BENNIS Hamza

Tallinn Conference on the “Local, Social, Digital” Project

---

On February 16, 2024, Tallinn, Estonia, will host the second conference of the “Local, Social, Digital” project, a collaborative effort by CEMR and EPSU. The project addresses the challenges from the digital transition and evolving work patterns highlighted by the COVID-19 crisis. This transformation significantly influences employer-worker relations and working conditions within the local and regional government sector.
 
Initiated to foster European coordination and secure appropriate funding, the CEMR-EPSU project seeks to enhance the understanding and capacity of employers, trade unions, and workers’ representatives on various issues related to digitalisation and automation. The conference will serve as a crucial platform for stakeholders to share insights and navigate the challenges posed by the evolving landscape.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Social Partners Convene for Local and Regional Government Transformation

---

Social partners from the local and regional government sector gathered in Cagliari, Italy on 16th June 2023 for the inaugural conference of the EU-funded project “Local, Social, Digital.” The initiative is jointly led by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU). It aims to enhance the capacity of national social partners by facilitating the exchange of information and knowledge, including good practice examples, technical expertise, and policy planning, in the context of the digital transformation of the EU’s public sector.

The digitalisation of local public services and administration will significantly impact working conditions and how public services are delivered in local and regional governments. The social partners representing these sectors have a vital role to play in expediting digitalisation efforts and ensuring a smooth transition that improves working conditions.

The conference was attended by representatives from the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, Eurofound, SGI Europe, the European Trade Union Confederation, and social partners from the Education Sector.

Fabrizio Rossi, Secretary General of CEMR, inaugurated the conference and outlined the organization’s vision for the digital transformation of the EU’s public sector. He emphasized the urgent need for local and regional governments to spearhead digital transformation initiatives that serve all communities, leaving no territory behind.
During the conference, social partners from Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Estonia had the opportunity to showcase their best collective bargaining practices related to digitalisation. A significant portion of the conference was dedicated to Italy, where a recent collective bargaining agreement on digitalisation was presented.

Representatives Ms. Tatiana Cazzaniga (FP-CGIL) and Mr. Jacopo Massaro (National Association of Italian Cities) highlighted the key features of the agreement on behalf of the Italian social partners from the local and regional government sector. They also emphasized the importance of increased involvement from both parties within the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Local and Regional Governments.

As part of the project, CEMR and EPSU affiliates will continue their collaborative efforts over the next two years to develop sectoral guidelines that support the digital transition within local and regional public administration.

Take part in MUNIWORD 2022, a global brainstorming on urban innovation

---

Join hundreds of local representatives and engage in a global brainstorming on urban innovation. Taking place from 6 to 8 December, in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, MUNIWORD 2022 is the go-to event for anyone involved in local innovation and smart cities.

This one-of-a-kind conference will serve as a platform for sharing visions, methodologies, and best practices for promoting municipal and global sustainability, resilience, and innovation that will serve Municipalities worldwide. The event is organised by the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel (FLAI), Masham, in partnership with the city of Jerusalem.

Speakers at the conference will include government Ministers mayors, senior stakeholders, and key figures from the business sector, government, and academia.

MUNIEXPO 2022,the Local Government Exhibition for Innovation

MUNIWORLD 2022 is part of MUNIEXPO 2022, the annual event on Municipal Innovation held by the FLAI.

Attended by 9,000 Director Generals and Managers of 258 local authorities in Israel, the Expo provides a platform for collaborations to impact millions of citizens’ daily lives directly.
International MUNIWORLD participants are granted full access to all the events of MUNIEXPO 2022 and will enjoy exclusive tours of the exposition and special networking events.

Practical info

The FLAI kindly offers to provide two nights of accommodation in the prestigious Orient Hotel in Jerusalem for all Mayors, as well as an exemption from registration fees. This exemption from registration fees will also be provided to an additional member of each Mayor’s delegation.

Participation in the event includes an opening gala evening in the presence of the Prime Minister and President of the State of Israel, tailored-made urban innovation tours in Jerusalem, an international plenary session and panels in Tel Aviv on topics of the global municipal agenda, a guided visit of the exhibition, an exclusive meeting at the President’s House for Mayors, and a festive dinner hosted by Mr. Moshe Lion, Mayor of Jerusalem.

Discover last year’s MuniWorld with a short vidéo.

For more information please visit the MuniWorld 2022 website or contact the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel via email.

AI and local adaptation: an essential antidote to climate chaos

---

From automatic translation and the detection of cancer cells to the promise of self-driving cars, artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming work and processes in many areas of life. But this revolution, which will only intensify in the coming years, also concerns public services and, in particular, local and regional governments.

This is particularly true in the area of climate change adaptation, given that meteorological risks are as diverse as the patchwork of the world’s territories. That’s why CEMR held a political debate on AI and climate adaptation in Bologna on Monday (4 July), featuring national, regional and local political leaders, as well as academic and international experts.

Stefano Bonaccini, the president of CEMR and of the Emilia-Romagna Region, highlighted Bologna’s hosting of the supercomputers of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). “This is a data centre for the entire European Union, containing some of the most powerful supercomputers in the continent”, he said. “By forecasting meteorological risks, the Centre contributes to shaping the most appropriate local and regional actions to adapt to an increasingly unstable climate.”

Such data will be sorely needed. European territories are increasingly being devastated by wildfires, floods and other extreme weather events. Andreas Wolter, the Mayor of Cologne, underlined that last year floods in Germany and Belgium killed almost 250 people and inflicted €20-40 billion in damages. The summer of 2021 was also the hottest on record in Europe, reaching 48.8 degrees Celsius in Sicily in August.

Patrizio Bianchi, the Italian Minister of Education, stressed the importance of AI and data to developing local, national and European responses to climate change and potential disasters. “We need data, data, data, and more data! And the capacity to elaborate on this data”, he said. “We are using this data to improve our capacity to live well and healthily, as well as to avoid war and disasters.”

Minister Bianchi stressed that Bologna’s data centre is one node in a pan-European system of climate simulations and that cooperation at all levels is key. He also emphasised that AI cannot substitute for human collective intelligence and civic responsibility: “The only real danger is human stupidity. We can avoid this by returning to the basic values of our democracies.”

Combined European and local action

Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) increasingly suggest that we will not achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting the global rise in temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius. As such, local climate adaptation will be necessary in addition to mitigation through reduced global emissions.

The European Union is taking numerous actions to anticipate and adapt to climate risks. These include the Copernicus Earth satellite observation programme, the Destination Earth digital model of our planet’s environmental system and a barrage of legislation and funding as part of the European Green Deal.

One European project particularly concerning local and regional governments is the Covenant of Mayors. The towns and regions making up the Covenant’s 11,000 signatories, covering 341 million inhabitants, all commit to taking measures to decarbonise their economies and proactively adapt to climate change.

The European Commission’s scientific body, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), regularly produces data-based studies on local climate risks and adaptation. These notably help identify the most coherent and effective actions to be undertaken in different localities, as well as flagging sometimes neglected issues such as social inequalities.

Public data and models are key to designing effective local adaptations

Enrico Biffis, Associate Professor of Actuarial Finance at Imperial College London, stressed the importance of data and accurate climate models to take the most relevant local adaptation actions. “If we don’t get it right the costs are going to be huge. Some of these projects are multi-year, 10, 20, 30 years”, he said. “You cannot just backtrack 10 years down the line. It’s imperative to get it right.”

Mayors and other local and regional elected leaders shared their experiences and challenges regarding climate adaptation. Michaël Quernez, Mayor of Quimperlé, Vice-President of Brittany and Secretary General of CEMR’s French association (AFCCRE), cited the problems of climate data becoming privatised. “In France, for a mayor like me to access to data from Météo-France (a public weather forecaster), he must buy it”, he said. “What can we do to ensure this is public data and it is not marketized?”

This is just one of the issues that local and regional representatives can raise among national and European policymakers. One thing is for certain: we need accurate information and cooperation at all levels if Europeans are to fight and adapt to climate change.