed with the new Committee 1 Presidium after the AER General Assembly in Larnaka.

Advocacy/ Lobbying

Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC: ongoing

The AER Working Group on Transports and Mobility is involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities. It shares regular updates on the work of the EIP-SCC with members

Cohesion Policy Activities: ongoing

Members agreed in September 2018 that the Task Force on Cohesion will now be under the responsibility of the Bureau, which is also in charge of the other Task Forces. Joint actions include:
– Convene joint advocacy: Bureau Members adopted an updated position on the European Commission legislative proposals for the future EU cohesion policy, setting out the specific changes European regions propose to make to the new framework.
– Advocate towards the European Union and Member States
– Work in alliance with other relevant stakeholders and European associations
Flevoland (NL) is coordinating the implementation of the action and the cohesion policy task force help implement the action.

Financing climate action: ongoing

AER was present at this year’s UN climate meeting, which took place in Katowice, Poland. The highlight of AER’s involvement was when AER President Magnus Berntsson spoke at the high-level segment 12 December on behalf of all the regions and municipalities of the world.

AER at the OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs: finished

Eva Hallström from Värmland, chairing the AER working group on energy and climate change, represented AER while speaking at the 1st OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs, which took place at the OECD Headquarters in Paris.

The Roundtable brought together cities, regions, national governments, international organisations, private sector and other key stakeholders to identify trends and challenges in the localisation of the SDGs, including the experiences and key findings from the pilots of the programme “A Territorial Approach to the SDGs”.

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 organise Breakfast Briefings to help regions organise 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 Vania Freitas

Task Force on Food
Task force on Digitalisation
Task Force on Migration
Task Force on Social Innovation
Task Force on Cohesion

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 which add value for 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 Committees‘ work programmes. The work programmes are developed in Spring each year.

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 AER Action Plan

Committee 1 Coordination & implementation of the work programme

The new Presidium of the AER Committee on Economy and Regional Development met on 3 May 2019 in Brussels, to discuss the implementation of the Committee’s work programme for 2019-2020. They agreed on a series of actions to support the actions proposed by members on the occasion of the Spring Plenaries. This work is coordinated by Per Erik Andersson, the seconded officer supporting Committee 1 President Kenneth Backgård, Norrbotten (SE).

Photo by Christian Fregnan on Unsplash

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New financial and networking opportunities for environment: LIFE Calls!

18 April, 2019 By Editor

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 30^th 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 25^th 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

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Phone: +32 2 400 10 52 E-mail: a.pantaloni(at)aer.eu Skype ID: agnesepanta Languages: it, en, pt Articles by Agnese

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Democracy Alive is just around the Corner!

1 April, 2019 By Erica Lee

Spring has sprung, April has arrived and DEMOCRACY ALIVE is no joke!

For three days, from 11 to 13 April 2019, everybody who’s anybody (in European affairs) will be on the beautiful Dutch island of Texel for a true celebration of European democracy.

Inspired by the Nordic tradition of democracy festivals, DEMOCRACY ALIVE will encourage civic engagement and increase interest in European democracy. Bridging the gap between us citizens and our representatives, and reinforcing trust and optimism in the European project, the festival will create a space where citizens, stakeholders and our elected representatives can come together and engage in dialogue on prosperity, the environment, opportunities for the young, employment, human rights and the rule of law.

AER is delighted to be a co-organiser and to have a pavillion at the festival where we will host a number of exciting events. Read on below to find out more!

“Why I chose Europe”

A Campfire Conversation

#IChooseEurope is a campaign run by the Assembly of European Regions and the Young European Federalists in the run up to the European Parliament elections. It is part of the wider Road to the Future project which kicked off in late 2018. Between March and May 2019, the #IchooseEurope campaign will be on the road around Europe hosting a number of local campaign events encouraging young Europeans to get out and vote!

This campfire conversation will feature two prominent European politicians and activists who will share their experience about how the European context was fundamental to their careers and how working together at European level can really bring about change. The speakers are Magnus Berntsson, President of AER, the R20 group and President of the Regional Council of Västra Götaland, Sweden and Christopher Glück, President of JEF Europe. The event will be moderated by Michael Bruton, Election Officer for the 2019 European Elections at the European Parliament.

“Mind the Gap”

Are all Europeans created equally?

An informal discussion looking at the issue of equality in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? Ever heard of cohesion policy? How can we close the gender gap? Does your degree from one European university mean the same as another? Are fish fingers in Belgium better than those in Bulgaria? How can we truly create a “level playing field” for Europeans?

Four organisations working hard on these issues, the European Women’s Lobby, AEGEE – The European Students Forum, the European Trade Union Confederation and the Assembly of European Regions will discuss. The speakers will look at where the EU has made strides in this area, before turning their attention to their views for the future and where there is still room for improvement in the areas of cohesion, equality, and social inclusion.

“Low-Level Discussion”

A Democratic Open Mic Session

Are you an average Joe, Jeanne or Juan, sick of all the high-level discussions, roundtables, and speakers going on in Brussels? Maybe you’re ‘just’ an intern looking to share some worst practices on a low-level panel? We’ve got the event for you! If you’ve got something to say on the future of Europe we want to hear it! Democracy is all about making your voice heard, so why not come along to our open mic session to have your say? Whether it’s in the form of spoken-word, comedy, or even music, we want to hear your voices!

A sign-up sheet will be available at the AER pavilion all day Thursday and on Friday morning, drop by, sign up and then come along and bring your friends for an afternoon of democratic banter. A great way to brush up on your public speaking skills in a casual way, there will be some prizes at the end of the night for the crowd’s favourite performers! The first 10 acts to sign up will also be given a voucher for unlimited ‘Mocktails’ during and after their stint on the stage! (Spitzenkandidaten also welcome!)

Eurodyssey – Your European Adventure

Regions at the forefront of youth mobility in Europe

Have you taken part in a youth mobility programme yourself? #DidYouKnow that the AER Eurodyssey programme, set up in 1985, was pioneer in promoting youth mobility in Europe even before Erasmus was founded? If you are looking for some different professional experience abroad or you represent a region looking to join a dynamic youth mobility programme, then you have an unmissable appointment with us on Friday afternoon to discover what Eurodyssey has to offer you!

This interactive info-session organised by AER in partnership with the Catalan Public Service of Employment will allow you to find out more about the benefits of Eurodyssey but also to take a tour around other european mobility schemes. Furthermore, we invite you to an open-mic session to tell your success stories transitioning into the job market, to exchange views on the opportunities and constraints for mobility to thrive and, ultimately, to convey a message standing up together for Fair Mobility!

2019 European Youth Capital: Novi Sad

Host region of AER Summer Academy

Novi Sad (Serbia) is the 2019 European Youth Capital – THE place to be for young Europeans this year. This is a very special recognition awarded by the European Youth Forum to Europe’s most youth-friendly cities. Come along to the AER pavilion to meet the team behind the successful European Youth Capital campaign, OPENS, and to learn more about what’s going on in Novi Sad, how you can get involved in the EYC2019 or how you can start your own campaign to make your hometown a European Youth Capital in the future.

This year, the AER Summer Academy “Youth is future, youth is Europe” in the wake of the 2019 Elections to the European Parliament, will take place in Novi Sad, in cooperation with our member region Vojvodina, to mark the European Youth Capital. During this info session and workshop you can find out more about the AER Summer Academy and how you can get involved!

With over 100 events in total over three days, local food trucks, live music, comedy, and hopefully not too many April Showers, this is an event not to be missed!

Find out more at democracyalive.eu

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Jam-packed EU Regions & Cities Summit in Bucharest

19 March, 2019 By Erica Lee

The 8th European Summit of Regions and Cities, held in Bucharest on 14-15 March, gathered almost 1,000 EU, national, local and regional leaders from across Europe to discuss the future of the European Union and how to involve the citizens more effectively in the European project through local and regional authorities.

The summit was co-organised by the European Committee of the Regions, the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Romanian delegation at the CoR.

One of the major outcomes of the event was a declaration (link) by local and regional leaders on the future of Europe will be adopted in order to share their voice ahead of the European elections and the next term of office of the EU institutions.

AER played an active role throughout the Summit, with our President, Magnus Berntsson, taking centre stage for a thematic debate on the role of regions and cities in building a sustainable future.

A Sustainable Europe of Regions & Cities

Creating a truly sustainable Europe largely depends on its regions and cities, which are responsible for areas such as air quality, transport, biodiversity, renewable energy, energy efficiency and waste management. The debate highlighted how regions and cities are unlocking investment, driving innovation and showing ambition in the area of mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Magnus’ expertise came to the fore in discussing examples of how regions can make small changes that have a big impact. one of the key messages of the debate and Mr Berntsson intervention was the need for regions and cities to cooperate and share their examples. The regions of Europe and the world are doing amazing work in combating climate change but the know-how is often not shared. However, through platforms such as AER, we can spread best-practice and make a wider impact. Magnus also spoke about the work he is doing as President of the R20 Group of Regions for climate action.

A Common Goal

The debate on sustainability tied in well with a press release published by the CoR on Thursday afternoon stating that local leaders have actively backed the “Global Strike for Future” and are calling for a carbon-neutral EU by 2050. Magnus is quoted in this widely-distributed PR as saying;

“Regional and local governments of Europe and around the world fully endorse the Paris Agreement and call for ambitious climate actions. We’re part of the solution. In our local communities, we understand our citizens’ needs and join forces with local businesses and academia to create green growth and jobs to replace what’s lost in the transition. By working together and sharing good examples we will prevail. This is also what the younger generation demand of us.”

Meeting with Commissioner Cretu

On the sidelines of the Summit itself, the AER team had the pleasure of organising a number of meetings with member regions and other partners. A particular highlight was finding time to meet with European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, from Romania, who was involved in bringing the #EUlocal Summit to Bucharest.

The Commissioner and AER President had a productive discussion on the ongoing negotiations on EU cohesion policy after 2020. They also reflected on how to collaborate in moving forward the AER campaign “Together for Cohesion let’s rEUnite!“, funded by DG REGIO. The AER secretariat will follow up with the Commissioner’s Cabinet on collaboration for this campaign.

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Committee 1 Progress Report Spring 2019

8 March, 2019 By Editor

Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Regional Development and Economy gather in plenary meeting. 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 Committees’ plenaries in Arad, AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions. Sa years later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

Evaluating progress

During the elaboration of the work programme in Arad, planned activities were organised in 3 categories:

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

The below progress report was compiled for the spring 2019 plenary meeting in Örebro. It gives an overview of the situation, a year after the adoption of the work programme.

Projects

Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite! project: ongoing

“Together for Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” is a project submitted under a call launched by DG REGIO. On the one hand, this project aims at raising awareness on the importance of programmes, projects and services funded by the cohesion policy funds. On the second hand, the project will encourage the participation of citizens and stakeholders to turn them in active players in the dialogue on cohesion policy.