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It’s a busy week for the Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. With the 18th edition of the EU Regions Week currently in full socially distanced swing, Elisa Ferreira appears to be spending more time on the event’s stages and screens than off them. Cohesion policy has been instrumental in the development of regions and cities across the continent, yet the challenges it faces today – including supporting member states through COVID-19, facilitating a green transition despite a Brexit-reduced...

Cohesion Policy currently accounts for almost a third of the EU's total budget and ultimately aims to generate a truly grassroots movement by bringing together beneficiaries of cohesion funds. Yet Miklós Barabás claims that “the EU capital is too far away from the ordinary people” and, in order to solve this, something needs to change. The #EURegions talk “Designing effective strategies to communicate on cohesion policy in cooperation with daily media” was part of the European Week of Regions...

Have you ever wondered how the centuries-old school in your town has become modern again, why your country has new equipment in healthcare institutions or schools and how such projects are implemented? These and many other questions can be answered by EU Cohesion and Regional development policy. Explaining what it will look like after 2020 was the task for Anguel Beremliysky, who works for DG Regio as a project manager in the European Commission. During the conference "Post-2020 budget and...

Overcrowded hospitals, a shortage of free beds, national lockdowns and millions of people suddenly unemployed: the coronavirus pandemic triggered a shock effect on Europe. The outbreak is testing European cooperation in ways that seemed unimaginable years ago. On the financial side, every single Euro available had to be used as quickly as possible to protect as many lives as possible, safeguarding the global economy and consequently people's livelihood. "The situation has been evolving. At first...

The future is now. And it is digital. The EU Datathon 2020, which culminated at this year's European Week of Regions and Cities, brought together 12 finalist projects who have transformed data in solutions to current challenges, such as an European Green Deal, a people-oriented economy, a new push for democracy, and a Europe fit for the digital age. Despite the global economic crisis and pandemic crisis, billionaires have seen their wealth soar by 27% since last march. This was largely due to...

Six crystal glass awards towering on the stage, no one there to raise them in sign of victory. Understandably enough, the current Covid-19 situation urged the transition to an all-digital edition of the RegioStars Awards, which took place last Wednesday. The physical absence didn’t discourage the 25 finalists - 25 EU-funded projects who distinguished themselves for their innovative approach in regional development - connected from their headquarters with Brussels' Gold Hall, everyone cheering...

Together with over 500 partners’ sessions, this week hosted most of the main sessions of the event. On 12 October, 18 young Europeans participated in a Citizens' dialogue with Commissioner Ferreira. Thirteen youngsters were on stage and five others in remote: among them, on the one hand, students from five different member states (Greece, Italy, Spain, Croatia and Bulgaria), participating to the At School of Open Cohesion (ASOC) programme; and, on the other hand, Young Journalist students. The...

Regional and local leaders shared their experience in fighting the pandemic and their proposals for the recovery with Commissioner Ferreira and President Tzitzikostas during the Opening session of 18th European Week of Regions and Cities. They debated how EU cohesion policy and its shared management could boost Europe's recovery. The EU Annual Regional and Local Barometer presented by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions during the CoR Plenary session, shows...

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions, presented the EU Annual Regional and Local Barometer on Monday 12 October 2020, warning of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on regions and cities revenues, of growing regional inequalities and of a “COVID lost generation”. The first EU-wide Regional and Local Barometer warns that Coronavirus pandemic is heavily impacting sub-national authorities' revenues and that the up to 10% plunge in regions and cities revenues...

Whilst diplomatic ties remain cold and restrictive measures are reinforced, the shared interests of regions within the EU and Russia motivate joining forces. This is achieved through bottom-up cooperation within the Interreg format. Relations between the European Union and Russia have remained strained since the latter’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. On a press conference mainly addressing responses to the COVID-crisis within the Interreg-programs, Jean-Pierre Halkin, Head of the Unit of Macro...