The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is preparing for a change at the helm of its Secretariat: Secretary General Christian Spahr has announced his intention to take on a new professional challenge. Following consultation with the Executive Board, he will pass the baton at the end of April to the AER Institutional Relations & Advocacy Coordinator, Vania Freitas who will act as Interim Secretary General. The position of Secretary General is being re-advertised .
“It has always been an inspiring experience to serve regional democracy and diversity across Europe,” says Christian. “Politics must be made close to the people – our network proves this every day. It has been a privilege to stand up for decentralised decision-making and public participation, sustainable innovation, cross-border solutions and pan-European values. Together, we have been able to boost the voice of regional governments – from the debates on the future of Europe to support for Ukraine. Several of these topics will continue to connect me with AER’s concerns. The AER brings very special people together whom I would like to thank: The Board for their trust; my team for their brilliant ideas and commitment, and our members and partners for their co-creation.”
AER President, Albert Castellanos Maduell, said: “Christian deserves great recognition for his continued development of Europe’s largest network of regional governments. In times of multiple political and economic challenges, he has shown great responsibility. Together with the motivated team of the AER Secretariat, he has succeeded in providing political impetus, expanding innovation-orientated member services and strengthening the networking of our areas of work. Our excellent, trusting cooperation has made a significant contribution to this.”
The AER President further explained that in the past years, the AER demonstrated its expertise in democracy and citizen dialogue, was able to form new thematic networks, diversified its capacity building offers for members, and realised EU-funded projects on a larger scale than before. “Moreover, we successfully reunited our members after the pandemic and are in a position to better anticipate their needs at a time of growing expectations towards regional governments. Christian has encouraged and enabled these key developments.”
Christian’s mandate featured the pan-European regional conference “Agenda 2030” on sustainable development goals, the strengthening of the regions’ presence at the Conference on the Future of Europe, the launch of the biggest AER project to date focusing on intercultural inclusion, numerous Ukrainian regions joining the AER, the relaunch of the Youth Regional Network and the establishment of new working groups, especially in the area of green innovation.
The AER Secretary General oversees the administration of our offices in Brussels and Strasbourg and manages our dedicated team of 11 staff. They ensure our voice is heard from local communities to international forums, and represent the AER in its working relationships with governments, the EU, and international organisations. The Secretary General reports to the Executive Board and is responsible for implementing the decisions of AER’s governing bodies. This position is to be filled again in Brussels where the majority of the team is based. The next Secretary General shall be able to take up their position in the spring or at the beginning of the summer.
