150 participants from more than 50 regions in wider Europe attended the AER Summer Symposium 2023 in Barcelona, gathering for a three-day event of debates, networking and exchanges of best practices. The Summer Symposium culminated in the election of Albert Castellanos, Secretary for Enterprise and Competitivity of the Generalitat of Catalonia as new AER President.
All presentations are available on the AER event page.
AER General Assembly 2023: A new President standing for European regions
The 2023 AER General Assembly elected Albert Castellanos, Secretary for Enterprise and Competitivity of the Generalitat of Catalonia, as new AER President, who thanked members for the trust and ensured his commitment to connect regions and inspire Europe. The General Assembly also ratified the nomination of new board members and Vice-Presidents, taking stock of their new energies and plans for the future. The updated list is available here.
Highlights from the award-winning AER Programmes (Eurodyssey, Summer Academy, Youth Regional Network)
Eurodyssey President Esther Estany (Catalonia, ES) chaired the Eurodyssey Steering Committee meeting which started the preparations for the upcoming Eurodyssey Forum in Azores (PT), which will take place in mid-November 2023. While cheering for the news that Summer Academy 2022 won one of the European Citizen’s Prize for Ireland, Summer Academy President Kari Anne Bøkestad Andreassen (Nordland, NO) shared updates on the ongoing work for the next edition of the Summer Academy 2024, which will take place in Bodø, Nordland, in mid-August 2024.
YRN President Jim Simonssen Jensen (Nordland, NO) and Chair of the Thematic Committee on Youth Participation & Governance Sigrun Myrvang (Innlandet, NO),members f the newly revived Youth Regional Network’s Presidium participated in the activities, and identified avenues of YRN participation in the AER’s working groups and task forces. All Programmes Presidents took the floor at the General Assembly to share their respective programmes’ updates, while encouraging AER members to join Eurodyssey, the YRN and the Summer Academy.
If you are interested in joining any of the 3 programmes, feel free to contact the AER Programmes Coordinator Lorène Weber.
Study visit to the Port of Barcelona: Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building go by the sea
The Working Group on Green Hydrogen, chaired by Albert Castellanos (Catalonia) organised a study visit to the Port of Barcelona to learn more about the role of the Port in the decarbonisation of the industry. Indeed with soaring demand for renewable energies to reach the Paris Agreement, the import of green hydrogen is becoming a major goal for regions to sustain the energy transition in energy-intensive sectors. In this context, Ports have a role both in the decarbonisation of their own activity and in the provision of green energy to the rest of the region.
Albert Castellanos, Chair of the AER Working Group on Green Hydrogen and Secretary for Enterprise and Competitivity of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Lluís Salvadó, President of the Port, Hèctor Calls, Head of Environmental Sustainability of the Port and Isaac Justicia Antó, Director of the Technical Office of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia presented the region’s strategy, the diversity of projects both locally and with international partners, the Port’s strategy to decarbonise activities, as well as the development of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, which aims to be a comprehensive ecosystem of production, distribution and consumption of renewable hydrogen.
The Port of Barcelona invited AER members for a boat tour in the port to learn more about the stakes, in terms of logistics, energy needs, space planning, freight and cruise industries, air pollution, security…
Members of the AER Working Group on Green Hydrogen gathered afterward to learn more about the development of the Green Hydrogen value chain in Catalonia with a presentation by Albert Ballbé, who leads strategic projects at the Catalan General Directorate of Industry. The role of ports in decarbonising both maritime-port activities and the industry was further explored via a presentation by Ingrid Boqué Sastre, Global Strategic Networks Officer of the Hamburg Port Authority. Finally, members discussed possible areas for collaboration, and the possibility to develop an EU-funded project. Indeed AER working groups also function as an incubator for the development of EU-funded projects when this is of interest to members.
All information concerning the Working Group on Green Hydrogen is available here. All members of the Working Group can propose activities, as for instance study visits in their own region. It is possible to join anytime, by filling in this form.
Updates on the other AER Working groups
The AER Executive Board adopted the proposal by Värmland (SE) to create a new Working Group on Mental Health. This proposal was backed by Alba (RO), Arad (RO), Kharkiv (UA), Norrbotten (SE), Vojvodina (RS), Odessa (UA). The working group will collaborate closely with the AER Youth Regional Network, the kick-off meeting in Autumn 2023 will be an opportunity to set priorities, define activities, decide how to collaborate with the YRN and appoint a Chair. The working group is open to all AER members and it is possible to join anytime. If you’re interested to learn more, please contact AER Policy and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator Johanna Pacevicius
Aud Hove, Chair of the AER Working Group on the Bioeconomy, Innlandet (NO) contributed to the Bureau Debate on the Future of Work (see below). Indeed the future of work is deeply connected to climate challenges, the ways in which resources are being used, urban-rural relations and the development of skills ecosystems, which are all central topics in the AER Working Group on the Bioeconomy.
The General Assembly was an opportunity to share updates and inform about an opportunity for support to the development of EU-projects on the Bioeconomy. All information concerning the Working Group on the Bioeconomy is available here. All members of the Working Group can propose activities. It is possible to join anytime, by filling in this form
Working groups are a space for focused collaboration between AER regions. It is possible to set up a working group on any topic that is relevant to regional policymaking and in line with the AER values. This guide offers step-by-step guidance on how to get started.
Both the Executive Board and the General Assembly insisted on the central role of working groups for knowledge transfer and collaboration in the AER community.
You are interested in exchanging with other regions but are not sure how and what? Contact AER Policy and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator Johanna Pacevicius.
AER stands with Ukraine in spirit and in practice: the Focus Group on Ukraine
The Ukraine Focus Group and the AER Member Relations Coordinator Justin Sammon had the honour of welcoming several delegations from Ukraine in-person for the first time.
Our hosts, the Government of Catalonia, shared the work being undertaken in the region itself to support Ukrainians. Equally important were presentations on enterprise partnership opportunities for Ukrainian regions, and insights on the work of the Foreign Ministry to support Ukrainian regions during the reconstruction.
From the EU perspective, Focus Group members were introduced to the political support of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and gleaned insights on EU funding opportunities for Ukrainian members within the INTERREG programme.
Finally, the General Assembly formally ratified the membership requests of four Ukrainian regions: Rivne, Transcarpathia, Dnipropetrovsk and Ternopil.
If you are interested in joining the Focus Group on Ukraine, feel free to contact the AER Member Relations Coordinator Justin Sammon.
High-Level Debate on Sustainable Tourism: mainstreaming sustainability across tourism ecosystems
The Summer Symposium hosted two debates, a stand-alone one on Sustainable Tourism and one on the Future of Work in the context of the Bureau meeting. Moderated by AER Secretary General Christian Spahr, the high-level debate on Sustainable Tourism hosted Marta Domènech, Director General of the Catalonia Department of Tourism who talked about sustainable tourism within Catalonia’s strategy, and Peter de Wilde, President of NECStouR, who offered an overview of the importance of platforms for partnership and collaboration and the positive power of tourism.
Their regional perspective was complemented by the contribution of Marie-Helene Pradines,Head of Unit for Tourism & Textiles at DG GROW, European Commission, and Elio di Rupo, Minister-President of Wallonia (BE), who highlighted the role of inter-institutional, multi-level collaboration in implementing sustainable tourism practices.
Summer Bureau Meeting & Debate: Which work for which future?
The second, captivating debate was “Next Generation Skills: Regions shaping the Future of Work” organised by the Task Force on the Future of Work, chaired by Vice President Lilijana Madjar, within the framework of the European Year of Skills. Speakers including Patrick Daru from the International Labour Organization, Kristine Langenbucher representing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Andrea Glorioso from the European Commission, and Núria Vergés Bosch from the Government of Catalonia, shared valuable insights on how European regions can overcome challenges and prepare for a brighter future of work.
The discussion addressed crucial questions surrounding the future work landscape, such as the importance of enhancing workers’ skills to succeed in a green and digital economy and the relationship between flexible working and the revitalisation of rural regions, as well as its potential for fostering greater equality and diversity in the workforce.
Following the debate, the Bureau members turned their attention to the adoption of the AER Position on Tourism of Tomorrow. Acknowledging the crucial role regions play in the economic recovery and resilience of tourism, the AER position emphasises the need to further support regions to ensure that their tourism sector becomes more sustainable and takes advantage of digital advancements. Additionally, AER members underlined the importance of upholding the culture and cultural heritage’s fundamental role in sustainable tourism development, and of reinforcing the attractiveness, retention and development of tourism workforce. The paper further emphasises the need to strengthen multi-level governance in defining, developing, and implementing policies and strategies outlined in the EU Agenda for Tourism 2030.
Moreover, the Bureau members made the decision to establish a Task Force on Cohesion Policy. This proposed Task Force will assume a crucial role in advocating for a reformed cohesion policy, while also ensuring that regional authorities actively participate in shaping its design and implementation.
The reality of the EU project YOUTHopia
The YOUTHopia project showed its reality through a hands-on workshop on Cohesion Policy, that dug into some examples from the regions that participate in the AER-led communication campaign YOUTHopia, with a particular focus on skills development, youth employment and empowerment, explores new opportunities for regions under Cohesion Policy, and sets the basis with new interested regions for a YOUTHopia 2.0 in 2024. Under the moderation of AER Project and Policy Manager Anna Comacchio, the following panelists had the opportunity to exchange views:
- Nataša Rosek, Secretary of the Development Council of Cohesion Region Zahodna Slovenija
- Alfred Blasi, President of OpenEurope
- Patricia Perez Gomez, Team leader at DG EMPL, European Commission: ESF+
- Matteo Miglietta, Press officer and relations with media, European Committee of the Regions: #CohesionAlliance
- Agnese Pantaloni, AER Project Coordinator
In the evening, YOUTHopia hosted a photography exhibition on the rooftop of Barcelona. Check the virtual exhibition and dive in YOUTHopia.
The single points of contact for the AER Summer Symposium were Barbara Polin, AER Communications and Events Manager, and Laura Bassan, AER Communications and Events Assistant.
Check the official pictures of the Summer Symposium
