AER Task Force on Cohesion Policy

Communication of European Funds using Social Media: Lessons from Together4Cohesion Training Session in Trentino

23 April, 2020 By Birgit Sandu

Keen to know about how to better communicate the actions undertaken with EU funds in social media? We have something interesting for you! Read the article to know what are the lessons from the dedicated training organized in Trentino within the project Together for Cohesion: Let’s rEUnite!

Stakeholders are major actors in the implementation of Cohesion policy actions, and, as such, their effective communication about the benefits of the policy is essential! This is why Together for Cohesion is launching a series of workshops trainings in its flagship regions offering stakeholders high-quality learning opportunities on how to better communicate.

On January 23^rd, the Province of Trento organized the training course “The Communication of European Funds using Social Media”, which was held by IFOA Professor Alessio Conti, an expert in Digital Marketing, Branding Strategies, and social media.

The course was attended by 20 stakeholders directly involved in information and communication activities related to EU funds. Through presentations and practical exercises, participants gained excellent insights on how to better communicate their EU funded actions in an ever-changing and digital world, and how to be an effective actor within the new arenas of communications – social media.

As presented, the communication of European funds and projects is not an easy task. Yet, there are some core aspects that if properly addressed can make a tangible difference:

Language: Technical language, acronyms, highly specific words (e.g. operational program, thematic objective, to name a few) are difficult to understand for a non-specialized audience. Online and offline communication on the website, media outlets, and social media must employ a language that is easy and fast to absorb by the general public.
Partnership: One of the core aspects of the European funds is that they are a tool jointly managed by actors at different levels (vertically and horizontally). Partnership shall also be one of the cornerstones of the communication around these activities: Involving all the different actors in the communication of the impact and results gives solidity and sustainability to the project and multiplies the outreach of the message.
Endorsement: Third-party endorsement is one of the most effective marketing strategies: Give the floor to third parties to communicate about the benefits of a product/services. This is particularly relevant within cohesion policy: The stories of the beneficiaries of the policy are a very incisive and persuasive tool.

What’s next?

Other workshops and trainings for stakeholders will be organized soon in the other flagship regions in a virtual format.

We will keep you posted with new insights from these learning exchanges!

Photo Credits: First photo from Unsplash; second photo from the Province of Trento

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Tips and Hints from the Together4Cohesion Workshop in Alba Iulia

15 April, 2020 By Birgit Sandu

Do you want to learn more about new media’s effective communication strategies? Together4Cohesion is organizing a series of workshops training throughout its six flagship regions to provide citizens and stakeholders with useful ‘tips and hints’ on good communication techniques. Given the very positive feedback received by the participants to the workshops’ organized so far, we want to share all these precious tips with you all!

Read the article to know about the workshop held in Albia Iulia on “Branding Yourself: Tips for Building a Strong Brand Image in the New Media Era”.

On 21 February, the workshop training “Branding Yourself: Tips for Building a Strong Brand Image in the New Media Era” took place in Alba Iulia with the coordination of the Alba county and mc Group.

The event gathered 30 representatives from local businesses, all keen to learn and exchange about strategies for effective communication on the new media, and especially to apply these tips to their work activities.

*Photo Credits: Conililyl Judetean Alba*

The workshop consisted of interactive presentations and practical exercises addressing core aspects of an effective brand’s communication strategy:

1. Creation of brand identity in four steps:

Step 1: Define your SMART objective: The objective should be Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Relevant, and Time-based.
Step 2: Delineate your Buyer Persona: Understand what are of your targeted audience’s features.
Step 3: Determine your company’s current market position: Unique selling proposition – USP – the benefits deriving from the offered goods/services for the people who enjoy it.
Step 4: Communication Platforms: Be active on the different communication platforms.

…and produce content that is relevant, answers to people’s needs, and generates emotions!

2. The use of new online communication tools

New media and their impact are constantly growing. Yet to make use of the full potential offered by this wide-range of platforms, your communication activity should be:

Well-organized: Define your company’s online communication strategy – including its SMART objective – and plan in dully advance your posts (consider the possibility of using existing dedicated applications).
Informed: It should be aware of your clients’ general features and preferences, as well as of the pros and cons of communicating through each platform.
Targeted: Use the channels that you consider the most suited for your company, and adapt the posts to the specificities of each media.

It is always worth remembering the impact of a well-designed website. Clients will build their opinion about the company upon this!

3. The development of the relationship between local businesses and press

If you want to have a meaningful presence in the press and journalists interested in your business, it is important to:

Develop and tell the story behind your brand: Who you are, what change you want to trigger, what makes you different from others, what benefits you bring to your clients and what the latter think about your products/services.
Be organized: Develop and implement an editorial plan for your brand, and prepare a ‘press-kit’ containing your brand’s story and potential subjects that can be relevant.
Be active: Make yourself known in your community and speak with people, engage with colleagues and stakeholders by participating in networking events and organizing online and offline events.
Be proactive: Look for presses and journalists working with similar businesses, contact them and propose your-self and your brand (do not wait for them to become aware of your presence).
Be innovative: Innovation is always a journalists’ favorite word.

What’s next?

Stay tuned! We will share soon ‘tips and hints’ about “Communicating EU Cohesion Policy through Social Media” from the Together4Cohesion workshop held on January 23rd in Trentino!

Together4Cohesion workshops will go ahead! Our flagship regions are working hard to organize them in a virtual format (as webinars).

We will keep you posted!

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The Benefits of Cohesion for Citizens of the European Union: Together4Cohesion’s Event in Timiș

2 April, 2020 By Birgit Sandu

Another important stage was achieved on the route to raise awareness of European cohesion policy and its benefits for the regions through the “European cohesion calendar for local events” of the Together4Cohesion project!

On February 25th, the Timiș County Council held the conference “The benefits of cohesion for citizens of the European Union”. The aim of the event was to inform citizens, local authorities, and stakeholders about the benefits of European cohesion policy in the Region West in Romania.

Since the accession of Romania to the European Union, cohesion policy has played a fundamental role in promoting the economic development and well-being of the Region West. According to the president of Timis County Council, Călin-Ionel DOBRA: “Our West Region directly benefited from cohesion prioritization of the EU investment policies, because the budget allocation of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework has created thousands of new jobs, facilitated the rehabilitation of several regional roads, the provision of high-performance equipment for various hospitals and schools and considerable investments in terms of services and infrastructure. This is why we are entitled to say that cohesion policy, combined with foreign investments, represent the main factors to raise Timis into the top counties with the lowest unemployment rate in Romania. Since our 2007accession to the European Union until the present, we lowered from a percent of 7.7 in 2006 to a currently rate below 1%” (press release).

The conference gathered representatives of public institutions and non-governmental organizations and presented some of the major projects co-financed by EU funds, as well as their concrete achievements. The presented projects were meaningful in shedding light on the real-life impacts of the activities launched within the European cohesion policy. These included the “expansion and modernization of the Emergency Receiving Unit of the Timișoara County Hospital”, “construction of a new Obstetrics-Gynecology Clinic”, “the exit of the A1 Highway”, and “modernising the DJ 693 county road to interconnect it with A1 highway and building a bridge over Mureș River in Pecica, Arad County” (press release).

Read the full press release of the event here to have more information about the conference and the benefits of European funds in the region!

And check the European cohesion calendar for local events for updates on the upcoming events!

First photo: Călin-Ionel DOBRA, President of Timis County Council. Second photo: Conference “The benefits of cohesion for citizens of the European Union”. Photo credits: Dani Amariei, Timiș County Council.

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DG Regio Opportunities: Cohesion Policy

1 April, 2020 By Erica Lee

On 6 February, AER attended a conference run by DG Regio on “Engaging citizens for good governance in Cohesion Policy”

The conference addressed key questions such as

How can citizens and civil society contribute to good governance in EU Cohesion Policy?
How do we bring Cohesion Policy closer to citizens?
What are the experiences from cooperation between authorities and citizens across Europe?

With Cohesion Policy now in the spotlight as a result of the newly adopted Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative [see the AER Briefing here], it is a good time for regions to reflect on how better to communicate cohesion policy and how to engage citizens in the process.

There are a number of existing opportunities related to Cohesion Funding that DG Regio is currently promoting:

PILOT PROJECT – CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR AUTHORITIES – EXTENDED DEADLINE

Managing authorities and intermediate bodies of ERDF and CF operational programmes are invited to apply to participate in the pilot project “Engaging citizens in the implementation of cohesion policy”. If selected, they will benefit from tailored advisory support in developing a closer cooperation with citizens and/or civil society organisations in the implementation of cohesion policy. The advisory support will be provided in close cooperation with the OECD. Please see the call for expression of interest. The deadline to apply has been extended to 30 April 2020.

On the same page you will also find a call for expression of interest for central coordination bodies and managing authorities to participate in a pilot on civic engagement in monitoring EU-funded projects in the “Open Cohesion School”, with a deadline 16 April 2020.

OPEN CALL FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

DG Regio also just launched an open call for proposals targeting civil society. Civil society organisations are invited to submit their proposals for tools or actions supporting citizen engagement in the implementation of cohesion policy. The call is available here with a deadline to apply by 31 May 2020.

EXPERTS WANTED

If you have expertise and experience in cooperation between authorities and citizens/CSO and are willing to share your knowledge, DG Regio would be happy to hear from you.

If you are an external expert from a CSO, academia etc. you are invited to express your interest to support the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) by submitting your application for our “AMI list” of experts here.

If you are a civil servant (at any level) from an EU member state, with proven experience in engaging citizens in policy-making and implementation, you are welcome to apply to share your expertise under the REGIO Peer-2-Peer scheme. REGIO P2P offer managing authorities, intermediate bodies and other institutions involved in the management of funding under ERDF and Cohesion fund, a chance to meet and exchange practices on how to engage citizens in cohesion policy. Apply online and DG Regio will help you find the best expertise to respond to your needs.

AER members can avail of the support of the AER Project Unit when applying for these calls. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

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AER’s take on the EU Green Deal

13 December, 2019 By Editor

The latest ‘Europe’s State of the Environment 2020’ report, which was launched by the European Environment Agency earlier this month, states that Europe is facing environmental challenges of unprecedented scale and urgency. This report underlines that Europe will not achieve its 2030 goals without urgent action over the next 10 years to address the alarming rate of biodiversity loss, the increasing impacts of climate change and the overconsumption of natural resources.

In the light of such challenges of major importance, the Assembly of European Regions welcomes the launch of the European Green Deal by the European Commission, which now needs to be approved by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. The European Green Deal provides a roadmap with actions to boost the circular economy, reduce greenhouse gases emissions, revert biodiversity loss, and cut pollution. Although the AER will conduct a more detailed analysis of this document, we celebrate the adoption of this roadmap to guide us towards a just and inclusive transition to a sustainable Europe, and especially the political goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

AER welcomes the announcement of the first European Climate Law, to be presented within 100 days, and the upping of the Europe’s 2030 emissions targets, but also the new Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the new Industrial Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan, the Farm to Fork Strategy for sustainable food and proposals for pollution-free Europe.

AER recognises the magnitude and the urgency of the commitment adopted by the European Commission and underlines the importance of not failing in making this pledge a reality. The Assembly recalls the importance that the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament approve the European Green Deal and, together with the European Commission, do everything possible to accelerate the approval of the different initiatives and ensure their ambition. The joint vision and action of these three institutions are crucial for granting the necessary policy coherence, which should also be achieved between the European and national levels.

The success of this roadmap to the future requires a firm multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach. AER and its members are ready and willing to contribute to making the European Green Deal a reality. Our vision, knowledge, good practices, and especially the competences that the AER members hold, are valuable for reaching these ambitious goals.

The AER also welcomes the commitment of dedicating at least 25% of the EU’s long-term budget to climate action. It is important, however, to remember that EU spending represents less than 1% of the total value of the EU’s economy and its budget is smaller than the one from some Member States. This reinforces the idea of boosting policy coherence in a real multilevel approach to the Green New Deal.

Read the Commission’s Communication on the European Green Deal here.

The Annex to the Communication on the European Green Deal can be accessed here.

Photo by Appolinary Kalashnikova on Unsplash

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Action Required to Safeguard Cohesion Policy!

11 December, 2019 By Mathieu Mori

Cohesion policy is the main European investment policy to reduce territorial disparities and deliver a fairer Europe.

It is important that an instrument such as this is appreciated and protected. It cannot be taken for granted.

Cohesion Policy is now at the risk of being significantly reduced from the next Multiannual Financial Framework that the EU is negotiating for the upcoming 7 years. Therefore, AER, in order to endeavour our priority towards achieving a strengthened Cohesion policy, has signed a letter, in which all the members from #CohesionAlliance express their concern to the President of the European Council, Mr Charles Michel, and the Heads of States and Governments from the EU Member States.

Following some worrying suggestions by the Finnish presidency of the Council to limit the overall range of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), AER undertook an advocacy mission to the European Parliament last October. We are now striving to express our concerns to national governments of the necessity of :

allocating enough funding for cohesion policy – at least one-third of the future EU budget
respecting the principles of partnership and multi-level governance
swiftly concluding the negotiations on the new MFF

The AER Taskforce on Cohesion Policy will meet relevant national stakeholders early in the new year to continue this work.

But we also need your help!

We urge our member regions to support us on this mission towards a strengthened Cohesion policy and forward this letter to your Head of State or Government and any other relevant Government Ministers.

The letter can be found HERE in various languages.

We are counting on all our members to stand up for this crucial policy in its hour of need.

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Eurobarometer: What do we know about Cohesion Policy?

7 November, 2019 By Erica Lee

The results of the flash Eurobarometer 480 on “Citizens’ awareness and perception of regional policy” were published on 7 October, just in time for the European Week of Regions & Cities.

The flash survey was carried out on a sample of 700 -1000 respondents in each EU Member State in June 2019.

4 in 10 European citizens are aware of projects funded by cohesion policy.

Awareness of EU-funded projects has increased significantly since over the last three years. There could be many explanations for this, including an increased effort by the European institutions to communicate about cohesion policy, the 2019 European elections, or potentially even the ongoing Brexit process drawing attention to the merits of EU membership.

The increased awareness of cohesion policy is especially noteworthy in Italy, Austria, and France with overall highest awareness in Poland (82%) and Slovakia, Czechia, Malta, Croatia, Latvia, Slovenia, Hungary and Lithuania all above 60%. It can be stated that beneficiary countries are more aware of cohesion policy than countries that receive less funding.

When people are aware of projects funded by cohesion policy in their region, an overwhelming proportion (81%) believes they have a positive impact on their lives. Interestingly, some 19% apparently do not feel that these projects are useful or beneficial to their region.

Most citizens surveyed believe the EU should invest in education, health and social infrastructures (91%), as well as the environment (90%) and in renewable and clean energy (87%). Topics such as support to SMEs (81%), research and innovation (80%), training (78%) and transport (75%) follow. These topics are fully in line with the proposed priorities for a smarter, greener and more social Europe as well as with the draft arrangements to strengthen coordination with other EU funds.

Respondent also believe regional policy should invest in ALL regions (58% in 2019, compared to 47% in 2010) but granting priority to regions with high unemployment (69%), deprived urban areas (54%) and remote rural or mountain areas (52%). These results are similarly coherent with the proposals for 2021-2027 where regions will benefit based largely on GDP per capita but also new criteria such as youth unemployment, low eductaion level, climate change, and reception and integration of migrants.

The moral of the story? The more people know about regional policy & cohesion funding, the more they see its benefits and perceive its impact as positive.

How can the EU, networks and regions themselves better communicate Cohesion Policy? AER is working on this topic as part of the Together4Cohesion project, where 15 local events will take place in 5 European countries to highlight in the regions, how cohesion funding makes a difference to the everyday lives of EU citizens. Visit together4cohesion.eu to learn more.

Together4Cohesion

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Together for Cohesion project goes to the Council of Europe!

30 October, 2019 By Agnese Pantaloni

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keen to learn more about this project?

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

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AER advocates for reinforced Cohesion Budget during EP Plenary Week

28 October, 2019 By Mathieu Mori

Last week, an AER delegation led by President Magnus Berntsson met a large number of Members of the European Parliament, including the Chair of the REGI Committee, to discuss the future of Cohesion Policy and the upcoming EU Budget for 2021-2027.

After the worrying working paper by the Finnish Council Presidency proposing further cuts to those already put forward by the European Commission for the 2021-2027 EU budget, AER was reassured to see a consensus among the REGI committee members who all described the Finnish proposal as “unacceptable”.

A similar unanimity was agreed on:

keeping cohesion policy accessible to every region
the necessity to ensure a strengthened partnership principle in future cohesion policy to guarantee that local and regional governments are involved in designing and implementing future investment programmes
guaranteeing cohesion funds are not suspended for Member States that do not comply with the recommendations within the European Semester and the economic governance procedures
sufficient means to ensure all five strands of European territorial cooperation remain a viable way for regions to cooperate on projects across borders

Like AER and the Cohesion Alliance, the REGI committee will now work on convincing the member states in the Council to return to a more constructive stance. A joint letter signed by the Presidents of the Committee of the Regions, AER, AEBR, CEMR, Eurocities and CPMR will be sent to the Council Presidency. This letter will be translated into all languages and shared with the members of all these organisations.

Such efforts will be particularly targeted at Austria, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland as Member States that oppose an increase of the national contributions to the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

France and Germany will also play a key role in the final adoption of the budget. As such, specific contacts will also be established with them.

In addition, a gathering of the Presidents of all networks of regions, municipalities and cities will be organised around the next EU Council meeting in the first half of December.

Together, we can save cohesion policy and continue to fight inequality in Europe. To do this, we rely on the engagement of all our members and all other stakeholders in the regions of Europe.

If you would like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact Vania Freitas at [email protected].

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Regional Parliaments: host a debate on the future of Europe

15 October, 2019 By Editor

Regions shape Europe and, considering their proximity to citizens, regional governments are crucial actors for the achievement of effective democracy and good governance. In this context, a consortium of universities is looking for EU member regions willing to participate in a project focused at showcasing the role of regional parliaments in European democracy and at gathering their input in the future of Europe debate.

What is REGIOPARL?

REGIOPARL is a cooperation of researchers located at the Danube University Krems (Austria) and the European Democracy Lab in Berlin (Germany). This project brings together regional political actors with the aim to contribute actively to the ongoing debate on the future of Europe.

What does REGIOPARL do?

REGIOPARL organises workshops with members of regional parliaments and assemblies in 15 European regions. The purpose of this platform is to strengthening democracy at regional level and consequently strengthening democracy in Europe.

The workshops will address the regional perspective on:

The EU’s institutional structure
The distribution of competences
Territorial aspects of regions in Europe

What can you do?

If you are interested in getting involved, REGIOPARL is looking for regions wishing to host one of the workshops. But there is more: the workshops’ results will be collected for the comparative study on which REGIOPARL is working on and, secondarily, the outputs will be disseminated among policy-makers at the regional, national and European level.

Regional realities are the core of this project, your experience and the transfer of this knowledge is fundamental for the realisation of this initiative, for this reason, AER invites its member regions to join this project and foster this exchange of perspectives.

If you are interested in taking part of this project and sharing your regional realities, please contact Annalena Rehkaemper, Research Associate REGIOPARL, via phone (+ 49 30 20 61 62 58) or e-mail ([email protected]).

More useful information can be found on REGIOPARL webpage.

Photo credits: REGIOPARL

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Together4Cohesion launch in Larnaca

12 June, 2019 By Rosanna Fanni

The project Together4Cohesion aims to amplify communicative practices in regions and strengthen AER’s efforts in improving cohesion policy in Europe

Many citizens in the regions are inadequately informed about the impact of cohesion policy in their daily lives. In an effort to improve the communication of these benefits, AER and mc Group have partnered up for the project “Let’s rEUnite: Together for Cohesion”. On June 5th, the project was officially launched in Larnaca (CY) together with its partners and AER members during the General Assembly.

Magnus Berntsson, President of AER, opened the event and stressed the importance of AER members as relevant amplifiers for cohesion policy.

Whether it’s transport, healthcare, communication, leisure activities, community life – Cohesion Policy aims to reduce economic and social disparities and to promote sustainable development. In sum, many examples can be found to demonstrate how European Cohesion Policy Funds support people’s daily lives.

Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of AER, then introduced the project partners: mc Group and AER’s Project Unit. More generally, AER’s work on cohesion with its taskforce and as member of the Cohesion Alliance already invested efforts in cohesion policy. Six AER member regions have taken up the challenge of becoming core partners: Varazdin (Croatia), Csongrád (Hungary), Trentino (Italy), Timis and Alba (Romania) and Catalonia (Spain).

Then it was the turn of mc Group to explain their role in the project. Elisa Lomonte, International PR, and Jan Pycha, Project Manager, presented their insights on target groups, how to build a house of communication as part of an integrated campaign. They focussed in on what is meant by a 360-degree communication campaign, creating synergies and cross-promotional effects through specific communication tools.

mc Group also introduced 4 action steps for the implementation of the project’s campaign:
1) What regions are already doing?
2) What really innovative regions can do?
3) Citizens on board! The Messengers for Cohesion and
4) Blowing Cohesion policy positive effects over European regions: the “For Cohesion: let’s rEUnite!” campaign. Bringing in both citizens and stakeholders is a key objective of the communications.

The presentation was followed by an interactive quiz. The attendees answered four questions on EU Cohesion Policy, namely:

1. What percentage of the EU budget does cohesion funding represent?
2. The Cohesion Policy is delivered through three main funds, identify them.
3. By 2020 the EU aims to meet five concrete objectives in regard to its Cohesion Policy, identify them.
4. Who can apply for the EU Cohesion policy benefits?

Would you know the answers?

Afterwards, the participants were asked to vote for the official name of the campaign. The options were:

Cohesion In The Regions – #CohesionRegions – cohesionregions.eu
Together For Cohesion – #Together4Cohesion – together4cohesion.eu

The pilot regions’ representatives, mc Group, and members from the AER Project Unit joined President Berntsson and Secretary-General Mori “on stage” to reveal results of the vote. The winning campaign name was #Together4Cohesion!

A highlight of the launch event for participants was the reveal of the future wesbite landing page!

Finally, Mathieu thanked the attendees for their presence and announced the further work in the Knowledge Sharing Workshop on 6th June to capture the best-practices from communication campaigns, AER members analysed campaigns and voted for best-practice examples.

We look forward to officially start with the campaign and cooperate with European regions – let’s unite our efforts and act Together4Cohesion!

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Will you help us to rEUnite Europe?

16 May, 2019 By Editor

Ever heard of European Cohesion Funds?

… said nobody ever…

According to a Eurobarometer survey from June 2017, in some regions, up to 95.3% of the population consider Cohesion Policy useful. This sounds great – but do people actually know about the EU’s investments in regions more generally?

The study revealed that only 35% of EU citizens are aware of projects funded by EU cohesion policy in their region. The most shocking fact that the survey revealed was that of all people interviewed, only 4% have heard about Cohesion Policy.

Cohesify.eu found similar results: Asking “What do citizens think of Cohesion Policy and does it matter for European identity?” to focus groups in 16 regions across Europe, the participants recognise that Cohesion policy matters for improving the quality of life in their area, but feel they are inadequately informed:

Participants identified the lack of communication – defined as the insufficient publicity of Cohesion policy – as an important problem in the implementation of Cohesion policy. People think they are inadequately informed and expect European, national and regional government authorities to step up their communication about EU policies and fulfil their obligation to inform the public. The effort to communicate Cohesion policy should be reinforced. […] (Pegan, Mendes & Triga, 2018, p. 33)

There are many examples of how European Cohesion Policy Funds support people’s daily lives. Whether it’s transport, healthcare, communication, leisure activities, community life – Cohesion Policy aims to reduce economic and social disparities and to promote sustainable development (read more about Cohesion Funds here).

That is why AER has partnered up with mc Group to finally spill the secrets of success stories and best practices from European regions!

Together, we want to ensure that your efforts are visible: through the European funded project ‘Let’s rEUnite‘, we want to tell these stories to all citizens across Europe.

As such, we’re keen on hearing your success stories! Did your region recently design a campaign on beneficial outcomes for your citizens? Are you working on a best-practice which benefitted citizens? (for example, in healthcare, sustainability, etc.) Have you had a push on engagement together with other partners in your region? How do you show your citizens that they benefit from services provided with Cohesion Funds?

Submit your campaign – with Let’s rEUnite it gets heard on a European level!

Let us know about your Cohesion Communication Campaign in this form:

Cohesion Communication Campaign Survey

We also want to hear about your upcoming events!

Whether it’s a local fair, a presentation for entrepreneurs or a two-day food festival: let us know where your locals meet!

Insert your local event for our European Cohesion Calendar in this form:

European Cohesion Calendar

Our aim is to provide all project partners & friends with a comprehensive guide on communication strategies for their policy projects. The main outcome of Let’s rEUnite is a central website hub which will garner attention not only from the EU Institutions but also from the regions and citizens themselves!

Therefore, help us in shaping a campaign that best suits you by replying to the two forms above before 24th May!

Featured image: by Luca Upper on Unsplash

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European Week of Regions and Cities 2018

15 October, 2018 By Editor

The AER took part in the annual European Week of Regions and Cities, organised by the Committee of the Regions. From 8 – 12 October representatives from all across Europe came to Brussels to discuss best practices and share experiences.

The AER organised a workshop on Cohesion for Enlargement: Thriving in a Stronger Union. The workshop brought together experts to look at the role cohesion policy plays in strengthening the enlargement process for the Western Balkans. There was also a discussion on how the forthcoming legislative proposals for the renewed cohesion policy framework and instruments can deliver the best outcomes for social, economic and territorial cohesion in the view of a stronger and enlarged Union.

Panellists:

Vidosava Enderic – Director, European Affairs Fund, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina;
Jean-Pierre Halkin – Head of Unit, Macro-regions, Transnational/Interregional Cooperation, IPA, Enlargement, European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy;
Franco Iacop – Member of the European Committee of the Regions, Regional Councillor and President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Council’
Anna Magyar – Vice-President of the Assembly of European Regions, Member of the European Committee of the Regions, Vice-President of County Council of Csongrád Megye; and
Moderator: Mathieu Mori – Secretary General, Assembly of European Regions

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Fresh news from last AER Bureau Meeting in Oppland!

1 June, 2018 By Editor

Following the past AER General Assembly which took place in Lillehammer (Oppland, NO) on 23 May, the Bureau members got together on Thursday 24 May to discuss key issues concerning the future of the cohesion policy budget and AER overall political direction and priorities for 2018-2019. The Bureau is the primary political voice of AER and establishes the political base for AER lobbying and advocacy actions by preparing strategical positions and decisions on European and global affairs affecting regions.

Welcome words and introduction

The Bureau Meeting was opened by Ms. Aud Hove, Deputy County Mayor of Oppland, who stressed the repercussions and challenges that climate change entails for policy-making urging to take advantage of the window of opportunities awaiting to build a green and sustainable future.

Mathieu Mori, AER Secretary General, outlined very briefly the main points of the Bureau meeting agenda:

Discussion and adoption of the statement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and future of cohesion policy budget;
introduction to the topic of social innovation towards a more sustainable and inclusive economic model – an initiative proposed by Catalonia (ES) which will lead to a political position at the next Bureau meeting in Autumn;
and the identification of the specific issues for the Bureau political discussion in the next year.

Position on new EU cohesion policy budget

On 2 May 2018, the European Commission announced its proposal for the new EU budget which will be followed by detailed legislative proposals to frame cohesion policy after 2020. This new architecture for funding is crucial for the regions to fulfil their social, economic and territorial cohesion objectives. Overall, the Commission proposes a long-term budget of €1.135 billion in commitments (expressed in 2018 prices) over the period from 2021 to 2027, equivalent to 1.11% of the EU27’s gross national income. This level of commitment translates into €1.105 billion (or 1.08% of gross national income) in payments in 2018 prices.

Mr. Michiel Rijsberman, AER Rapporteur for the Cohesion Policy Task Force, made a short introduction on the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) for the 2021-2027 period pointing out that important EU contributors (such as France, the Netherlands or Austria) have expressed reluctance to increase their share of the budget in concept of payment for the Brexit bill. Another remarkable aspect of the MMF is the fact that the European Social Fund (ESF) will turn into ESF +. Despite this fact, it is foreseen that the ESF may be expanded, and Bureau members demanded greater clarity regarding its future and impact on regions.

In this context, Mathieu Mori invited Bureau members to discuss and adopt the AER statement on the future cohesion policy budget to guide AER’s advocacy work in the negotiation process. In order to boost the debate, Bureau members were divided into six working groups to discuss the draft and possible amendments.

Following the discussions and the amendment process, the Bureau Statement on the Future of the Cohesion Budget was unanimously approved!

New political horizons for the Bureau meeting!

The discussion on the EU budget was followed by a brainstorming session to raise specific issues of concern for the Bureau political discussion in the year ahead. In order to do so, the Bureau members were asked to work in groups in order to put forward other possible topics besides the ones proposed by the AER Executive Board (EB) on the previous day –namely, digitalisation, EU Pillar for Social Rights, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and migration–.

Andrew Gibson, AER Vice-President from Hampshire county (UK), referred, on the topic of migration, to the EU position document on migration and asylum which sets out a new plan for a sustainable policy to strengthen the cooperation among EU countries as well as providing a more flexible funding to address migration and the inclusion of immigrants and refugees in society. Andrew Gibson pointed out that AER must contribute to this European Agenda by sharing the knowledge and good practices of regions.

Mr. Jean Luc Vanraes, President of AER Committee 1 for Economy and Regional Development, addressed the Bureau members stating that the digital, new technology and public affairs policy stream is preparing the next generation of actors to leverage the nexus of interactions between exponential technologies, public affairs and civil society. The digital revolution is transforming the inner workings of our economies, businesses, democracies, social models and public affairs. The regions therefore need to take the lead and invest in this strategic sector where many jobs will be created.

Ms. Anna Magyar, AER Vice President for EU enlargement, took the floor to stress the importance of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) for the economic development of regions. The CAP is a vital policy enabling farmers to provide a stable food supply, produced in a sustainable way at affordable prices for the benefit of more than 500 million European consumers. Considering it is a key policy for integration and development, and in view of the next financial period pos-2020 which tends to decrease the budget for the CAP, Ms. Anna Magyar suggested to the Bureau members to do a strong lobby for keeping the budget.

Mr. Mihai Ritivoiu, President of AER Committee 2 for Social Policy and Public Health, proposed the Bureau members to contribute to the European Pillar of Social Rights, by formulating recommendations based on the good practices of regions in the areas of equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working condition and social protection and inclusion.

Finally, Ms. Irén Lejegren (Örebro), suggested to work on the topic of food safety, which has a profound effect on regional development, not only in terms of production but also in terms of environmental challenges. In her view, the EU current level of legislation needs further development in the field of food safety and lacks an approach on sustainable development in line with the 2030 Agenda.

Following this round of presentations, the Bureau members decided by means of a vote to pick food safety, digitalisation and migration as priority matters for the next year.

Social innovation is now on the Bureau Agenda!

In the context of the ongoing reflection on the future of Europe and evolving discussions on the new EU budget and priorities for the programming period after 2020, Magnus Berntsson stated that social innovation can bring new solutions that address social challenges and improve the effectiveness of public policies and services, promoting growth and well-being.

Vania Freitas, AER Institutional Relations & Advocacy Coordinator, introduced this topic –proposed by Mr. Albert Castellanos, AER Vice President – by sharing the definition of social innovation presented by the EU Commission in its Guide to Social Innovation, its key aspects and approaches. The idea is to shift the innovation process by focusing on the needs of the people and engaging them in the solutions developed to meet those needs, at the adequate territorial level of intervention.

After this presentation, Bureau members were broken up into groups to explore the potential contributions of social innovation to growth and jobs, social equity and more healthy communities, and discuss the processes that facilitates social innovation and harness its positive potential to support social sustainability at regional level.

The outcomes of this discussion will lead to a political position at the next Bureau meeting in Autumn!Follow AER!

#CohesionPolicyTips – Let’s work together for a stronger and more resilient cohesion policy

12 February, 2018 By Editor

AER’s tips to influence: Towards a stronger and more effective Cohesion Policy beyond 2020

Over the last few weeks, we have offered small and big tips on how to approach and create a dialogue with your local and regional politicians to raise awareness on the needs of a strong more effective cohesion policy post-2020.

Here are the tips!

Sign the Cohesion Alliance declaration!

Join the AER task force on Cohesion Policy

Reach out to your local MEPs

Reach out to national policy-makers

Contribute to the Committee of the Regions’ opinions

Get the attention of the regional media

Liaise with other regions in your country

Mobilise regional EU offices

See the summary video of the Cohesion Alliance!

See our position from June 2017 on the future of Cohesion Policy.

Contact our Institutional Relations coordinator for more information: