Assembly of European Regions

Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985

You are here: Home / Archives for Cohesion policy

AER Task Force on Cohesion Policy

The 2023 DG Regio Call on Communicating Cohesion Policy is out!

By

EU Cohesion Policy is THE European Union’s tool to address economic and social inequalities between European regions and cities. It supports projects and initiatives that have a direct impact on people’s daily lives and foster their wellbeing. AER can help you to be part of it.

EU Cohesion Policy is in the DNA of AER. Through DG REGIO funding opportunities, we have been working on projects that communicated and raised awareness of Cohesion Policy, such as Together for Cohesion or YOUTHopia, our new project.

Have you read the news?

If you are also working on this topic and looking for funding opportunities, we invite you to check out the latest call from DG REGIO. Also, if you need help building a project consortium or drafting activities, the AER secretariat would be delighted to support you. Interested? Find below an overview of the call:

On your mark …

DG REGIO launched its annual call for proposals to support information measures relating to the EU Cohesion Policy. The main aim of the call is to provide support for the production and dissemination of information and content linked to EU Cohesion policy. All kinds of activities can be funded via this call:

  • production and distribution of print, multimedia or audiovisual material;
  • web and social media outreach activities;
  • media events;
  • conferences, seminars, workshops.

The expected results and outputs are the following:

  • to increase media coverage on Cohesion policy, in particular at regional level;
  • to enhance people’s awareness of the results of Cohesion policy and their
    impact on their lives;
  • to achieve concrete outputs and deliverables aimed at wide outreach within
    the measure’s duration – e.g. TV and radio broadcast, online or print coverage,
    other type of information measures and dissemination – taking multilingualism
    into account.

… Get set …

Legal entities established in an EU Member State are eligible. The project should normally be 12 months and with a maximum budget of around 300 000 €.

… Go!

Proposals must be submitted before 10 January 2023, 17:00 CET (Brussels), electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The AER is with you!

The AER is very happy to support its member regions in knowing more about this call, building a project consortium or implementing some activities. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Agnese Pantaloni, AER European Projects Coordinator.

Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Registrations are open! Creating Effective Innovation Ecosystems

By

We are pleased to invite you to the webinar “Creating Effective Innovative Ecosystems” which will take place on 19 April 2021 at 10:00 CET.

Innovation ecosystems: a complex set of relationships

The term innovation ecosystem derives from the analogy with biological ecosystems. These are a complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an area. Their functional goal is to reach sustained equilibrium.

An innovation ecosystem describes the complex set of relationships among very diverse actors and entities, which work for technology development and innovation in a territory. Amongst others, this includes the material resources and human capital of universities, colleges of engineering, business schools, business firms, venture capitalists, industry-university research institutes, state or regional economic development agencies and chambers of commerce, funding agencies and policymakers.

Partnerships, competences and talent

Regions are facing a paradigm shift from closed innovation and linear subcontracts to open innovation ecosystems. Value chains are becoming more interregional and a wider spectrum of stakeholders is necessary. In this context, communication, collaboration and engagement on all sides are essential to attain effective innovation ecosystems.

Ecosystems are smart when all segments of society take part to build a culture of co-design and co-creation in their area. The participation and integration of diverse collaborative partnerships is a key enabler to support and foster innovation ecosystems.

In this context, facilitating the involvement of Technical Vocational Education & Training centres (TVET) in innovation ecosystems is imperative to increase the availability of competences and talent.

The webinar will look at:

  • The elements that enable an effective innovation ecosystem;
  • how regional ecosystems involve different levels of education, and in particular whether TVET stakeholders are involved.

How to join the webinar

Click on the “register here” button below

or go to the Skillnet events page and choose:

  • E 421 – Creating Effective Innovation Ecosystems | @: Online () 19.04.2021 10:00 CET
Register here

Speakers and the agenda of the event will be announced soon.

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLNET series of webinars on EU funding opportunities. SKILLNET is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is download.png
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is logosbeneficaireserasmusright_en_1.jpg
Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Registrations open! Ambitious Skills and Innovation Strategies: A territorial approach

By

We are pleased to invite you to the webinar “Ambitious Skills and Innovation Strategies: A territorial approach” that will take place on 25 March 2021 at 10:00 CET

Including rural areas in innovation strategies to tackle EU challenges

Rural areas, cover 44% of the EU territory, and are home to almost 1 in 4 Europeans. Education, vocational training and lifelong learning play a vital role in the economic and social strategies of the European Union (EU). The strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training is called Education and training 2020 (ET 2020). It pursues four common objectives: make lifelong learning and mobility a reality; improve the quality and efficiency of education and training; promote equity, social cohesion and active citizenship; enhance creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship.

However, rural areas rural or sparsely populated regions often have a relatively large agricultural sector, with a low level of supply of highly-skilled employment opportunities. This in turn reinforces the existing brain drain trend, from rural areas to cities.

In this context, integrated innovation and skills strategies are needed to develop the strengths and comparative advantages of rural areas, instead of barely considering them as a source for raw material and cheaper space. For rural regions, the necessary competitive edge can be done by finding niches or mainstreaming new technology into the existing industry. Further including rural areas in innovation strategies will also help regions to reach the objectives of the Green Deal.

This webinar will look at:

  • Why innovation strategies aimed at developing Advanced manufacturing need to be based on territorial approaches and why it is so important to consider and involve rural areas from the start
  • Available EU funding opportunities and tools to boost innovation and skills in rural areas
  • Strategies to attract innovation and skills in rural areas 
  • The role of VET to achieve more cohesive regional development

Agenda

Ambitious Skills and Innovation Strategies:
A territorial Approach

25 March 2021 at 10:00 CET

  • 10.00-10.05 – Housekeeping rules, quick presentation on Skillnet, Valentina De Vico, Communication Manager, Skillman Team
  • 10:05-10:10 – Opening remarks and introduction to the webinar, Johanna Pacevicius, Policy and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, Assembly of European Regions
  • 10.10-10.20 –  Available EU funding and incentives, Agnese Pantaloni, EU Projects Coordinator, Assembly of European Regions
  • 10:20-10:35 – Peer reviews and knowledge exchanges to boost innovation, Elena Ferrario, Thematic Manager, and Katharina Krell, Thematic Expert, Policy Learning Platform Interreg Europe
  • 10.35-10.45 – Regional practice from Donegal County, Vinny McGroary, Area Training Manager, Donegal ETB
  • 10.45-10.55 – Panel discussion and Q&A session
  • 10.55-11.00 – Closing remarks 

How to join the webinar

Click on the below “register here” button

or go to the Skillnet events page and chose:

  • E 419 – Ambitious skills and innovation strategies: a territorial approach; 25/03/2021 10:00 CET
Register here!

This webinar is organised as part of the SKILLNET series of webinars on EU funding opportunities. SKILLNET is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission aiming to strengthen the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system’s role and capacity to design high-quality VET programmes tailored to current societal needs through enhanced transnational and cross-sectoral partnerships.

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Have you been inspired by Together4Cohesion? A new call for projects is open to communicate cohesion policy

By

Why do we need to communicate about cohesion policy?

Cohesion policy provides investments that represent the most tangible and concrete proof of the EU’s impact on the everyday life of millions of citizens. Those investments aim to support job creation, business competitiveness, economic growth, sustainable development, and improve citizens’ quality of life.

Despite the local character of the cohesion policy and its major impact on citizens’ life, lack of knowledge about the policy is still widespread. To enable an informed debate about the EU’s future priorities and secure better transparency on the spending of the EU funds, citizens should be more aware of the investments in their countries, regions, and cities.

The experience of Together4Cohesion

Cohesion Policy is a key topic within AER and the member regions part of our network. Following the Task Force on Cohesion Policy developed within the AER Bureau as well as the active participation of AER within the Cohesion Alliance, AER implemented a dedicated EU funded project aimed to raise the awareness of the EU citizens and stakeholders on the European Union’s cohesion policy and turn them into active players in the regional and national dialogue on the policy.

The project “Together for Cohesion: Let’s rEUnite”, co-financed by DG-REGIO within the 2018 call for proposals “Support for the information measures relating to the EU Cohesion Policy”, is a wide-reaching communication campaign that ran from April 2019 to July 2020. The campaign was led by the Assembly of European Regions (AER) in cooperation with the Media Consulta International Holding (mc Group) and the strong involvement of six AER flagship regions: Alba and Timis (RO), Catalonia (ES), Csongrad-Csanàd (HU), Trentino (IT), Varazdin (HR). 

The experience within the campaign has been very valuable for the flagship regions and inspired also other European regions within AER and beyond. During the campaign, more than 70 projects were showcased reflecting the wide variety of actions supported by cohesion policy. Around 1.8 million people were reached and a solid network was built to continue cooperating in the promotion of cohesion policy. 

New call by DG Regio on “Support for information measures relating to the EU Cohesion policy”

With the current call for proposals, the European Commission seeks to provide support for the production and dissemination of information and content linked to the EU Cohesion policy.

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are: 

• To promote and foster a better understanding of the role of cohesion policy in supporting EU’s regions;

 • To increase the awareness of projects funded by the EU – through cohesion policy in particular – and of their impact on people’s lives; 

• To disseminate information and encourage an open dialogue on cohesion policy, its results, its role in delivering on the EU’s political priorities and on its future; 

• To encourage civic participation in matters related to cohesion policy and to foster citizens’ participation to setting priorities for the future of this policy. 

The eligible partners are:

• media organizations/news agencies (television, radio, written press, online media, new media, a combination of different media);

• non-profit organizations; 

• universities and educational institutions; 

• research centres and think-tanks; 

• associations of European interest; 

• private entities; 

• public authorities (national, regional and local), with the exception of the authorities in charge of the implementation of Cohesion policy following Art 123. of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013;

• above mentioned legal entities established only in the EU Member States.

The total budget is estimated at EUR 5.000.000, the maximum grant per project is EUR 300 000.

Applications for project proposals have to be submitted by the 12th of January 2021. Before proceeding with the submission, it is essential to carefully read all documentation provided by DG Regio and in particular the call for proposals released by the European Commission.

If you are willing to embark on this opportunity released by DG Regio, don’t hesitate to contact the AER Project Unit.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

#EURegionsWeek – Conducting joint campaigns on Cohesion policy across European regions

By

Join our EURegions Talk on ‘Conducting Joint Campaigns on Cohesion Policy across European Regions‘ next Wednesday, 14 October from 18:00 – 18:30 CET, part of DG-REGIO’s Media Programme within the European Week of Regions and Cities! By presenting the steps, achievements, and challenges of the “Together for Cohesion: Let’s rEUnite” campaign – we will follow-up and continue further our successful work on the promotion of the benefits of European cohesion policy among citizens.

As you may recall, Together for Cohesion is a wide-reaching communication campaign co-financed by DG-REGIO, and ran from March 2019 to July this year by the Assembly of European Regions (AER) in cooperation with the Media Consulta International Holding (mc Group) and with the strong involvement of six flagship regions [Alba (RO), Catalonia (ES), Csongrad-Csanàd (HU), Timis (RO), Trentino (IT), and Varazdin (HR)]. Through the organisation of multiple local and international conferences and webinars, training sessions, interviews with local stakeholders and citizens, our aim was to raise awareness of the real-life benefits of cohesion policy for citizens, as well as to empower the policy’s main beneficiaries (citizens and stakeholders) as primary actors engaged in the communication of the policy.  

The interactive EURegions Talk “Conducting Joint Campaigns across Europe” will be a great occasion to involve the broad and diversified European audience in a journey through the six European regions, the activities, and the stories of cohesion projects that fuelled the campaign. Participants will gain valuable first-hand insights into running an EU-wide campaign on cohesion policy and on the pivotal role that cooperation among regions and partnerships between local/regional authorities and citizens and stakeholders play in delivering an effective communication campaign, especially when major external constraints arose (as the COVID-19 outbreak in the case of the Together for Cohesion campaign).

The presentation will be led by Birgit Sandu, European Project manager at AER (Assembly of European Regions), and attendees are welcome to join via Zoom.

Do not miss this opportunity, REGISTER HERE before Wednesday 7th October!

If you are facing some difficulties in registering for the events of the #EURegionsWeek, this video will guide you throughout the process!

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Together4Cohesion comes to its end: A Journey throughout its Road and Prospectives

By

The campaign #Together4Cohesion is now concluded and we want to go through the long road performed. At the same time, we hope that our actions were meaningful in generating a spark among all actors involved within cohesion policy persuading them to continue showing its benefits. To this end, we want also to share sustainable tools that can support practitioners in this long-lasting exercise, as well as our commitment to continue promoting cohesion policy.  

Since April 2019, AER in cooperation with mc Group and in partnership with six flagship regions [Alba (RO), Catalonia (ES), Csongrad-Csanàd (HU), Timis (RO), Trentino (IT), and Varazdin (HR)] have been coordinating and implementing a widespread communication campaign on the benefits of European cohesion policy co-financed by DG-REGIO (European Commission). The campaign “Together for Cohesion: Let’s rEUnite!” was aimed at raising awareness of cohesion policy and structural funds as major tools to implement social and economic investments fostering balanced growth among European regions through the active involvement of the policy’s main beneficiaries, i.e. citizens and stakeholders.

After sixteen months of campaigning, we have reached the end of this journey across regions, projects, and people. It is time now to look back at the road from the hill and to share the achievements of Together for Cohesion. The path was exciting but yet not without its difficulties. As various activities, the campaign had to face major constraints posed by the outbreak of Covid-19. Despite the challenge, the campaign’s team elaborated on alternative solutions enabling to continue and ultimate the mission.

Visibility Events and Activities

We have actively engaged in promoting debate around the theme of cohesion policy through both international and local events in the six flagship regions. The campaign was officially launched at AER General Assembly in Larnaca  (5th June 2019) with a dedicated Knowledge Sharing Workshop; it was presented at both AER Committee’s Plenaries in Podcetrtek  (25th September 2019) and the 37th session of the Local and Regional Authorities Congress of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (28th-31st October 2019). We concluded our international engagement with a final webinar on “Communicating European Cohesion Policy” (16th July 2020), where we shared hints and practices acquired during the campaign, as well as launched discussion on the current use of structural funds to counter the Covid-19 effects and the perspective of the next MFF.

Alba and Timis (RO)

In parallel, the campaign engaged citizens, stakeholders, and public authorities at the local level within the six flagship regions. Alba County inaugurated the series of Together for Cohesion’s local events through the Apulum Agraria Fair (20th September 2019), where farmers, producers, and policymakers exchanged about the local products of Alba and discussed the benefits of cohesion policy. Students in the Alba County have been informed about the opportunities that cohesion funds brings about for employment, career guidance and development at the second local event of the region, the Career Management Conference (20th-22nd November 2019). The third event was held by the Timis County Council, a conference on “The Benefits of Cohesion Policy for European Union Citizens” (25th February 2020) gathering representatives of public institutions and non-governmental organizations to discuss the pivotal role of cohesion investments for the development of the region. Additionally, the County held a drawing competition for children focused on “The Europe where I would like to live in”/ “A greener Europe”.  Lastly, both Romanian Counties produced and disseminated a series of videos showing how cohesion funds have supported local activities in various thematic fields.

Csongrád County (HU)

In Csongrád County, the campaign Together for Cohesion served as a basis to launch important institutional exchanges among mayors on experiences, results, and plans regarding cohesion funds through two Professional Forums for Mayors of the Csongrád County  (11th December 2019 and 30th June 2020). Beyond institutional discussions, the County launched reflections among children through the drawing competition and award ceremony in Szeged on climate awareness (23rd June 2020).

Generalitat de Catalunya (ES)

Within the scope of the campaign, the Generalitat de Catalunya triggered debates around crucial themes related to cohesion policy through two webinars. The first webinar, “ICF Eurocredit COVID-19 line” (27th May 2020), explained how this instrument can support companies affected by the crisis. The second webinar gathered representatives from the public administration to reflect on the management of public resources through a gender perspective (22nd June 2020). Lastly, a video showcasing the various benefits that Structural and Investment funds bring about in the region was disseminated via social media in order to reach a wide audience.

Province of Trento (IT)

Visibility actions in Trentino took an innovative shape. The Province launched a series of four TV episodes on cohesion policy providing viewers with a detailed explanation of what cohesion policy is, focusing at both the local level and broader European level. The first three episodes presented a specific Operational Programme, a local project, and an interregional project. The last episode focused on the benefits of cohesion funds for local stakeholders. Finally, space was given to inform citizens and companies about how ERDF and ESF funds have been re-addressed to support the COVID-19 relief through a dedicated article and infographic.

Varaždin County (HR)

The series of local events in Varaždin had a sparking start at the Splendid Ball in Varaždin (31st January 2020), where ambassadors, Parliament, and Civilian Guard members exchanged on the benefits of cohesion policy. On 13th February 2020, the International Conference on “ESI Funds beyond 2020”  involved private and public stakeholders from Croatia, Austria, and Slovenia to debate on the future of cohesion policy during the next European budgetary period. The event was followed by another international conference on “Entrepreneurship Education” (5th March 2020) attended by professionals working in the education and entrepreneurship sectors willing to enhance the connection between these two fields, considering it pivotal for the economic growth of the region. To conclude the local mission, the Varaždin County produced and broadcasted on television a short movie showing the impact and achievements of cohesion policy in the region.

Messengers of Cohesion – the Voices of Citizens, Stakeholders, and Third Parties

Together for Cohesion was based on a bottom-up approach attaching core importance to the involvement of cohesion’s policy main beneficiaries as the main voice of the campaign. To this aim, workshops, trainings, and webinars were organized in Alba, Catalonia, Csongrad, Trentino, and Varazdin to offer entrepreneurs, journalists, project managers, local decision-makers, and other actors engaged with cohesion policy the opportunity to boost effective communication skills.

Entrepreneurs and project managers opened – physically or virtually – the doors of their activities to show how cohesion funds have supported the foundation or expansion of their local business. Journalists visited the Axa Porcelaine in Alba Iulia, a small family business that through cohesion funds grew and expanded its sales to the European market becoming the second-largest manufacturer of porcelain in Romania. Luigi Calabrese, R&D Manager at Kirana Laser Startup in Trentino, testified the fundamental role of European funds when the company was launched, pivotal for its consecutive expansion in the international market, and collaboration with research centers of excellence as the CERN in Geneva.

Moving from support to business to health services, the General Hospital Varaždin has presented the ongoing project aimed at establishing unified day hospital and surgery. The Hospital Vall d’Hebron, in Catalonia, showed how cohesion funds have supported a major digital transformation improving the quality and the access of the services provided by the hospital. We have also heard from local authorities in Timis how the modernization of the County Hospital emergency unit financed by the EU increased the receiving capacity of 25% enabling better flow and comfort for patients and families and improved working conditions for the staff.

Through a virtual visit at the Extreme Light Infrastructure Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS) in Szeged (Hungary), we testified how cohesion policy promotes the development of research infrastructures needed to study the most elementary and fastest processes through long-term investments in three different countries – Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic.

Targeted stakeholders from the six-flagship regions were also interviewed to show the contribution of the EU and cohesion policy to core policy fields as tourism (here and here), youth involvement, gender equality, handicraft, and agriculture.

Lastly, Together4Cohesion opened the floor of its campaign to third parties around Europe involved with cohesion policy and willing embark in our campaign through their success stories. Read all the third parties’ stories here!

Let’s continue to communicate Cohesion Policy beyond Together for Cohesion

Although the campaign is finished, triggering debates on European cohesion policy and raising awareness about its benefits among citizens and stakeholders shall become a long-lasting practice. We have designed a toolkit including an e-learning video and a set of recommendations to support practitioners in effectively performing this task. Both instruments are available in English and the official languages of the flagship regions under the Toolkit section of Together4Cohesion.eu.   

Being European cohesion policy a core field of action for the Assembly of European Regions, we will continue to launch discussions and inform our members on the matter through the creation of a dedicated hub within our website. The latter will serve to collect and prioritize policy briefs, position papers, and good practices concerning the policy.

Hence, as usual, stay tuned!

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Activity Report ’20: “Achieving Agenda 2030”

By

The Assembly of European Regions is proud to present its annual Activity Report 2019 – 2020.

This theme of this year’s report is “Achieving Agenda 2030“, an expression of AER’s commitment to supporting its member regions in localising and delivering upon the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the Member States of the United Nations by resolution A/RES/70/1 of the General Assembly of 25 September 2015.

The cover page of the report, designed by Habile Studio, incorporates indicators from the SDG Index Score from the EU Sustainable Development Report as well as statistics reflecting the regional populations of AER member regions.

The 2020 Activity Report is unique in that it also presents AER’s newly adopted long-term Political Priorities for the period 2020 – 2025.

The year 2020 also marks the 35th Anniversary of both the Assembly of European Regions and its regional youth mobility programme – Eurodyssey. Some members of the AER Executive Board even contributed to the report on this occasion to share their experiences of what they consider to be the added-value of belonging to an interregional network like AER.

The period June 2019 to June 2020 has been action-packed, in particular with the formation of a new European Parliament and College of Commissioners.

The last year has not been without its challenges – the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Assembly and its membership to temporarily rethink its operations and transition to online meetings and events. A COVID-19 Hub was also established to keep members up to date with the latest developments at EU level and to disseminate funding opportunities to aid regional recovery strategies.

The major international conference “Agenda 2030: Transforming Regions, Changing the World” also had to be postponed until 2021 but we look forward to continuing our work with the SDG Taskforce in the run to up next year’s event.

You can read the Activity Report in full below:

Click here to download the Activity Report.

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

AER Meeting European Commissioner Johannes Hahn

By

The AER President, Magnus Berntsson, met virtually today with Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration to discuss the Commission’s proposal for the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and recovery plan.

Magnus Berntsson emphasized the importance of an ambitious long-term EU budget that secures a more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive Europe.

The AER President underlined the critical role of cohesion policy in responding to the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and in supporting the transition towards a green, digital and fair Europe.

The meeting was an opportunity to give a strong warning against the attempt to centralise cohesion policy and stress the importance of involving local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of future investment programmes, in line with the principles of partnership and multilevel governance.

The AER President and Commissioner Hahn agreed on the need for a swift agreement on the MFF and its sectoral instruments for timely financing and start of EU programmes in 2021.

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Together4Cohesion strengthens Children’s Thinking on Climate Change: Drawing Exhibition and Award Ceremony in Csongrád County

By

We may think that children are not yet mature enough to have a say in major political debates but, as shown by the “Fridays For Future” strikes all over the world,  this is not the case – especially when it comes to climate change and the future of our planet. Their thoughts are clear, their demands are spoken laud, and it is important that their voices are heard and encouraged.

This is why the Csongrád-Csanád County Government, within the Cohesion Calendar of the project Together for Cohesion, has given these young actors a space to communicate their views through a drawing competition on climate change.

As pointed by the President of the Csongrád-Csanád County Assembly,  László Gémes, during the award ceremony held on June 23: “As the President of the Csongrád-Csanád County Assembly, I consider it important that saving energy, water, and natural goods become a part of our children’s lives, and that they know and use climate-friendly technologies such as renewable energy, collection or, for example, composting“.

Through the competition, children were encouraged to express by means of colors and fantasy what climate protections means to them, what it is possible and needed to do to save our planet, and what they would like to change in the behaviors of themselves and of adults to make our environment more livable and sustainable.

As a good indicator of children’s enthusiasm and willingness to communicate their views on climate protection, around 600 art-works were sent.  A high professional jury was called to the difficult duty of evaluating and ranking the best works. The jury included László Gémes, President of the Csongrád-Csanád County Assembly, Péter Kertész, Director of the Ópusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park and Balázs Papdi, a professional photographer from Szeged.

Children and parents were all invited to the award ceremony and the exhibition of the top 50 drawings held on June 23 at the Albert Szent-Györgyi Agóra of Szeged. The award ceremony was followed by a flash mob and a workshop consisting of an interactive and playful climate lesson run by Dr. Ágnes Gulyás, a lecturer at the Department of Climatology and Landscape Geography of the University of Szeged.

The exhibition will be opened in the Albert Szent-Györgyi Agóra of Szeged for one week, and all the paintings have been digitized and uploaded in the online exhibition available on the website of the County Government. We encourage you to visit the online exhibition so as to not miss the opportunity of discovering how children wish their planet to be!

Visit the online exhibition here and here! And check Together for Cohesion website to be updated an all the upcoming activities and stories of our campaign to raise awareness on the benefits of cohesion policy for citizens and stakeholders!

Photos’ Credits: Csongrád-Csanád County Government

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Together4Cohesion: Responding to the challenges of communicating cohesion policy.

By

The final conference of “Together for Cohesion: Let’s rEUnite!” took place online on 16 June 2020. The webinar gathered 115 participants including policymakers at various levels of government, project managers and various other stakeholders all involved in the implementation of cohesion activities and willing to learn more about its communication.

The attendees had the opportunity to acquire or strengthen their knowledge about cohesion policy, including insights on the next programming period, as well as on how to effectively communicate its actions and benefits.

Started in April 2019, the Together for Cohesion project will soon reach its end. AER, in cooperation with mc Group, have been actively engaged in communicating about European cohesion policy and its benefits through an active communication campaign which included, among the main activities, a dedicated cohesion calendar, workshops, training, and wide media coverage.

Enriched by these experiences and learning opportunities, the webinar was a chance to share what has been learned during the project, as well as to gather new insights on how to communicate about cohesion policy that can be applied by all actors engaged in similar activities. A highly diversified panel of experts involving politicians, regional practitioners, commission officials, and communication experts from across Europe shared their insights and experiences on the subject.

The webinar was moderated by Mr Mathieu Mori, AER Secretary-General.

The discussion was launched by the enlightening words of Mr Michiel Rijsberman, Regional Minister from Flevoland & Chair of the AER Task Force on Cohesion Policy. The speech emphasised the importance of cooperation in order to communicate cohesion policy. Accordingly, cooperation among EU countries, but also among European institutions, can play a key role to counter Euroscepticism and other threats affecting communication. In this sense, the Together4Cohesion campaign has been a meaningful push in spreading the benefits of cohesion policy.

The discussion continued with the presentation of Mr Jan Pycha, expert of communication and Senior Project manager at mc Group. Given his broad expertise in the field of effective communication strategies, he shared relevant tips on how to communicate challenging and abstract topics, as cohesion policy. Abstract topics pose a challenge to communication in that they can be usually difficult to understand by a non-technical audience. To overcome these difficulties, it is relevant to first ask friends, colleagues external to the topic, and to prioritize and simplify the communication.

General theory and hints were followed by concrete examples and practical know-how from two of the regions participating in Together for Cohesion. First, Ms Chiara Vivaldelli, European Project Manager at the Province of Trento, and representative of the Province for the project Together for Cohesion shared difficulties and successes in informing citizens about cohesion policy. She explained that one of the main challenges is the distance that the citizens can feel between them and the European institutions. Nonetheless, through a series of effective examples, she showed how regional authorities can play a pivotal role in lowering this perceived gap. Then, Ms Cornelia Carmen Madaras, Advisor at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Alba County Council, and representative of the County for the project Together for Cohesion shared her experiences with partnership and its importance and implementation in the communication of cohesion policy. She explained that partnerships allowed for better access to knowledge and the sharing of best practices in their contribution to a common goal.

Finally, Ms Diego Villalba de Miguel, Deputy Head of the Communication Unit of DG-REGIO European Commission presented the citizens’ knowledge of the policy and the current and future use of cohesion policy funds. His presentation shields light on how cohesion funds have been deployed to respond to the current COVID-19 crisis, as well as the perspective of the next budget. Before the conclusion from Mr Mathieu Mori, a fruitful Q&A session was held during which the audience could ask questions via the platform to all the panellists.

All presentations are available in the follow-up article on Together4Cohesion website!

What’s next?

Stay tuned, for those of you who missed the webinar or would like to have a sustainable takeover of the lessons shared, we will soon circulate an e-learning video summarising the inputs of the webinar!

Lastly, in the coming weeks, more activities will be organised by the regions involved in the project:

We invite you to check out our Cohesion Calendar to be updated on upcoming events! You can also have a look at the success stories gathered from projects funded by the Cohesion policy around Europe.

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Cohesion and partnership must be the driving force for European recovery

By

The #Cohesion Alliance – an EU-wide alliance of 12,000 signatories calling for a stronger cohesion policy after 2020 – welcomes the European Commission’s revised 2021–2027 EU budget and Recovery Plan proposals including the extension of the current cohesion programmes with increased flexibility and additional funding.  However, the Alliance urges the European Commission and Member States to ensure the involvement of cities, municipalities and regions and maintain a strong focus on cohesion in all recovery measures, aimed at rebuilding the economy, fostering sustainability and strengthening the territorial and social fabric of our Union, including in the European Semester process.  

The EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and Recovery Plan must focus on cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union, to pursue major challenges such as the European Green Deal, the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights as well as the digital transformation. In the current crisis, cities, municipalities and regions need the direct support of a strong cohesion policy more than ever to prevent widening territorial disparities and an asymmetric recovery as Member States have different financial means to address the current economic and social challenges.

The #CohesionAlliance welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to ensure the role of Cohesion policy as a strong EU long-term investment policy, as well as the investment of 55 bn EUR (2018 prices) through REACT-EU to provide an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic consequences. The extension of the current Operational Programmes will allow for a quick implementation of crucial investment. In addition, the increased flexibility for transferring resources between funds and the widening of scope to support the health services, tourism and culture sectors as well as to provide working capital to SMEs will help local and regional governments invest money where it is most needed, provided that it fully respects the cohesion core principles.

The Alliance is nevertheless concerned that without consideration for the diverse needs of regions, cities and municipalities as well as strong involvement of local actors, the Recovery and Resilient Facility – which is the most powerful investment tool of the EU recovery plans – is at risk of failure. For now, most measures are only directed to Member States without clarifying how much say local and regional authorities would have in revising programmes and in spending resources. The strong link of the Facility to the European Semester and to country specific recommendations can lead to a further centralisation of the recovery plans. The Alliance urges all EU and national institutions – and in particular EU Reforms and Cohesion Commissioner Elisa Ferreira – to take the needed steps to ensure that the national plans for recovery and resilience comply with the Partnership Principle, respond to the real needs of citizens and businesses and allow for stronger and more structured involvement of local and regional authorities.

The #CohesionAlliance partner organisations have put forward their priorities in a new draft declaration affirming cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union and a key objective for all its policies and investment. The partners of the Cohesion Alliance 2.0 will launch the new declaration during their next meeting in early June.

 Contact the #CohesionAlliance secretariat:

[email protected]

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

AER Response to MFF & Recovery Fund Proposals

By

On 27 May, the European Commission published its proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 and COVID-19 recovery plan. 

The next long-term budget of the European Union will be of crucial importance to the European project. Not only will it be delivered in exceptionally challenging times after the COVID-19, but it is also the Union’s first spending plan since the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

AER has produced a ‘Statement on the European Commission Proposal  for the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework‘ that outlines 10 key points that the European institutions & national governments should take on board.

Among these, AER welcomes the allocation of additional funding to form part of the Recovery Fund to help regions across the EU who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 virus. This package will help to reboot regional economies, safeguarding jobs and livelihoods for EU citizens.

AER underlines the important role played by Cohesion Policy, and welcomes the new REACT-EU initiative.

“Cohesion policy has been instrumental in responding to the pandemic. Its major role of reducing economic, social and territorial disparities in the EU has never been more needed to address the longer-term impacts of the crisis and the challenges that lie ahead, driving the necessary transition towards a green, digital and fair Europe, consistent with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.”

In reflecting on the future of cohesion policy within the new MFF, AER stresses the need for principles of partnership, multilevel governance and place-based approach.

As an advocate for more than 150 regions in Europe, AER calls for the meaningful involvement of local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of future EU investment programmes. A fair and inclusive recovery to the crisis, as well as a prosperous Union of future, can only be built with the active participation of all levels of government, acting on behalf of all EU citizens.

Read the Statement in full below:

Photo by bruno neurath-wilson on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Learning about Communicating Cohesion Policy: Join the Webinar

By

Join our webinar to discuss with EU Commission Official about the perspective of cohesion policy, and to learn how to effectively communicate cohesion policy activities through the inputs from communication experts and regional practitioners.

June 16th from 14:00 to 15:00

For more than one year now, the communication campaign Together for Cohesion has been a major driver in the communication of cohesion policy’s benefits for its citizens and stakeholders.

As the path was rich in experiences and learning opportunities, we want to share what we have learned as well as new inputs on cohesion policy and its communication through the webinar ‘Learning about Communicating Cohesion Policy’.

The webinar will provide participants with the opportunity to acquire or increase their knowledge about cohesion policy, including first-hand insights on the next programming period directly from Diego Villalba de Miguel (Official of the European Commission), as well as on how to effectively communicate its actions and benefits.

The agenda of the event includes:

  • Opening Remarks
    • Michiel Rijsberman, Regional Minister from Flevoland & Chair of the AER Task Force on Cohesion Policy (TBC)
  • Cohesion Policy from the European Perspective
    • Diego Villalba de Miguel, Deputy Head of the Communication Unit of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission. 
  • Effective Communication on Cohesion Policy
    • Jan Pycha, Senior Project Manager and Team Leader at mc Group and partner of the project Together for Cohesion 
  • Learning from Together4Cohesion’s Regions 1) Difficulties and success factors in informing citizens
    • Chiara Vivaldelli, European Project Manager at the Province of Trento, and representative of the Province for the project Together for Cohesion  
  • Learning from Together4Cohesion’s Regions 2) Partnership – its importance and implementation in communicating cohesion policy
    • Cornelia Carmen Madaras, Advisor at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Alba County Council, and representative of the County for the project Together for Cohesion
Event Page
Register
Together4Cohesion.eu

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Stakeholder engagement: the essence of “Together4Cohesion” communication campaign

By

Together for Cohesion makes the stakeholders’ voice louder! We have defined a detailed plan identifying targeted stakeholders that have benefitted from cohesion policy in each flagship region. Now, we are ready for them to embark on our communication campaign!

Stakeholders are key actors in the development and implementation of European cohesion policy and projects. As such, they can play a major role in the communication of the outputs and real-life benefits of the policy. This is the reason why stakeholders are the essence of the project and “Together4Cohesion” communication campaign. The involvement of pertinent stakeholders is the key to the action, and therefore a strategy has been carried out.

Stakeholders at the core of “Together4Cohesion” communication campaign

“Together for Cohesion: Let’s rEUnite!” aims to raise awareness of the importance of cohesion policy among citizens and stakeholders and turn them in active players within the regional, national, and European dialogue on cohesion policy.

To this aim, our communication campaign “Together4Cohesion” is based on a strong synergy of the actions and voices of the main beneficiaries of the policy: Regions, citizens, and other stakeholders.

To obtain the most significant outcomes, we established an elaborate communication strategy. Essential steps have been undertaken in order to identify stakeholders’ outcomes, as: Target the right public, deliver the most impactful messages, and implement the most effective approach. However, an effective strategy must consider also variables, such as conscientiousness of challenges, public’s stance and relational impacts that each initiative has with critical stakeholders.

For the communication campaign to produce a significant impact, it is crucial to follow a defined plan in order to propose and obtain approvals, feedback and assessment. Together for Cohesion has adopted the so-called “management by objectives”. In a nutshell, before, during and after the communication campaign, four steps are realised. Each of them can be broken down into measurable objectives in order to inform and shape the plan framework. Those steps are the following: analysing the issue, developing strategy, implement the strategy, and monitoring and evaluation. Adopting this strategy enables to identify the key stakeholders for the communications. That is what the stakeholder engagement plan is all about.

Engaging relevant stakeholders in the communication campaign

The stakeholder engagement plan aims to identify targeted key stakeholders for policy areas that are covered by Cohesion Funds for each region participating in the project. The purpose is to collaborate with onboard stakeholders with past-experience in cohesion policy-related activities.

As Together For Cohesion is a campaign linked to the Cohesion Policy, it is necessary to identify the key stakeholders according to the five main policy areas of interest, that is to say: Tourism, Youth Involvement, Gender Equality and Pay Parity, Handicraft and Agricultural Development. Moreover, the five most common categories of stakeholders have been considered: Public Authorities, Enterprises, Academia, NGOs/CSOs, Media and Communication Outlets. In collaboration with the regions taking part in the project, key stakeholders have been listed for each of them according to the policy areas and their level of engagement in different stages of the campaign. Their involvement has been clarified in accordance with the steps of the communication strategy.

Once the stakeholders are identified, the following stage begins, and the various stakeholders will become active players in our communication campaign. Among other activities, they will take part in events and training, act as Ambassadors of cohesion, share their success stories and contents linked to the Cohesion Policy.

What’s next?

Stories from our stakeholders and their involvement in the activities of the project will be shared soon on Together for Cohesion website. Visit the project website to make sure that you don’t miss anything!

Beyond our targeted stakeholders, we want to hear your voice and share your stories too! Together for Cohesion has launched a call for third parties! Check out the call and contact us by May 20, 2020!

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

International Conference on Entrepreneurship Education: The last Together4Cohesion local event in Varaždin

By

Together for Cohesion is moving ahead with the organization of the local events in its flagship regions! After the Splendid Ball and the International Conference on ESI Funds, Varaždin County draws the curtains with its third and final appointment in the Cohesion Calendar.

Entrepreneurship is fundamental to trigger the economic potential of regions and local authorities, and as such, to boost cohesion among the regions of Europe. Of equal importance is the sharing of existing knowledge and experiences among regions. This is why the Varaždin County organized an International Conference on “Entrepreneurship Education”.

The conference took place on March 5th in Varaždin and was organized by the Varaždin County and the Faculty of Organisation and Informatics in cooperation with the Public Institution for Regional Development of Varaždin County. It was held during the European Week of Small and Medium Enterprises, inaugurated by the Local Initiatives for Employment in Varaždin County LEPEZA VŽ – an EU-funded project aiming at promoting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills.

The event was attended by around 40 professionals working in the education and entrepreneurship sectors, among these policy-makers, heads of education institutions, and other interested stakeholders. Participants had the chance to exchange about the education system and entrepreneurial skills in Croatia by a panel composed of renewed experts in the field. Among these, the guest of honor Ms. Petra Sippola, PhD from the Seinäjoki University (South Ostrobothnia in Finland, an AER member region).

  • Panel of the Conference

The discussion started with the opening remarks of the dean of the Faculty of Organisation and Informatics, Ms. Nina Begićević Ređep, and Varaždin County Prefect, Mr. Radimir Čačić, who highlighted the importance of further boost entrepreneurship competence in the county and more general in the country. The necessity was shared also by Ms. Sunčica Oberman Peterka, representative of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor team Croatia. However, as presented by Ms. Lidija Kozina – Head of the High school Ivanec and member of the Working Group for experts and principles for the implementation of the curriculum reform – important steps have been already undertaken through the curriculum reform in Croatia.

At the same time, the link between an entrepreneurship educational background and the decision to work in the business sector is not easy to define. According to Ms. Nina Korent from the Faculty of Organisation and Informatics, graduates usually launch an entrepreneurial project after at least 5 years of work experience. This time gap makes the connection difficult to establish.   

Insights on how to enhance entrepreneurial skills came directly from Finland too. Ms. Petra Sippola (Seinäjoki University) presented the Finnish educational system and models for encouraging entrepreneurial thinking. It emerged the importance of encouraging creativity and problem solving from an early age. This is particularly relevant as the entrepreneurial thinking concerns all the spheres of life, and not only the business activities.

Lastly, a good example of a young entrepreneur was given. A high school graduate that, together with his team, developed an application enabling people to play and learn various subjects. The application was soon exported in Slovenia, and its success was confirmed by the increased learning results of the students that used it.

What’s next?

Although the series of local events in Varaždin has come to an end, upcoming activities in all the flagship regions are on the agenda. Visit AER and Together for Cohesion websites to be updated on what is going on!

Next local events in Together for Cohesion flagship regions are coming too (in virtual format)! Check the Cohesion Calendar to be sure that you do not lose anything!

Photos credits: Varaždin County

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Library

Statutory Documents
AER Strategies
Minutes
Media Kit
Activity Reports
Newsletters
European Regions Map

Join AER!

Become a Member

Job Opportunities

Sign up for our Newsletter

Website map