European Committee of the Regions: Highlights of the October plenary week
#CohesionAlliance
Cohesion policy – the EU’s main investment and solidarity tool – has
reduced disparities, spread innovation and brought sustainable growth.
It must continue to be a pillar of the EU in the future and not be
undermined by the financial impact of Brexit or the need to fund new
tasks. This message was delivered by EU, national local and civil
society leaders who gathered in Brussels to launch the
#CohesionAlliance
during the opening of the
European Week of Regions and Cities
.
Press releases:
#CohesionAlliance: MEPs join local leaders’ fight for a strong
cohesion policy post 2020
Building the Cohesion Alliance
“State of the European Union: the View of Regions and Cities”
In the context of the ongoing political debate on the future of
Europe,
President Lambertz’s Address
(
video
,
speech
) aimed to take stock of the current achievements of EU’s cities and
regions and look ahead to the main challenges for the coming years.
President Lambertz touched upon a series of key EU issues for local and
regional authorities, ranging from regaining citizens’ trust and the
future of cohesion policy, to migration, Brexit and Europe’s social
model.
Lambertz insisted that, ”
Just as the European level influences the local and regional
levels, local and regional levels should now be able to exert
their full influence at European level
“. To further make the voices of cities and regions heard, he
announced that the CoR would hold a “European Union Summit of
Regions and Cities” in the first quarter of 2019 to ”
send clear, specific messages to the heads of state or
government and to the leaders of the Union
“.
Press release:
#SOTREG:
President Lambertz delivers first annual “State of the European
Union: the View of Regions and Cities” address
COP 23
Less than a month ahead UN climate talks in COP23, Commissioner Cañete addressed the assembly saying that
Europe will pursue its global leadership on climate and reiterated the
vital role cities and regions play in combating global warming. Members
adopted
Marco Dus (IT/PES) opinion on climate finance
.
During the COP23, cities and regions will look for enhanced cooperation
with US and Canadian cities and defend
Andrew’s Cooper (UK/EA) concept of Locally Determined
Contributions
to be established in addition to Nationally Determined Contributions to
help bridge the emissions gap.
Press release:
Local targets agreed to tackle climate change
Disaster risk reduction
A call by Karl-Heinz Lambertz for the European Union
to invest heavily to reduce the risks posed by earthquakes and extreme
weather conditions was echoed by the UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert Glasser, and the EU’s Commissioner for Regional
Policy, Corina Cretu. The special representative and
the EU Commissioner were speaking on 12 October at a conference
co-organised by the CoR and the UN to mark the International Day for
Disaster Reduction (13 October). Helping cities to become more
resilient and adapt to climate change was a major theme at the European
Week of Regions and Cities and in the
CoR’s plenary
. The UN and the CoR are working together to encourage regional and
local governments to adopt risk-reduction strategies.
Press release:
Natural disasters: EU must invest locally today, to save lives
tomorrow
Broadband Platform
“High-speed broadband connectivity is a cornerstone of the EU’s
Digital Single Market and a prerequisite for competiveness at
global level”
, stated CoR President at the inaugural
meeting of the Broadband Platform in the presence of the Commissioner
for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel. The
new platform, which has been set up jointly by the CoR and the European
Commission, aims to help high-speed broadband reach all European
regions, including rural and sparsely populated areas where there is
not enough market-driven development. Participants, who include 12 CoR
members, will meet twice a year to discuss various topics related to
broadband deployment: policy and governance, technology choices,
financial sources, regulatory framework.
Press release:
Broadband Platform: Cities and regions join forces with the
Commission to narrow the digital divide
Other topics:
Further material:
Contact:
pressecdr@cor.europa.eu