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SecGen election, debates, papers: a busy agenda for local Europe

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And that’s a wrap for the latest gathering of CEMR’s Policy Committee! Over 100 people came to Brussels or joined online to take part in the discussions of our highest decision-making body and set the agenda for local and regional Europe. You can see some memorable highlights from the debates under the hashtag #CEMRmeets.

A new secretary general for CEMR

Say hello to our new secretary general! Fabrizio Rossi has been elected for a six-year term of office at the head of the CEMR. He has extensive experience working with and on behalf of of local and regional governments, including for regional authorities in Sardinia, Barcelona and Scotland.

More recently, Fabrizio Rossi served as secretary general of Partenalia, an association representing counties at EU level, and worked at Climate-KIC, a leading EU climate innovation initiative. In the latter capacity, he managed a portfolio of multifunder programmes and projects contributing to achieving climate-neutral and resilient territories across Europe.

Position papers: setting the advocacy agenda for local and regional Europe

The Policy Committee debated and adopted several position papers which will serve as a basis for our advocacy on a wide range of issues important to local and regional governments. The papers, which will be uploaded to our website, cover the EU’s Fit for 55 decarbonisation plan, digitalisation, migration, EU economic governance, water regulation, mobility and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

What’s more CEMR’s 2022 Work Programme was amended and adopted (see here), outlining our planned activities and policy and legislative priorities for the year. We also presented CEMR’s strategy for externally-funded activities (EFAs), drafted by the secretariat together with several member associations. The strategy will help CEMR secure funding from the European Commission, donors and philanthropists, ultimately contributing to our advocacy, collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

The TERRI Report

Local leaders discussed CEMR’s brand-new report on ‘Territorial Governance, Powers and Reforms in Europe’, or TERRI Report for short. This unique online tool exposes the current state of local government systems in 40 countries and their evolution over the past decade, while also making recommendations for successful territorial reforms. This edition has a special focus on local health systems in light of the pandemic.

Presenting the report’s recommendations, Jan Van Zanen, the mayor of The Hague and the President of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), argued that territorial reforms devolving responsibilities must be accompanied by economic support. “In the Netherlands, we have faced massive decentralisation since 2015 in the social field, but the central government did not deliver adequate financial transfers”, he said.

Central Bedfordshire Councillor and Chairman of England’s Local Government Association, James Jamieson, said the TERRI Report showed the diversity of Europe’s systems of government and that decentralised countries tend to be more equal and more prosperous. “The pandemic demonstrated that local councils can deliver in a crisis”, he said. “But as we move towards recovery we need a strategic view on role local government can play in tackling challenges such as climate change, automation and an aging population.”

Debate on the Future of Europe

The Policy Committee proper was preceded by a debate on the Conference on the Future of Europe featuring mayors and senior regional, EU and national officals. Municipal leaders highlighted actions they are taking to involve ordinay citizens in this crucial event for the reform of the EU.

See you in Daejeon!

Last but not least, Emilia Saiz Carrancedo, the secretary general of UCLG, presented our global organisation’s upcoming World Congress in Daejeon, South Korea. This global summit of local and regional governments will take place between 10 and 14 October 2022.

4th CEMR retreat: a wrap-up of our debates and activities

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Dedicated to a “Fresh start for a resilient Europe,” EU officials and local leaders from across the continent gathered virtually during the event to discuss the way forward beyond the COVID crisis, as well as the place of cities and regions in the Conference on the Future of Europe. This was an opportunity to spell out our vision of an inclusive, sustainable and resilient Europe over the course of political debates and to better organise our own work through several practical workshops.

Reaching decarbonised and resilient societies

Local elected officials discussed how to reach decarbonised and resilient societies, notably to identify challenges and messages for the upcoming COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. The wide-ranging discussion covered the appropriateness of EU legislation for achieving local climate transitions, the best financial measures for this goal, decarbonisation beyond Europe’s borders and the role of future generations.

Ronan Dantec, CEMR spokesperson on climate, French senator and municipal councillor for Nantes, highlighted how European cities signatories to the Covenant of Mayors had reduced their carbon emissions by 30% between 1990 and 2020, significantly more than the European average. “Europe and local governments are still global leaders in terms of decarbonisation, even if we can always do better”, he said.

The speakers notably discussed measures at both European and local level which can be taken now to both fight against and adapt to climate change. EU legislation should favour local public procurement and investment energy efficient housing. Local governments can also take many direct actions, such as the expansion of bike lanes, the banning of gravel gardens or the development of green façades covering buildings with plants. Whatever the area, there is no shortage of actions that be taken!

First meeting of CEMR national associations’ presidents

Our network held the first meeting of the presidents of our national associations together with CEMR President Stefano Bonaccini. The presidents exchanged on our associations’ crucial role during the COVID pandemic, the actions they took and their priorities and perspectives going forward for a sustainable recovery and resilience. Check out our social media thread of the presidents’ exchanges.

Advocacy, knowledge sharing, communication: three practical workshops

Last but not least, we held three interactive workshops to orient and better organise our activities as a network. These covered our associations’ tools for national and European advocacy, our associations’ knowledge-sharing activities and cooperation on communication. Taken together, these sessions explored how to create more synergies within our network and strengthen our collective voice.

Call for applications for the recruitment of CEMR’s Secretary General (2022 onwards)

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CEMR has opened a call for the position of Secretary General whose current mandate will end in January 2022. For more information on the position and how to apply, please consult the recruitment pack. Applications must be sent to recruitment.sg[a]ccre-cemr.org by 3 October 18:00.

Local leaders gather for a busy political agenda

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Europe’s local leaders met on Friday (18 June) to take stock of CEMR’s activities and orient its political work. There was a busy agenda as the Policy Committee dealt with a wide range of issues.

CEMR’s highest decision-making body discussed action on migration and integration, and adopted positions on rural development and the European Commission’s 8th Environmental Action Plan. The elected officials also discussed the evolution of human rights, gender equality and local democracy in Europe, culminating in the adoption of a declaration in support of municipalities signing the Charter for Equality, regardless of the national situation.

The leaders also discussed CEMR’s participation to the Conference on the Future of Europe – a great event debating how to reform the European Union – in collaboration with the European Movement International (EMI). This would notably involve the organisation of local citizen dialogues, with several CEMR members having expressed an interest in organising such events.

The next Policy Committee meeting is planned for January 2022.

COVID-19’s impact on local cultural activities

The meeting kicked off with two simultaneous debates during breakout sessions, one on COVID-19’s impact on local cultural activities and the other on our long-term vision on rural development.

Local leaders and experts on cultural policy discussed the state of the cultural sector, which has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Catherine Magnant, deputy director in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, provided an overview of the sector and of EU support measures.

The cultural sector makes up 4% of EU GDP and employs 8 million people but many institutions have seen a collapse in revenue as visitorship plumetted. Cinemas, museums and music venues all saw revenue losses of 70-80%.

“This is a personal tragedy for the artists and a problem for the economy, at a time during the pandemic where culture is essential to our mental health and well-being“, said Magnant. “So it is very important that we try to help this sector recover.“

The EU took a number of measures to support the industry. Employment contracts could now be made flexible. Funding is being provided with the Creative Europe programme being boosted by 60% (now worth €2.44 billion for the 2021-2027 period) and cultural funding also being provided within other EU programmes.

The session’s moderator, Flo Clucas (councillor for Cheltenham, United Kingdom), and the participants all agreed that the cultural sector represents more than just an economic industry, but is also a way of making the most of each territory’s heritage and of bringing people together at a time when the pandemic has sharply isolated people.

Long-term vision on rural development

Ahead of the publication of European Commission’s long-term vision for rural areas, local and regional leaders discussed the impact of COVID-19 on rural and remote areas. While rural areas were initially spared during the pandemic, they were often less prepared to deal with the disease due to comparative lack of infrastructure and healthcare services. At the same time, rapid digitalisation of daily life may offer new opportunities the countryside.

Lord Mayor of Sala Carola Gunnarsson described how the COVID crisis and teleworking had changed the situation for rural areas in Sweden. Many people had moved out of the capital Stockholm, a novel development, thanks to teleworking. People move to the countryside for the lower cost of living, contact with nature and higher quality of life. This gives new opportunities to revitalise rural areas by taking advantage of their assets.

Mayor of Soria and CEMR Vice-President Carlos Martínez Mínguez emphasised the importance of providing equal opportunities and equal access to public services, notably through public investment. Europe’s recovery and resilience plan represent an opportunity not to be missed, as lack of action in this area has led to public alienation in the form of rising euroscepticism. He proposed that we move to a new governance model in which local and regional governments take more responsibility for these policies and have more influence among national and international players.

Many members of the Policy Committee joined the debate to share similar challenges as well as shed light on the specificities of rural areas and urban-rural linkages in each country. Most of the interventions mentioned access to quality broadband and mobility opportunities as key issues, also pointing to the major role of national and European high-speed road and train networks in shaping territories. These issues will be at the heart of the session CEMR organises during the European Week of Cities and Regions.

For further information in this topic, check out CEMR’s long-term vision for rural areas: “Making ‘no one left behind’ a reality”.