An AER delegation goes to Seoul to meet the members of NEAR, its North East Asian counterpart

Seoul, South Korea, 2 November 2011

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) was the guest of honour at the 5th International Forum organised by its counterpart, the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR). A delegation led by Michèle Sabban, AER President, went to Seoul to attend this event. The delegation was formed by Kenneth Backgård, President of the AER working group ‘Energy and climate change’ and Regional Councillor of Norrbotten (S), Preben Jensen, Vice-president of the Committee ‘Economy and regional development’ and Regional Councillor of Syddanmark (DK), and Jacek Pilawa, President of the subcommittee ‘International Commission’ and Regional Councillor of Dolnoslaskie (PL).

Together with business leaders, they presented examples of projects and cooperation plans led by European regions in the fields of energy, environment and transports.

Mrs. SABBAN brought into focus the fight against global warming and invited the NEAR members to join the R20, a group of regions and federated states, whose main priority is to establish cooperation between infra-national governments in order to ensure a sustainable development for the planet.

« Europe and Asia have decided to build bridges between their organisations’ member regions to make the voice of the regions heard and amplify the R20, which aims to develop solutions as a counterbalance to G20 » Michèle Sabban and Jae Hyo Kim, General Secretary of NEAR, declared. « Our ambition is to rise up together to the greatest challenges of the 21Ist century in order to build together new economic models, that will favour green investments and the development of infrastructures to fight against climate change », they added.

Created in 1996, NEAR brings together 70 regional governments from South Korea, China, Japan, Mongolia, Russia and North Korea.

For more information: [email protected]