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GRIFFON Axelle In Environment, Impact community Climate, Latest

European Bauhaus

Win a prize for your sustainable, aesthetic and inclusive projects

Do you have a finished project or a new concept for local solutions that are aesthetic, sustainable and inclusive? If so, be sure to apply for the New European Bauhaus Prize 2022 before 28 February 2022 at 19:00 CET.

This prize, which is open to local and regional governments, rewards excellent projects completed within the last two years, as well as concepts or ideas from young talents aged 30 or less.

These projects and concepts can enter in the following categories::

Reconnecting with nature
Regaining a sense of belonging
Prioritising the places and people that need it most
Shaping circular industrial ecosystems and supporting life-cycle thinking

Winning projects will receive up to €30,000, while concepts can win up to €15,000.

For more information, check out the guide for applications, available in English as well as other official EU languages on the New European Bauhaus website.

GRIFFON Axelle

Advisor – Environment and mobility

TARAN Stanislav In Bridges of Trust, Latest, Projects and Programmes

Statement on Ukraine

European municipalities and regions stand by Ukrainian local governments

In a declaration adopted on 14 February 2022, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions condemns unprovoked Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border towns and regions and continued threats against Ukraine in recent months.

We express our deep concern over the current developments around Ukraine, which pose new threats to Ukraine and regional peace, security, and democracy.

Indeed, faced with the tense security situation, Ukrainian local governments are affected and obstructed from creating democratic development of their cities and regions, from proper functioning of local public services, and from taking care of their citizens. Furthermore, due to the tense security situation, implementation of decentralisation and public administration reforms could be restricted, which is categorically unacceptable.

We express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, local and regional governments, especially in the East of the country, who have suffered greatly since 2014 as a result of the war, and are now living under daily threats of the military offensive against Ukraine while simultaneously continuing to innovate and reform the country.

We reaffirm our full and unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and all Eastern neighbourhood countries within their internationally recognized borders. These principles are enshrined in international agreements of which Russia is a signatory, form the basis of European security, and cannot be revised.

We welcome the European Commission’s recent emergency macro-financial assistance package to Ukraine. We urge the EU institutions and national governments to be united, speak with one voice, and strengthen assistance to the Ukrainian local governments. They are in direct contact with the citizens and continue to provide all public services under the threat of conflict and energy blackmail.

CEMR, with Europe’s municipalities and regions, will continue to support Ukrainian local and regional governments and their associations. We will continue supporting the development of Ukraine through its contribution to decentralised cooperation, the growth of city-to-city and region-to-region ties.

To know more about how local government works and operates in Ukraine, discover its country profile in our TERRI Report.

TARAN Stanislav

Project Officer – International Partnerships (U-Lead)

THOMAS Carol In Impact community Society, Latest, Local democracy

Rights and values

Discover the “rights and values” programme for the period 2021-2027

The presidency of the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the rights and values programme for the period 2021-2027.

Funding through this programme aims at protecting rights and values enshrined in the EU treaties in order to sustain open, democratic and inclusive societies. It will have a substantial overall budget of maximum €1.55 billion.

The programme will have a budget of €641.7 million, with an additional allocation of maximum €912 million and it sets out four specific objectives:

to promote equality and rights, including gender equality, anti-discrimination and the rights of children
to promote citizens engagement and participation in the democratic life of the EU and to raise awareness of the common European history
to fight violence, notably against children and women
to protect and promote EU values

The newly introduced objective to protect and promote EU values will receive a substantial allocation of € 689.5 million. An amount of € 91.2 million will be left unattributed so as to be able to tackle any emerging needs and future challenges.

To achieve this, the programme will support civil society organisations and other stakeholders active at local, regional, national and transnational level, and encourage civic and democratic participation.

The provisional political agreement reached today will have to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council. The necessary steps will be undertaken at the beginning of next year.

THOMAS Carol

Senior Adviser, Governance, Gender Equality, Local Democracy

BAIER Jessica In Impact community Society, International cooperation, Latest, Projects and Programmes, Twinning

Twinning funds

Get funded for town twinning and networks of towns

Do you want to set up a town twinning or a network of towns? The EU’s CERV programme (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) can provide up to 30,000 euros for town twinnings and financing with no upper bound for networks of towns.

You have until 24 March 2022, 17:00 CET, to send your request for funding. The results will be shared between June and July 2022 after evaluation of the proposals.

An information session will be held on 8 February between 10:00 and 12:00 (in English). The session aims to explain the content and conditions of the call for proposals, as well as giving participants space to ask questions. You can else get directly in touch with your national CERV contact point.

BAIER Jessica

Project Lead in Twinning & Partnership

BIZARRO Pedro In Call, EU Covenant of Mayors, Latest, Projects and Programmes

Call for contractor

CoM SSA is looking for a contractor to organise events and to work on two studies

The Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) is looking for a contractor to provide support in the organisation of capacity building and advocacy events and the coordination and editorial of two project publications:

– Local Climate Action Advocacy in Sub-Saharan Africa
– Capacity-building for Local Government Associations: lessons learned

The bids, and any other communication related to the tender, shall be sent to the e-mail address application@ccre-cemr.org with COMSSA in the subject. Interested consultants shall submit their bids no later than by 22 February 2022 – 12h00.

Check the full Terms of Reference.

BIZARRO Pedro

Project Lead – Climate, Energy & Urban Development

Empowering local Europe

CEMR unveils its vision for stronger, inclusive and sustainable territories across Europe

Read full position paper

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has launched its political manifesto calling for a more inclusive, resilient, and citizen-driven European Union. With over 41 national associations of local and regional governments behind it, the manifesto sets out a roadmap to bring Europe closer to its citizens, starting from the ground up.

At its heart are six concrete proposals to reinvigorate European democracy: from establishing permanent citizen panels and annual Europe Day debates in schools, to relaunching town twinning and creating an Erasmus-style programme for civil servants.

CEMR also stresses that a strong Europe must leave no one and no place behind. It calls for renewed efforts to tackle territorial disparities, address depopulation, and ensure that public services, from education to health, are accessible to all citizens, no matter where they live.

The manifesto also focuses on key priorities for the coming decade, including:

Citizen participation through inclusive local democracy;
Empowered local climate action, as cities and regions lead Europe’s green transition;
Fair and coordinated migration policies, with strong local support for integration;
Digital transformation that bridges the urban–rural divide;
New forms of town-to-town partnerships, especially beyond the EU’s borders;
And financial means to invest in sustainable local infrastructure and innovation.

CEMR’s proposals emphasise the urgent need for deeper recognition of local and regional governments in European decision-making. This includes a stronger role for the Committee of the Regions, the creation of a local chamber, and systematic consultation of representative associations like CEMR when shaping EU legislation and strategies.

By calling for a Europe that is democratic, sustainable, and close to its people, the manifesto is a bold invitation to reimagine the Union from the local level up, with municipalities and regions playing a central role in shaping the continent’s future.

Read the position paper here

For more information, contact:

BORDELOT Federica

Director – Policy & Impact

BENNIS Hamza In Digitalisation, Digitalisation, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Latest, Publications

Principles for a digital transition for all

Is the EU’s new approach in tune with local and residents’ needs?

Read full position paper

Digital services, online platforms and electronic devices have become part of our everyday life, bringing us countless new opportunities for professional and personal development. However, innovation can come at a cost. Continuous access to information and data can put our privacy at risk and expose us to misinformation, fraud and discrimination.

For this reason, the European Commission recently issued a “Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade” with guidelines to ensure a fair and inclusive digital transition. The document will shape future EU digital rules, such as the upcoming Data Act on sharing of information between businesses and governments.

CEMR provided its input during the Commission’s consultation preparing the digital decade declaration. In fact, we recently adopted our own position paper “Digital Services for All: Principles for a digital transition in European local and regional governments”. The paper outlines CEMR members’ views on the digital transition, a trend which is transforming the role and activities of local and regional governments.

Several of the principles put forward by CEMR members were also reflected in the Commission’s Declaration, notably on the importance of user-centred digital services, consultation between levels of government for setting standards and the upgrading of digital skills among citizens. Read our take on the declaration and what’s in store for local governement.

Interoperable and transparent data management

Digital Services for All outlines the conditions needed for local and regional governments to provide effective and inclusive digital services for all citizens.

These include the development of open international standards through dialogue between all levels of governments – European, national, regional and local – and between the public and private sectors. Only through dialogue with all stakeholders can solutions suitable to all be found.

Public and private actors must bear in mind that the interoperability of services and systems is crucial to ensuring smooth data exchange. Data management must be transparent. To this end, local and regional governments comply with GDPR and other regulations on accessing public-sector data.

Inclusive digital services

Digitalisation of public services is useless if the people concerned, our citizens and users, cannot access them. That is why CEMR strongly advocates a non-discriminatory approach for the deployment of digital public services, taking into account economic and social barriers.

Awareness of intersectionality – the interaction of these economic and social barriers – means always ensuring public services are accessible and usable by everyone, regardless of the conditions they face. Proactive actions are needed to make sure that elderly people, persons with disabilities, marginalised and vulnerable individuals are not excluded.

Finally, we can only reap the full fruits of digitalisation if people have the skills needed to participate. We need coordinated action to further develop digital skills and literacy among public officials, citizens and indeed all users. Only an informed society and a digitally literate public will be able to make the most out of digital services.

Read the position paper here

For more information, contact:

BENNIS Hamza

Officer – Employment, Digitalisation and Public Services

ROSSI Fabrizio In About CEMR, Latest

CEMR Secretariat

CEMR secretary general Frédéric Vallier ends his mandate

On 31 January 2022, Frédéric Vallier ended his second mandate as secretary general of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR). In a letter addressed to the CEMR members, partners, friends and colleagues, he looks back on 12 years at the service of local and regional governments in Europe.

“After two mandates serving local and regional governments and their associations, it is now time to say good bye, it has been an honour to serve CEMR for those last 12 years. I would like to thank all of you for the confidence you gave me along all these years.

I leave with the feeling of that I did the job, bringing CEMR secretariat from 20 to close to 40 collaborators, strengthening its finances, placing it at the centre of representation of Local and Regional Governments in Europe while giving space to partnerships with allies, other networks of local and regional governments in Europe and the World, the institutions, academics and civil society organisations.

I would like to thank my colleagues and former colleagues who supported me all along these years, the “dream team” from the secretariat for the work done, I have tried to be a fair manager, giving each staff member the possibility to develop their ideas and projects in the best manner, sometime pushing them to the maximum to give their best, launching new ideas that came up in one of my troubled nights. I would like also to thank all the colleagues from member associations for their support and understanding, it was not always easy but I enjoyed the discussions and debates to find sound compromises respecting the diversity we represent.

CEMR is a family, and like in every family, we have debates and discussions with good shared moments and sometimes also more difficult times. It has been the main part of my life those past 12 years.

Along these years, we have built a strong organisation, recognised by the European and International institutions, thanks to our mobilisation for Sustainable development, Cohesion, the fight against Climate change, International cooperation to name a few of the issues where our action had a meaningful impact to support the building of a fairer Europe.

Equality has been a driver for me, and I am particularly proud that we made this organisation the first one to apply equality of women and men in its statutory bodies, there are still progress to be made obviously but I think we contributed greatly in promoting equality and diversity in both our political leadership and our secretariat.

I would like to thank our partners with whom we have reinforced the role of local and regional governments in the governance of Europe and at global level: our sister organisations, UCLG and all the regional sections, NALAS, but also the AER, ABRE, CPMR and Eurocities with whom we have built meaningful coalitions; Climate Alliance, Energy cities, Fedarene, Iclei Europe, our partners on the European and Global Covenant of Mayors, Climate Chance and Iclei World with whom we have ensured the representation of LRGs in International Climate fora; our 30 partners from Platforma including the AIMF, CLGF, UCLG, UCLGA who share with us the priviledge to be strategic partners of the European Development Policy, the successive teams of Devco and Intpa who helped us strengthening this strategic partnership; the Members of the European Parliament, in particular the Chairs and members of the AGRI, BUDG, DEVE, ENVI, FEMM, LIBE, REGI Committees; Jan Olbrycht and the members of the Urban Intergroup; the European Movement International where we bring the voice of LRGs and who brings the voices of citizens in our meetings and work; our institutional partners, the Congress of Local and Regional governments and the Committee of the Regions; the OECD, UN Habitat and other UN agencies; OLA with whom we have published so many studies and research. And all the others I might have forgotten in this long list…

I would like to pay tribute to the elected representatives who give their time and energy voluntarily to the organisation, in particular the Presidents who have been subjected to my sometime iconoclastic ideas and my repeated requests for representation in this or that meeting: Michael Häupl, Wolfgang Schuster, Annemarie Jorritsma, Inigo de la Serna and Stefano Bonaccini.

I would like to say a special word to my French friends, I want to thank them for their support, in good times as well as in difficult ones.

I leave with a sense of achievement, even if I would have liked to continue, that is no secret, but I take note of the Presidency’s decision and I wish good luck to the new Secretary general, Fabrizio Rossi.

CEMR’s richness lies in its ability to bring together the whole family of local and regional governments, whatever their size, their functions and the status of their country in Europe. I have always regarded national associations with the same respect, there are no small associations in CEMR, there are only members united together to defend democracy and local and regional self-government. There are no members of the European Union and the others because WE are Europe, a Europe united beyond our differences, a Europe made of exchanges, friendships and common battles.

Finally, I wish to thank all those who sent me messages and presents in the last few days, they have warmed my heart!

I wish CEMR the best of luck, we will meet again one day soon because I will not stop carrying the values that are ours.

Thank you all and good luck!”

Frédéric Vallier

ROSSI Fabrizio

Secretary General

OKKALI AKTAS Ayben In About CEMR, Latest

Policy Committee

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

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.

OKKALI AKTAS Ayben

Officer – Statutory Affairs & Event

THOMAS Carol In Impact community Society, Latest, Local democracy

Future of Europe

Local and EU leaders’ debate: time to strengthen European democracy from the bottom-up!

With the Conference on the Future of Europe, citizens across the continent have a unique opportunity to organise local events and make their voice heard to shape the direction of our Union. But how can we foster citizens’ participation? And what visions do we have for municipalities and regions in the future of Europe?

Last week, ahead of our Policy Committee meeting, local and regional leaders, senior EU official and representatives of civil society took part in a debate to discuss precisely these questions.

Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Democracy and Demography, emphasised that European democracy must not be a top-down process. “Once a mayor, always a mayor,” she said. “As a former mayor, I know all politics is local.”

Mayors and regional leaders must make their voices heard at the Conference. The Croatian commissioner said it was impossible to know what the Conference’s outcome would be but that it was important to already look for ways to embed citizens’ participation in decision-making.

Taking local action to involve citizens

Involving ordinary citizens in European debates and decisions is not always easy however. Developments in Brussels and Strasbourg too often seems remote and abstract. That is why the French city of Rennes has invited local citizens to participate through municipal projects.

Flavie Boukhenoufa, Deputy Mayor of Rennes, presented Labo Europe, an organisation helping citizen get involved in and better understand the EU. This year the “Lab” launched a campaign to develop a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) for Rennes. Citizens are able to send in their ideas and participate in online debates to create the city’s proposal for a European action.

The final choice will be presented on Europe Day on 9 May. “We aim to speak not with experts but with citizens, even those who have no knowledge about the EU”, said Boukhenoufa. Get inspired by checking out this video and website on Rennes’ citizen initiative

People across Europe can provide their input to the Conference by organising local events and registering these with the official online platform. Servane Metzger, part of the Cabinet of the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, highlighted the importance of these local events in terms of engaging people and reflecting the sensibilities of different regions.

Metzger raised the possibility of maintaining the platform into the future: “The platform is an extremely powerful tool to map events. It’s really easy to see events that are nearby, that way we reach local people, not only EU specialists.”

What future for Europe?

The health of European democracy is also affected by the state of national and local democracy. Mayor of Gdansk and CEMR Executive President Aleksandra Dulkiewicz stressed that we cannot take democracy for granted and urged protecting the next European elections from digital threats and outside interference.

Vibrant local democracy can also be a bulwark against negative developments at national level. Dulkiewicz called on the Conference to support NGOs and local and regional governments to counter rising authoritarianism. “These two pillars should be strengthened because threats to democracy, rule of law, human rights and transparency in one EU country can affect the whole community”, she said.

Jordanka Fandakova, the Mayor of Sofia and CEMR Executive President, highlighted the importance of the digital divide, with rural areas in particular often lacking connectivity. She called for making equal Internet access a priority. “Digital strategies should not only be focused on big cities, but also take into consideration the needs of small towns and communities”, she said.

No one can say what will result from the Conference. Eva Maydell, a Bulgarian MEP and President of the European Movement International (EMI), argued that pandemic showed the power of European solidarity, but also the need to strengthen our continent’s autonomy. She stressed that the EU can only maintain trust if the Conference delivers results: “Like every political project, the EU is based on a story and its ability to meet the promises it makes to its citizens.”