Assembly of European Regions

Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985

You are here: Home / Archives for SMEs

This tag is for all posts relating to SME.

European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) 2021 – Call Now Open!

By

The successful European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) scheme, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, has been modernised and renewed for upcoming five years.

Each of the annual calls for applications between 2021 and 2025 will have a lead theme, which is linked with the EU policy agenda and relevant to regional and local level.

The EER 2021 label will be dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship for a green and sustainable future and will be open for applications from EU regions and cities until 31 March 2020.

The EER label is awarded by the European Committee of the Regions each year to up to 3 cities or regions with outstanding, future-oriented strategies to support SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups.

Becoming a European Entrepreneurial Region gives recognition and visibility to local or regional entrepreneurial strategies and provides access to a network of potential partners.

The EER award in 2020 was granted to the following regions: Gdansk & Pomorskie Region (Poland), Gothenburg Business Region (Sweden) and Navarra Region (Spain).

Visit the EER Website for more!

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

“Massively thought-provoking” – AMiD project Final Conference

By

Massively thought-provoking…

That was the first reaction of one of the participants to the conference. The final conference of AMiD project. Why provoking? Because the topic is pretty new. And because it matters. Because as panellists and participants, there were representatives from the local authorities, disabilities organisations, service providers and international institutions. Because migration is not a problem, but a reality.

Not just a conference…

Gathering together this variety of participants had a purpose: to help them work together to shape recommendations. Just as in the project, it was a variety of organisations from different backgrounds that AMiD happen.
So first came a round of panellists to open up the debate: diversity, data and evidence, a common European framework of welcomes, all with migration as a cross-cutting theme.

After a wave of presentations and questions, participants split in three groups to discuss and agree on recommendations. They included:

  • Improving capacity for CSOs – Civil Society Organisations working in the sector.
  • To set and spread the multi-stakeholder approach to inclusion.
  • Engagement to raise the topic of migrants with disabilities in the next Disability Strategy 2020-2030

What we heard from the panellists…

Migration, disability, diversity, migration as transversal cut to health or education, Global compact. All those where key words shared with the audience.
Conny Reuter, Secretary-General of Solidar, gave insights on migration as first something linking the all spectrum of social life: health, education, employment, housing. That was the kick-off to understand the dimension of what migration is.
Nuria Diez Guardia, representing the European Commission’s DG Home , was on the same line. As the DG in charge of the topic of migration and inclusion, DG Home Affairs works in collaboration with the other Directorates-General. That is the only way to set policies and resources for real inclusion.

But what about disability and migration? Ola Herinkson, IOM representative at the European Commission, reminded participants that the Global Compact for Migration have an eye for this group. That being, Objective No. 15, this is the part to look at and to work with.
Angela Unufe, CEO of Migrant & Minority Disability Network Europe, considered AMiD as a starting point to give more visibility to this group. “With AMiD we kicked off, but it is the right direction”.

Yaya Traore’ brought the voice of those who did the journey by boat to Europe. A tragic story, with a happy end. Despite his disability and the trauma he had to overcome, it was possible for him to learn the language of the hosting country and even get a job! “I was lucky,” he said. Yaya could be supported with proper services. Proof that it can be done!

What about the local authorities? Regions at AMiD

Oriol Amoros, Secretary of Equality, Migration and Citizenship of Catalonia (ES), made the point very clear. Local authorities, regions, can create vulnerabilities. How? With their laws, policies and bureaucracy. A little example: no official paper, no access to services or employment for migrants. On the other hand, regions have also the power to change that.
Marlene Niubo gave an overview of a mentoring programme for young migrants. That is one of the actions in place to support vulnerable groups. As Oriol Amoros reminded to all us, numbers say that 14% of European citizens has a disability and that in the 24% of all households there is one member with a migration background.

Multi-stakeholder and multi-level collaboration

Regions and local authorities can do more. But they can do better working in collaboration with the other organisations in society. The conference was a kind of lab in this sense. In the workshops, it was particularly encouraging to see how much NGOs, service providers, local authorities and international institutions have in common.

Kenneth Johannesson, AER politician from Varmland (SE), shared the experience of the AMiD CAB-Community Advisory Board. He and Angela Unufe, and the other CAB members sit together to understand, check and give advice to increase the overall quality of the project products. Specific work was carried out on the NAT (Needs Assessment Tool). Irena Guidikova, bringing the experience of the Intercultural City Programme from the Council of Europe, had only one statement on the multistakeholder approach: it works and it makes actions sustainable over time.

Watch this wrap-up video from the Conference to learn more!
Cross-County Report (EN)
AMiD Training Course (EN)
Needs Assessment Tool
AMiD Project Website
Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

AER mutual learning event: it’s all about the Economy 4.0!

By

This year’s mutual learning event, a cooperation between AER, Brussels Capital and Catalonia on 4 December 2019, will be on the Economy 4.0.

The Economy 4.0 is a new era of productive, industrial and economic development with deep implications on sectors as diverse as education, culture, health, agriculture, industrial production and work in general. The complexity of the societal challenges arising from this transformation makes it all the more important to use collective intelligence and diverse perspectives to shape the future.

Let’s plan the future together!

The goal of this Economy 4.0 event is to think and shape the future together. Things do not happen by accident, they happen by design. Major societal challenges, therefore, call for the engagement of all stakeholders to think and plan the future. 

Stakeholders from the private and public sector, industry specialists, entrepreneurs, academics, creatives, and policymakers will engage in genuine exchange. The idea is to share and discuss initiatives that can be implemented right away. Therefore, this conference will be an interactive event where participants and speakers will meet, talk, discuss and learn together. Participants will:

  • Share regional experiences on the development of the Economy 4.0 and how this is impacting areas as diverse as work, education, culture or health
  • Hear from different stakeholders what they see as threats and opportunities of the Economy 4.0
  • Examine the role of regions: are there new roles emerging?
  • Discuss social and economic impacts, needs in terms of policymaking and fields for cooperation
  • Learn about funding opportunities for regional stakeholders: from companies, organizations, and regional governments
  • Learn about regional examples of economy 4.0: presentations by companies and other stakeholders

Work, innovation, public services or sustainability?

A major asset of this event is to discover projects and initiatives and hear of stories first hand. Participants will choose which topic they would like to focus on and will then join a group of experts sharing their experiences and findings.

Groups will gather in parallel on the 4 following topics:

  1. The future of work in a brave new world
  2. Innovation in an era of massive competition
  3. Creative bureaucracy and public services
  4. Is a sustainable economy 4.0 possible?

The detailed agenda and link to the registration form are available on the Economy 4.0 event webpage. Due to the size of the venue, the number of seats is limited, Registrations will close on 25 November.

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Eurobarometer: What do we know about Cohesion Policy?

By

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
Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

National insights. AMiD closer look at everyday situation of migrant with disabilities

By

AMiD project looks at the topic of migrant with disabilities under different angles.

The very starting point of the journey was getting the picture of the different situation of migrants and refugees with disabilities in some EU member countries. Mostly, the ones on the front line to the welcome.

Greece, Austria and Italy were part of the study. Finland played the role of reallocation countries.

Findings and information gave the fuel to activities and the setting of the NAT-Need Assessment Tool.

Knowing and understanding gaps and challenges in the existing disability sector and the services available to the migrants with disabilities were one of the basic cornerstones of the project.

The report, as it is

The report is the result of contributions collected in different ways and from different sources.

The voice of the migrants with disabilities were heard via focus groups in each of these countries. Positive and negative experiences, suggestions and stories back on how their day to day, month after months lives is.

Experts and professionals were interviewed as well in focus groups.

Desk research brought the current situation on migration and disability. But also spotted the concept of integration and disability, the rights of migrants and the level of discrimination (in social life, laws, healthcare, education etc.).

Final recommendations for each country sum up the sense, the need and the requests for improvements.

What AMiD learned and you will learn

Migrants with disabilities have really clear something that sounds, unfortunately, obvious.

They are facing double discrimination. First because of their disability and second because they are not European citizens.

Frustration can be higher in some cases. Even when services are available, procedures might make them inaccessible. For example, requiring an official translator. Not only easy to get one.

Or the never-ending quest for an accommodation. The whole process might last more than one year.

Not only seeing dark

Very appreciated can be little but warm things. Like when the staff made a course in sign language and decided to use this ability to support colleagues working with refugees.

Or when refugees’ families discover that their children can go to school and the National educational system fully provides assistive devices.

Leisure activities are very important. And can be a nice surprise as well. Like being able to take part in social activities, like local festivities in the different regions, both Catholic or from the Muslim calendar when there is a Muslin community in the area.

And for the future

Briefly, in the different countries there were crosscutting recommendations that came from all the different countries:

  • Refugees and asylum seekers with disabilities must stay together with their family. Splitting family members causes more stress and insecurity to those family members that have disability.
  • Simplify bureaucracy. Sometimes is difficult even for native, what for those coming for the first time in a totally new country?
  • the need for raising awareness on the topic and a help from a higher political European level Especially when right-far right coalitions are in power in national countries to balance the efforts of local authorities and local no-profit organisations

And a final say: all assistance activities must be carried out with full respect for the fundamental rights of migrants.

Take a look of the full reports, the cross country and the national ones for Austria, Finland, Greece and Italy on the AMiD project page.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s AMIF – Asylum Migration and Integration Fund programme under grant agreement No 776055

Photo by Olivier Villard on Unsplash

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

European Solidarity Corps 4 Youth – Let’s Invest in Europe’s Youth

By

Youth unemployment is one of the main concerns of younger generations and it is indeed one of the main priorities for AER. As such, the European Solidarity Corps 4 Youth, which is part of the European Solidarity Corps, was created as a project co-funded by the European Union to match potential employers and interested candidates looking for first work experience.

What is ESC4Y?

The project ‘’European Solidarity Corps for Youth – ESC4Y” offers young Europeans (aged between 18 and 30 years) the opportunity to work for a period varying from 2 to 12 months in an environment with a solidarity dimension. The work placements can be in form of a job, a traineeship, or an apprenticeship.

The aim of this initiative is to build a more inclusive society, supporting vulnerable people and responding to societal challenges.

What are the conditions for taking part?

Whatever your sector of activity and whatever legal status you have (private company, NGO, association, etc) you can get involved with this initiative.

In short, your organisation has to follow only 3 basic rules:

• Be legally established (have a legal identity) in the European Union

• Offer a paid fixed-term job traineeship or apprenticeship with a solidarity dimension

• Be compliant with labour and fiscal laws

Why should your organisation take part?

This initiative will allow you to have access to a pool of talented young professionals and to enhance your multicultural dimension. ESC4Y is the perfect opportunity to contribute positively to tomorrow’s society and invest in Europe’s youth, so why not? Jump in! 

You may also benefit from financial support for integrating the youngster in the team (up to €2,000) if your organisation is an SME.

Where to send your work placement offers?

If you are interested in joining this initiative, please complete this form! 

More detailed information can be found in the Vademecum for Employers and if you want to find out more, just visit the ESC4Y website and Linkedin page!

Photo by European Solidarity Corps 4 Youth

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

The Policy Learning Platform – take the shortcut to smart regional solutions!

By

All over Europe, we are now in a moment that is decisive for the future of Structural Funds planning.

As such, you might be looking for better and more innovative ways to manage your policy or programme in the future. If so, Interreg Europe has a solution to offer: check the services of the Policy Learning Platform! 

The Policy Learning Platform is a free service that offers a variety of tools to all those that are looking for solutions to their regional challenges. ‘We believe in the value of cooperation and the power of creating links between professionals all around Europe.’

The Platform Proposes:

Covered topics: Research and Innovation, SME Competitiveness, Low-Carbon Economy, Environment and Resource Efficiency.

Curious to know more? Check their website today or subscribe now to receive policy digests directly to your mailbox!

Photo by: Policy Learning Platform

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Committee 2 Progress Report Autumn 2019

By

Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Social Policy and Public Health gather in plenary meeting. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the development of a joint work programme and to evaluate progress every six months.

During the AER Spring Committee Plenaries 2019 in Örebro (SE), AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions and came up with a work programme for 2019-2020 which was integrated in the AER Action Plan. Six months later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

The progress report below is organised into 3 categories and gives an overview of the current situation and progress of the different activities going on within AER.

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

Projects

SCIROCCO Exchange project – Personalised knowledge transfer and access to tailored evidence-based assets on integrated care: ongoing

The SCIROCCO Exchange project, under the EU Health Programme, is based on the SCIROCCO project, which resulted in the development of an online self-assessment tool for integrated care. The project runs from January 2019 to August 2021. It supports regions, mainly health and social care authorities for the adoption and the scaling-up of integrated care. The Maturity Model, at the core of the project, offers a tool for regions to better deliver integrated care for their citizens while at the same time empowering citizens. With this tool, regions can assess their current status, revealing areas of strength and also gaps in their capability managing the many activities needed in order to deliver integrated care.

The lead partner is the Scottish Government, a recent AER member. The consortium is composed of 14 organisations.

AER is leading the Working Package on knowledge transfer, helping the regions in preparing the local environment for implementation and scaling-up integrated care.

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

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

Within AER this project was officially launched during the General Assembly in Larnaca (CY) in June 2019. With the project partner mc Group, also six AER member regions have taken up the challenge of becoming core partners: Varazdin (HR), Csongrád (HU), Trentino (IT), Timis and Alba (RO), and Catalonia (ES).

During the Autumn Committee Plenaries there will be an information stall dedicated to the Together for Cohesion project.

AMiD project for the inclusion of migrants with disabilities: ongoing

This project is led by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities and aims to improve the access to services for migrants with disabilities. AER is a partner and Valencia, Timis and Värmland are all members of the Advisory Board. The AMiD project will provide opportunities for experience sharing and capacity building in this area for all AER members.

During the 2019 Summer Academy in Novi Sad, Vojvodina (RS), a workshop on AMiD was organised. Participants were invited to reflect on the challenges that migrants with disabilities face on a daily basis.

E-health in rural areas: planned

Members discussed the possibility to develop a pan-AER regional e-health rural project based on innovation and digitalisation.

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Banners-for-committee-progress-page-20182.jpg

Good Practice Exchange

Autumn Committee Plenaries – Podčetrtek (SI): ongoing

The annual Autumn Committee Plenaries of the Assembly of European Regions will take place on September 24-26 2019, in Podčetrtek, Slovenia.

The topic of the thematic event of the plenaries will be Cohesion & Contrasted Regional Realities, and the aim will be to identify strategies and actions to boost regional development and innovation in the face of contrasted realities.

Mutual learning event on economy 4.0: ongoing

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On 4 December 2019, Brussels Capital will organise a mutual learning event on economy 4.0. Economy 4.0 describes a new era of productive, industrial and economic development characterized by the implementation of big-scale automatization, artificial intelligence (AI) robotic instruments, computational big data analytics software, and high tech infrastructure. It aims to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions who will be welcome to share inputs and regional examples.

Workshop of the AER e-health network: ongoing

The AER e-health network has achieved the objectives it had set at its creation. It is time now to revamp the network, explore synergies with other initiatives and fellow networks around Europe. On the occasion of the Autumn Committee Plenaries the AER e-health network under the leadership of Donna Hendersson, Scotland (GB), will organise a workshop to reinvent its way of working and set new goals.

Breakfast seminar on innovation in healthcare design: finished

Värmland (SE), Scotland (GB) and AER organised a Breakfast Seminar on health innovation on 10 September 2019 in Brussels. The event looked at Health Innovation and User-centric Design and Digital Innovation in health and care. Kenneth Johannesson, Committee 2 Vice President for Health Innovation and Donna Henderson, Chair of AER eHealth Network, opened the event and provided background to it.

Sharing experiences on integrated care at Smart City Expo World Congress: ongoing

AER will facilitate a 1h discussion in the Agora of Smart City Expo World Congress on the topic of mutual learning & international cooperation for the deployment of integrated care systems in Europe. The panel will gather the following speakers:

  • Liljana Madjar, President of the West Slovenia Cohesion region and
  • Stuart Anderson, Personal Chair in Dependable Systems at the University of Edinburgh and a partner of the SCIRROCCO Exchange project
  • Representative of Friuli Venezia Giulia

This event will be accessible for members who have an Expo pass

AER Delegation at Smart City Expo World Congress: ongoing

AER will again be taking part in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) from 19-21 November in Barcelona (ES). This 2019 edition aims to be the meeting point to encourage all stakeholders (from technology industries to policy-makers and entrepreneurs) to engage in dynamic action to enable a sustainable and inclusive future.

  • Members interested in attending should contact Tina Wu. AER has received 10 free Expo passes and a 25% discount on the 3 day congress pass.

Elderly care homes in rural areas: planned

Exchange experiences and identify solutions around the issue of isolated elderly people in rural areas

  • Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Banners-for-committee-progress-page-20183.jpg

2. Advocacy/Lobbying

Contributing to a Network of Intercultural Regions: ongoing

The Bureau Task Force on migration organised a Breakfast debate on the occasion of the General Assembly in Larnaca to examine the possibility of creating an intercultural regions programme, similar to the existing Council of Europe Intercultural Cities Programme. The network will support regions for the design and implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies. The process to develop this programme requires intense dialogue with institutions. Regions interested to participate in network of intercultural regions should contact Vania Freitas

Engagement in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA)

AER is a member of the B3 Group for integrated care in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. Its contribution to the work is done via the SCIRROCCO Exchange project and the AER e-health network.

Joint initiatives for advocacy

Member regions can decide to initiate joint actions and find partners among AER members. Regions can get support from the Secretariat to connect with other regions, get an overview of existing legal framework and identify relevant actions, target institutions. The AER Secretariat will also organise Breakfast Briefings to help regions organise their advocacy activities.

AER Bureau Task Forces

The 2018 Spring Bureau established the creation of Task Forces on dedicated topics. These Task Forces will gather examples, identify and formulate policy messages which will be brought together in position papers which will then be used for advocacy. Members who would like to contribute to one of the below Task Forces should contact AER Coordinator for Advocacy & Institutional Relations Vania Freitas.

-Task Force on Food Security

-Task Force on Cohesion Policy

-Task Force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER action Plan

The development of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities that add value to their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committee’s work programmes. The work programmes are developed in spring each year and the 2019/2020 work programme is available here.

The AER action plan is the consolidation of the three Committees’ work programmes with all other activities led by the Bureau and the Executive Board. It is adopted at the General Assembly.

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the Committee’s work programmes and the AER action plan. The action plan for 2019/2020 is available here.

Photo on Pexels

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Committee 1 Progress Report Autumn 2019

By

Twice a year the members of the AER Committee on Regional Development and Economy gather in plenary meeting. This is the opportunity to set goals for cooperation through the development of a joint work programme and to evaluate progress every six months.

During the AER Spring Committee Plenaries 2019 in Örebro (SE), AER members identified joint actions they wanted to implement with fellow regions and came up with a work programme for 2019-2020 which was integrated in the AER Action Plan. Six months later it is time to evaluate progress, celebrate achievements and share experiences!

The progress report below is organised into 3 categories and gives an overview of the current situation and progress of the different activities going on within AER.

Projects
Good practice sharing
Lobbying

Projects

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

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

Within AER this project was officially launched during the General Assembly in Larnaca (CY) in June 2019. With the project partner mc Group, also six AER member regions have taken up the challenge of becoming core partners: Varazdin (HR), Csongrád (HU), Trentino (IT), Timis and Alba (RO), and Catalonia (ES).

E-health in rural areas: planned

Members discussed the possibility to develop a pan-AER regional e-health rural project based on innovation and digitalisation.

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Project development on farming, rural planning and infrastructure: planned

Members of the AER working group on rural development would like to develop a project to compare and incorporate good practices in farming (cattle, dairy) and infrastructure.

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Project on rural development: planned

Members of the AER working group on rural development would like to develop a project on how to invest and develop basic infrastructure in rural areas. For example, water, waste, gas, roads, education, health care .

  • Regions interested in developping such a project should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Good Practice Exchange

Breakfast seminar “Sustainable Development Goals and regional growth”: finished

On 15 May 2019, a breakfast seminar was organised by Oppland (NO) on how to integrate the SDGs in regional planning. This event which gathered speakers from the region and from the OECD revolved around the question whether it is possible to reach the SDGs and have economic regional development, or if they are mutually exclusive? The Powerpoint presentations and videos are available on the AER event page.

2019 AER Autumn Committee Plenaries – Podčetrtek (SI): ongoing

The annual Autumn Committee Plenaries of the Assembly of European Regions will take place on September 24-26 2019, in Podčetrtek, Slovenia.

The topic of the thematic event of the plenaries will be Cohesion & Contrasted Regional Realities. The aim is to share experiences especially from regions with considerable disparities within their territories to learn about different strategies and practices as well as enablers and barriers to more cohesive regional development.

Workshop ” connectivity vs sustainability?”: ongoing

On the occasion of the Autumn plenary meeting in Podčetrtek (SI), the working group on transports & mobility chaired by Martin Tollén is organising a workshop on connectivity and sustainability.

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

The AER Secretariat disseminated information about the TAIEX-EIR peer to peer learning programme and is supporting members to use this programme to gain or provide knowledge on environmental policies on topics as diverse as air quality, waste management, water management, the circular economy. This programme which is relatively easy and quick to access is a good complement to activities carried out within AER and an opportunity to access support from the Commission to carry out exchanges with other regions.

Gelderland (NL) and the European Commission organised a TAIEX-EIR workshop on “Maintaining and Enhancing Ecosystem Services in Urban Regions” on 4 and 5 July 2019. 

In the context of the joint action to protect Romanian forests, the AER Secretariat has been in touch with DG Environment, to identify ways to use the TAIEX-EIR programme. This should help improve legislation and practices for the protection of primary forests and biodiversity in Romania.

Mutual learning event on economy 4.0: ongoing

Each year Brussels Capital proposes a mutual learning event on a current and transversal topic. On 4 December 2019, Brussels Capital will organise a mutual learning event on economy 4.0. Economy 4.0 describes a new era of productive, industrial and economic development characterized by the implementation of big-scale automatization, artificial intelligence (AI) robotic instruments, computational big data analytics software, and high tech infrastructure. It aims to gather experiences from all three AER Committees and regions who will be welcome to share inputs and regional examples.

Creation of a working group on how to attract more workforce: planned

Several regions in AER have expressed the need to exchange experiences on how to attract more workforce to regions which are largely rural.

  • This action could be developped within the contect of the working group on business and SMEs. Regions interested in working on this topic should share their idea with the Secretariat in order to start developping this initiative.

Effective legislative frameworks: planned

Tulcea would like to collaborate with other regions to elaborate good legislative frameworks for tourism, business, industry, research. The goal would be a simplification of administration and the reduction of red tape.

Workshop on sustainable transport and mobility: cancelled

AER member regions Gelderland (NL) and Östergötland (SE) planned a workshop on sustainable transport and mobility during the European Sustainability Energy Week on Clean Energy from 18-20 June in the House of Dutch Provinces in Brussels.

Lowering emissions in transport: planned

AER member region Norboten (SE) would like to organise good practice exchange on identifying how to lower emissions in transports within the Working group on Energy and Climate Change.

Waste collection in rural areas: planned

Within the working group on rural development, members would like to have an exchange of good practices on how to raise awareness on recycling and waste collection in rural areas.

  • This topic could be addressed either in the context of a meeting of the working group on rural development or in separate events, such as Breakfast seminars in Brussels. Regions which would like to develop something aroud this topic should contact the AER Secretariat.

Small hydropower plants: planned

Exchange of good practice on noise reduction with (small) hydro powerplants (finding suitable location also from environmental point of view). Lobbying and advocacy with NGOs and governments about environmental point of view, partnership, and exchange of good practice. National stimulations for developing projects on national tourism strategy on a local and regional level.

Energy efficiency: planned

Good practice sharing on stimulating energy efficiency, for instance, competition between organisations and OECD. Indicators on energy efficiency and EC energy efficiency directive.

New mobility services: ongoing

Good practices exchange on electric cars and infrastructure both at AER meetings and in events of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC), where Östergötland (SE) is representing AER.

European Week of Regions and Cities: ongoing

The European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) is an annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance. It will take place from 7-10 October 2019 in Brussels.

AER is hosting a workshop during the EWRC with the title REGIONerating Europe on 8 October 2019 from 9.00am in Brussels. More information is available on the AER event page.

AER Delegation at Smart City Expo World Congress: ongoing

AER will again be taking part in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) from 19-21 November in Barcelona (ES). This 2019 edition aims to be the meeting point to encourage all stakeholders (from technology industries to policy-makers and entrepreneurs) to engage in dynamic action to enable a sustainable and inclusive future.

  • Members interested in attending should contact Tina Wu. AER has received 10 free Expo passes and a 25% discount on the 3 day congress pass.

Advocacy/Lobbying

Mobility: engagement in the EIP-SCC: ongoing

AER is involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC). This framework is an opportunity for strategic intelligence, state of the art information, partnership building and influence.

Protection of Romanian forests: ongoing

Primary forests are rare in Europe and the ones in Romania are threatened by excessive logging. AER members therefore agreed at the Committee 1 Spring plenary meeting in Örebro, to support Romanian regions to protect this invaluable natural heritage. As a first step, a breakfast debate will be organised at the 2019 AER Autumn Committee Plenaries in Podčetrtek (SI), on the topic of European Biodiversity: Protecting Primary Forests. The situation will be presented and different opportunities for concerted action and next steps will be discussed. The goal will be to establish a joint initiative for the protection and preservation of the Romanian forests.

Action for the protection of Romanian forests will also entail a mutual learning dimension (see above in “good practices”)

Joint initiatives for advocacy

Member regions can decide to initiate joint actions and find partners among AER members. Regions can get support from the Secretariat to connect with other regions, get an overview of the existing legal framework and identify relevant actions and target institutions. The AER Secretariat will also organise Breakfast Briefings to help regions organise their advocacy activities.

AER Bureau Task Forces

The Bureau established the creation of Task Forces on dedicated topics. These Task Forces will gather examples, identify and formulate policy messages which will be brought together in position papers which will then be used for advocacy. Members who would like to contribute to one of the below Task Forces should contact AER Coordinator for Advocacy & Institutional Relations Vania Freitas.

-Task Force on Food Security

-Task Force on Cohesion Policy

-Task Force on Digitalisation

-Task Force on Migration

-Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals

The Committees’ work programmes and the AER Action Plan

The development of the Action Plan is a collective process to enable all participants to specify needs and decide to initiate activities that add value to their region. The principle is the following: as long as an action fits with the AER values, is in line with the AER priorities and has support from other regions, it can be included in the Committee’s work programmes. The Committees’ work programmes are developed in spring each year.

The AER action plan is the consolidation of the three Committees’ work programmes with all other activities led by the Bureau and the Executive Board. It is adopted at the General Assembly.

Members can propose new joint initiatives at any time during the year, these are then approved by the Executive Board and included in the Committee’s work programmes and the AER action plan.

Photo by Thomas on Pexels

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

By

Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

Date: 1 – 3 October 2019
Venue: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, 11 Hajduk Veljkova St, Novi Sad

 

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina will host the Second Edition of the Regional Business Forum, it will be an opportunity for companies to exchange their business ideas and find new partners.

Following the success of last year’s forum, this year’s Regional Business Forum will be organised in partnership with the Enterprise Europe Network, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, Vojvodina Development Agency and the Novi Sad Fair.

 

Sectors Involved:

– Agriculture & Food
– Metal Processing Industry
– Automotive Industry
– ICT
– Creative Industries

 

Want to know more?

We look forward to having fruitful discussions in Novi Sad, but first…

For more info about the event please read this article.

Regional Business Forum – Second Edition

By

The Second Regional Business Forum will take place in Vojvodina from 1-3 October 2019. Given the success of the previous edition, the Assembly of European Regions and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina want to establish this Regional Business Forum as an unmissable event in the business development year. 

The expertise of the Enterprise Europe Network, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, Vojvodina Development Agency and the Novi Sad Fair will help you make the right connections. 

Shaping Business Cooperation

The event will create an opportunity for companies to present their business potentials and ideas and exchange good practices and technologies. Business cooperation will be facilitated by Regional chambers of commerce, Regional development agencies and institutions supporting SMEs development.

Sectoral Diversity

This year, the Regional Business Forum will focus on 5 main sectors: 

  • Agriculture & Food
  • Metal processing industry
  • Automotive industry
  • ICT 
  • Creative industries

Business-to-business Dialogues

Through B2B (business-to-business) meetings, participants will be able to find partners according to their own interests and objectives. The B2B meetings will be managed in advance via the Enterprise Europe Network matchmaking tool: to request B2B meeting, participants have to fill in the required information when registering for the event.

A Tip for your Free Afternoons 

In addition to the busy programme prepared for you, this year’s Regional Business Forum will coincide with the 52nd International Fair of Hunting, Fishing and Tourism in Novi Sad. You will be more than welcome to take part in the fair’s activities!

Further Information & Registration

If you want to know more about the programme, the B2B platform and registration, please visit the Regional Business Forum website.

Photo by: Gerd Altmann on Pixabay

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

New EASI call for proposals on mobility for SMEs, employment and social innovation

By

The European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation “EaSI” 2014-2020 is a European-level financing instrument managed directly by the European Commission to contribute to the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy, by providing financial support for the Union’s objectives in terms of promoting a high level of quality and sustainable employment, guaranteeing adequate and decent social protection, combating social exclusion and poverty and improving working conditions.

Within the main purpose to promoting workers’ geographical mobility and boosting HR and employment opportunities in a SME environment focussing on the reduction of youth unemployment, improvement of working conditions and promoting inclusion and social enterprises as well as entrepreneurship in a business context; a new European call for proposals will support, in particular, the development of the EURES network (on employment services and workers’ mobility).

AER strongly supports the principles of labour mobility and free movement of workers, as this enhances growth, economic development, social innovation and competitiveness of companies and SMEs based in European regions.

AER has extensive experience in developing and disseminating high-quality comparative analytical knowledge; and facilitating effective and inclusive information-sharing, mutual learning and dialogue. Indeed, this call for proposals is in line with AER work on knowledge transfer and policy dissemination and will aim to:

*Provide financial support to test social and labour market policy innovations.
*Provide organisations with financial support to increase their capacity to develop, promote and support the implementation of EU instruments and policies.

This call is particularly relevant for AER member regions and for the Committee 1 on Economic and Regional Development. During the Autumn Plenary in September 2018 which was held in Vojvodina (Serbia), a discussion on the potential creation of an exchange programme for entrepreneurs from different regions took place. This call for proposals can provide a financial framework for the setting up of such a programme for interested regions.

More in detail, the call is intended to finance projects and activities dealing with topics such as:

-Companies’ partnerships

-Exchange of good practices on employability, labour cross-border activities and short term mobility, i.e. migrant workers and “posted” workers.

-Innovative human resources strategies, e.g. on workers’ performance, productivity, traineeship abroad, and recruitment/talent processes

-Entrepreneurship

-Solutions to tackle labour market mismatches

-Corporate social responsibility

-Business development and growth for SMEs and companies

-Improvement of working-conditions, professional training and youth mobility in sending/hosting companies and businesses

-Social dialogue between employees (e.g. trade union organisations) and employers (e.g. governments, public authorities, private companies and other hiring organisations).

What type of actions can be financed?

a)Consultations, surveys and market research to enhance a proper identification of the needs and obstacles on both sides, of the sending and hosting companies;

b)Development of the outreach and matching strategy, through enhancing
mechanisms of co-operation and dissemination, engaging the employer
organisations as facilitators, participating companies and employees.

c)Developing rules and procedures to make secondments beneficial for all
parties involved.

Who can apply for this call?

Organisations from only eligible countries:

-EU Member States
-Iceland and Norway
-Albania, Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey

Lead applicants must be Associations representing employers’ interests at national, regional or local level or employers’ organisations established at European Union level.

Co-applicant(s) must be private or public organisations, including social partners, at national, regional or local level.

Budget available and project’s conditions:

Duration of 24 months. The call will finance 1 or 2 projects, being the overall budget available of around 2 million of euro, with a co-financing of 5%. Deadline for applications is 17 September 2019.

Would you like to learn more about this call? Please contact:

EDUARDO NADAL
European Projects Manager
e: [email protected]
t: +32 2 400 10 12
m: +32 (0) 483 448 430

         


  • .

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. 3rd Call for Reference Sites!

By

Active and healthy ageing is a societal challenge shared by all European countries, but also an opportunity for Europe to become a global leader that is capable of providing innovative solutions.

In line with the initiatives of the European Commission, AER’s Committee 2 on Social & Public Health has been contributing over the years in building capacity among regions in order to implement innovative models in health and social care. In this respect AER as member of CORAL (“European Network of Regions collaborating in the field of Ambient Assisted Living and Active and Healthy Ageing”) has been regularly organising along with its member regions different advocacy actions, workshops and knowledge sharing activities like the project Scirocco Exchange and the e-health network.

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA)

EIP on AHA is a platform conceived as a communication and information hub for all actors involved in Active and Healthy Ageing through Europe. It is the place to encourage partner engagement, promote news and events, meet and exchange ideas with peers, and look for potential partners on innovative projects.

The EIP on AHA has its foundations on two main pillars: Action Groups and Reference Sites.

Reference Sites. Join the hub!

Reference Sites represent a successful partnership of stakeholders within a region or major metropolitan area which brings together a wide range of stakeholders like: Regional Government Bodies and Health and Care providers, industry, academia and civil society. These collaborations help to create an environment for other regions across Europe to learn, transfer and adapt knowledge to local realities

Join this community of stakeholders in active and healthy ageing across Europe by applying for the 3rd Call for Reference Sites.

The extended deadline is 15th of July !

The call aims to identify proven examples of best practices related to active and healthy ageing.

The benefits of becoming a Reference Site can be multiple, among which the advantage of being provided with an advanced network to form consortia and proposals for EC funding programmes.

Webinar

An open webinar is organised on the 02/07/2019 at 11:00 am for all candidate Reference Sites who have questions concerning their application. 

Deadline for registration is on the 01/07/2019 at midday. 

To register for the event, follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX0c75b77ubj7_zB8MbzxaVzfoF4ADf4tcFbAGouC6-qcKaQ/viewform 

Important tips!

Photo by pexels

European Projects

Agnese Pantaloni

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

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

SCIROCCO Exchange project

By

What?

Scirocco Exchange is a 32-month project co-funded by the Health Programme of the European Union incorporating 14 collaborative partners across Europe and started on 1st January 2019.
Scirocco Exchange builds on the achievements of the SCIROCCO project with an aim to:
“support the readiness and capacity of health and social care authorities for the adoption and scaling up of integrated care by facilitating their access to tailored, evidence-based assets on integrated care and supporting personalized knowledge transfer and improvement planning.”

Who?

This project is in consortium with:
The Scottish Government (Lead Partner, AER member)
OptiMedis AG
Assembly of European Regions
Agenzia Regionale per la Salute ed il Sociale, (Puglia)
Kronikgune, Institute for health research services
Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice
Polibienestar, University of Valencia
Vilnius University Hospital SANTAROS KLINIKOS
The University of Edinburgh
Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia
European Health Telematics Association
Osakidetza
Social Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia
Flanders State of the Art

Summary of the objectives of the project:

  1. To facilitate the assessment of the maturity of regions´ local environment and readiness for the adoption and scaling-up of integrated care in order to better understand the needs and priorities of national and regional health and social care authorities in integrated care.
  2. To develop a knowledge management hub to act as an integrator with existing integrated care evidence and assets in order to facilitate easier access to personalized support and knowledge transfer that matches the needs of European regions
  3. Co-designing personalized assistance for European regions that are seeking support to prepare the ground for the transition and scaling-up of integrated care to improve their existing system design and understanding of the business case for integrated care.
  4. Utilizing the outcomes of knowledge transfer and capacity-building activities to co-design Improvement Plans for implementing integrated care that is tailored to the local context, maturity, and aspirations of European regions.
  5. Exploring the potential expansion of the SCIROCCO Maturity Model and its online self-assessment tool for integrated care to other relevant areas of active and healthy aging, such as health promotion, prevention and digital maturity of integrated care.

How?

The SCIROCCO Exchange Kick-off meeting took place in Luxembourg on 6th and 7th February 2019 at the European Commission EUROFORUM (EUFO), Luxembourg. The objectives of the meeting were to:

• Introduce SCIROCCO Exchange’s Consortium, its members, roles, and tasks
• Agree on SCIROCCO Exchange’s vision, rationale, and objectives
• Agree on the way of working internally and externally
• Discuss alignment of SCIROCCO Exchange’s project with other EU funded projects and initiatives, with a focus on the VIGOUR and CHRODIS+ projects in particular.

In the coming months, the SCIROCCO Exchange partners will be developing effective collaborative interaction between Work Packages and contribute to the preparation of the project’s dissemination materials and website. In addition to the development of the Knowledge Management Hub and Evaluation Framework, the self-assessments will be undertaken in 9 European regions for the maturity assessment for integrated care in these regions.

Project Activities: The SCIROCCO Maturity model & The Knowledge Management Hub

Regions working on innovative solutions that support the delivery of integrated health and care can use the SCIROCCO online self-assessment tool. This tool was tested in 60 regions and organizations in Europe and beyond. The Scirocco self-assessment tool is used to identify the maturity of the health and social care systems for the adoption and scaling up of integrated care solutions.

  • This online self-assessment can be used by stakeholders, at all levels.
  • The outcomes of this process will provide information to involved stakeholders, about the readiness of their local environments for integrated care and identify priority areas for action.
  • The SCIROCCO tool was also tested with multidisciplinary teams to capture the perceptions of all stakeholders involved in integrated care.
  • This participatory tool facilitates the discussions and negotiations within the teams in order to reach consensus and agreements on the maturity of the environment for integrated care.

The Scirocco online self-assessment tool for integrated care is presented and explained on the Scirocco website, with a set of videos and a tutorial on how to use the tool.

AER member regions which have already implemented successful practices in the field of integrated care can share expertise with other regions in the world via the Scirocco Knowledge Management Hub and test the hub to improve it. This Knowledge Management Hub is being developed to maximize the use and improve access to existing knowledge and evidence. This hub will help regions find relevant resources depending on their own needs. Interestingly this hub will also be used by fellow projects financed by the European Union’s 3rd Health Programme.

  • Regions can share expertise for the Knowledge management Hub: tools, guidelines, good practices
  • Regions can identify experts who could contribute to the different knowledge transfer activities, in training webinars, study visits, mentorship, etc
  • Regions can identify experts who would be able to advise for the elaboration of regional improvement plans
  • Healthcare managers, national and regional authorities in charge of designing and commissioning healthcare services can test the Hub and help the consortium to improve it

Role of AER

With almost 35 years of experience in mutual learning and good practice transfer, AER will help in designing bottom-up personalized assistance and practical support to tailor the needs and priorities in the 9 European regions.
The regions need this support to prepare their ground for transition and scaling up of integrated care and/or to improve their already existing system and service design.

AER will also be responsible for facilitating the purposely designed knowledge transfer in 9 European regions, to help in the preparation of the local environment, needed for implementing and scaling up of the integrated care.

AER will be involved in dissemination and communication activities to ensure that SIROCCO Exchange findings reach not only to its primary target groups but also to a huge range of collaborating partners, including networks, NGOs, academia, industries and so on.

Why?

Scirocco Exchange will:

  • Maximize the use and improve access to existing knowledge and evidence in order to increase the capacity of regions to implement integrated care
  • Facilitate the scaling-up of the expertise and good practices identified and analyzed within the AER regions with the view to trying to transpose or transfer those into different regional care systems and environments.
  • Determine precisely how to improve the capacity of regions to redesign and improve their healthcare systems in order to speed up the adoption and scaling-up of integrated care
  • Tailor the capacity-building support and improvement planning to local needs and priorities in health and social care management hub


This project is co-funded by the Health Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 826676

Want to learn more about the SCIROCCO project?

https://www.scirocco-project.eu/

Project contact details:

EDUARDO NADAL – European Projects Manager

Phone: +32 2 400 10 52
E-mail: e.nadal(at)aer.eu

Follow AER!

Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

SUMMER ACADEMY 2019: become a YRN entrepreneur for a day!

By

Coinciding with the 2019 European Youth Capital, the region of Vojvodina (RS) will host the AER Summer Academy 2019 in the city of Novi Sad from the 1st to the 5th of July. This year’s edition entitled Youth is Future, Youth is Europe will be dedicated to reflecting on the Future of Europe from multiple angles and the role that young people can play in building a stronger Europe. The AER Youth Regional Network (YRN) in collaboration with EMAX Sweden will organise a workshop on the topic of Youth Entrepreneurship.

E-Kampen: Become an entrepreneur for a day!

What do you think is the age limit for starting a business plan? In Sweden, they believe that the younger the better. Proof of it is the fact that EMAX Sweden has given the opportunity for young students to think of entrepreneurship initiatives. This Swedish organisation has launched a school competition named E-Kampen: entrepreneur for a day! in which students can develop their own business idea and compete with their peers to become the best entrepreneurs.

The AER Youth Regional Network (YRN) in collaboration with EMAX will bring all the way from Sweden to Novi Sad the E-Kampen initiative. Summer Academy participants will become entrepreneurs for a day!

How to participate?

If you wish to participate in this workshop and in many other activities, please visit the event page of the Summer Academy and discover the full programme. 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to join the Novi Sad 2019 European Youth Capital!

Register Now!

Photo Credits: Pexels.com

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