Council of European Municipalities and Regions

LOCAL INSIGHT
Local and regional governments' view
on European affairs

Interview with...

CEMR President Stefano Bonaccini

"President von der Leyen should stick to her words when she said that local and regional governments will be at the heart of our recovery"

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has a long and fruitful cooperation with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), which turns 70 this year. Many joint initiatives, consultations and activities have been developed by the CoR and the CEMR so far and many others are already in the pipeline.

Just a few days ahead of the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities, the Committee of the Regions spoke with the President of Emilia-Romagna and CEMR, Stefano Bonaccini, on how local and regional governments take up the new challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disruption and territorial inequalities.

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Future of Europe

EU Vice-President Věra Jourová

"You have an accomplice in the Commission"

The European Union is a work in progress which has constantly changed with the times. In that spirit, the Conference on the Future of Europe is being held as a great occasion for elected leaders, civil society and citizens to debate what shape should take our continent and our Union

CEMR’s fourth annual retreat featured a debate on the future of Europe with the participation of local and regional leaders and high-level national and European officials. There was widespread agreement on the need for municipalities and regions to engage citizens in the debates, as well as to make their own voices heard in the Conference.

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Equality

Poland

15 pioneering cities commit to going above and beyond for local equality

Today 15 Polish cities covering over 4 million inhabitants sign the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life in a collective ceremony in Poznań.

This historic event, organised by the Association of Polish Cities (APC) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), takes place on a symbolic day for gender equality and human rights, the International Day of the Girl Child, as well as the opening day of the European Fundamental Rights Forum 2021.

It demonstrates the political will and desire of numerous Polish cities to be egalitarian and friendly places for all. This mobilisation also presents a different face of Polish local governments in contrast to the wave of anti-LGBT resolutions that were adopted across Poland in recent years. Although national contexts and political debates be contentious, cities have a large margin of manoeuvre to enact local policies and programmes that are gender-sensitive and inclusive.

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State of the Union

To President von der Leyen

Time for municipalities and regions to be fully engaged in Europe’s recovery!

With the launch of the colossal NextGenEU recovery plan, the European Union hopes to accelerate the digital and green transitions. But these will only be achieved together with the players working on the ground: local and regional governments. It is high time that municipalities and regions be fully involved in the implementation and monitoring of the national recovery plans, a measure which would guarantee their success.

These last two years have shown just how vulnerable our societies are, as well as the need to face together these planetary threats: the pandemic, climate change, natural catastrophes and the risks of weakening democracy and respect for human rights.

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Third-party violence

Social dialogue

How can local and regional governments combat third-party violence and harassment at work ?

In the European Union, 41% of the employees work in direct contact with clients*, among them 42%, especially women, suffer from physical violence, verbal aggression, or the threat of physical violence which is not at the hands of a co-worker (e.g., a municipal employee targeted by cyber-bullying or teacher attacked by a pupil). The so-called third-party violence, has an impact on workers’ health and safety and on their ability to provide quality services.

Throughout the past years, this type of abuse has greatly increased. Featuring new forms of work combined with the eruption of social media, the context of Covid-19 pandemic has indeed propelled third-party violence to high levels.

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European week of regions and cities

EWRC

Join us at these events

It’s the highlight of the year for Europe’s local and regional governments: the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC).

From 11 to 14 October, thousands of local leaders, experts and citizens will join with their peers around the continent to debate, connect, learn and show the impact of European municipalities and regions today. This year, the events are focused on the green transition, cohesion, digital transition and citizens’ engagement.

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Upcoming events

12 October