EA President to attend Subsidiarity Assizes in Berlin | 18 December 2013 | On 18 December the EA president, Dr Uno Silberg participated in the Subsidiarity Assizes in the Bundesrat premises in Berlin.
The conference provided with the occasion for taking stock of the Subsidiarity monitoring procedure since the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty.So far national parliaments have triggered two times the yellow card proce ... |
COTER Commission adopts Meaney's opinion on inland waterway transport | 17 December 2013 | On 17 December the COTER commission approved the opinion of the EA member and Clare County councillor, Brian Meaney on the Naiades II package, which sets the framework for the inland waterway transport policy and the revised action programme for the period 2014-2020 aiming at developing an efficient, innovative and low emission inland waterway tra ... |
Committee of the Regions discusses social dimension of the economic and monetary union | 11 December 2013 | On Wednesday, 11 December, the Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS) of the Committee of the Regions held its 21st meeting. The meeting saw adoption of three opinions: opinion on Commission's proposal for a regulation on European long-term investment funds, opinion on Commission's communication on strengthening the social dimension ... |
European Alliance Bureau visits the National Assembly for Wales | 10 December 2013 | On the 9th December members of the European Alliance group bureau held a series of meetings in the National Assembly for Wales. The meeting will focus on the work of the Assembly, its work in EU policies. Members also met with representatives of Plaid Cymru and discussed the priorities of Plaid Cymru vis-à-vis the European Union.
The ... |
EA Vice President Jerzy Zajakala participated in CoR – Turkey Working group | 21 November 2013 | On 21 November the EA Vice President and Mayor of Lubianka, Jerzy Zajakala, participated in the meeting of the CoR Working group on relations with Turkey in Ankara. The COR members discussed about the recently published EU enlargement strategy report and on the progress of Turkey which acknowledges the importance of Turkey for the EU w ... |
Silberg speaks at TEN-T days in Tallinn | 22 October 2013 | Dr Uno Silberg spoke at the major TEN-T days organised by the European Commission which was held in Tallinn on the 17th October. He spoke replacing the CoR President in the round table "Innovative corridors: Breaking ground".
The discussions focussed on the prospects of trans-European transport networks, after the Parlia ... |
Stewart Maxwell: "The OPEN DAYS are an opportunity for Scotland to showcase its talent" | 15 October 2013 | Stewart Maxwell (UK/EA) has lauded the OPEN DAYS as a unique opportunity for regions and cities to exchange best practices and draw attention to their talents, leading to a beneficial cross-fertilistion of ideas. The member of the Scottish Parliament and Committee of the Regions (CoR) member speaks about his involvement in and experience with the ... |
CoR Plenary unanimously adopts Mr Jerzy Zajakala's opinion Sustainability of rural areas | 09 October 2013 | On 9 October, the Committee of the Regions' Plenary session, representatives of European local and regional authorities adopted unanimously Mr Jerzy Zajakala's own-initiative opinion on the sustainability of rural areas.The focus of the discussion revolved around the question whether the share of European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (E ... |
Rural areas should have more priority in EU policy says EA group President Dr Silberg | 08 October 2013 | At the opening session of Open Days where guest speakers included Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, the EA group President called on the Commission to give more priority to Rural areas. He said that rural areas have faced special development challenges for a long time. Population decline ... |
CoR Plenary adopts unanimously adopts Gillham's opinion on Plastic waste | 08 October 2013 | The CoR Plenary session has adopted the opinion of the EA member Cllr Linda Gillham on the Green Paper on a European strategy on plastic waste in the environment.
During the discussions CoR members spoke of the impact of plastic waste on the environment and the considerable harm it causes to the world's marine life. With recent reports estimating ... |
CoR adopts Brian Meaney's Shale Gas opinion | 08 October 2013 | Against the backdrop of an ever increasing awareness and anxiety among citizens, communities and regions across the EU of the potential threats and opportunities presented by “Shale Gas”, the Committee of the Regions, has adopted the opinion of the EA member and Clare County Cllr. Brian Meaney which includes a series of strong recommendation ... |
Silberg meets European Commission President José Manuel Barroso | 07 October 2013 | Prior to the opening session of OPEN DAYS 2013, the CoR Conference of Presidents, including Dr Uno Silberg met with the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. They called on the European Council and Parliament to urgently finalise the adoption of the EU budget 2014-2020 as well as of the new rules for structural funds. Dr Silberg called f ... |
CIVEX meeting to address Migration, Justice and Fundamental rights | 24 September 2013 | On 24 September, the members of the CIVEX commission have adopted three opinions related to migrants mobility, in particular students and researchers, the EU smart border package and the new Schengen governance, and the 2013 EU citizenship report.
Moreover, the EA coordinator Mr Szwabski and the EA members took part in a lively debate with ... |
ENVE commission adopts Gillham opinion on plastic waste in the Environment | 02 September 2013 | On 2 September the ENVE commission meeting in Vilnius adopted the opinion of the EA member Cllr. Linda Gillham on the Green Paper "European Strategy on plastic waste in the Environment". After a lively debate the opinion was adopted by overwhelming majority. In the context of the EU2020 Resource Efficient Flagship initiative such document ... |
EA / CoR Secondary Schools competition winners visit the CoR Plenary | 04 July 2013 | Forty two students and teachers participated in the CoR plenary session as their prize for winning the latest EA group led Secondary Schools competition. The students met members of the European Alliance group and presented their regions and schools. They were welcomed to the plenary by the CoR President.
The European Alliance g ... |
CoR Plenary adopts Kalev opinion on clean power for transport | 04 July 2013 | Mrs Saima Kalev's opinion on clean power for transport, developing an infrastructure for the alternative fuel, was approved by an overwhelming majority at the CoR plenary. This proposal is of crucial importance for the EU as it represents an opportunity for implementing the EU2020 Resource-efficient Europe flagship initiative. The opinion po ... |
European Alliance group welcomes Croatia as a member of the European Union | 01 July 2013 | The European Alliance group has hailed the EU membership of Croatia as a momentous and historic occasion for the European Union. EA members expressed their delight and in particular Cllr. Mrs Linda Gillham, Member of Runnymede Borough Council who was the Co-President of the CoR-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) and who followed Croa ... |
ECOS commission adopts Silberg's opinion on the long-term financing of the EU economy | 27 June 2013 | The Committee of the Regions' commission for economic and social policy (ECOS) held its external meeting on Thursday 27 June in Graz, capital city of the Austrian state of Styria. The meeting was followed by a conference on the future of the European automotive industry, especially in the regional context.
The meeting saw the adoption of fo ... |
The 13th meeting of the Working Group on the Western Balkans held in Serbia | 26 June 2013 | On June 26, the city of Novi Sad, capital of Serbia's northern Vojvodina province was host to the 13th meeting of the Committee of the Region's Working Group on the Western Balkans. The meeting gathered CoR members and representatives of Serbian local authorities and civil society who discussed the impact of forthcoming Serbia's EU accession talks ... |
ENVE debate Cllr Meaney opinion on shale gas | 19 June 2013 | On 19 June the ENVE commission has adopted the opinion of Brian Meaney on local and regional authorities perspective on Shale Gas. Although shale gas exploitation could help to reduce EU dependence on imported gas and contribute in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, many question that drilling have serious negative environmental and human health e ... |
Cllr Linda Gillham meets with stakeholders to debate on plastic waste | 18 June 2013 | Cllr Linda Gillham, EA member and rapporteur on the Green paper on a European Strategy on Plastic Waste met on 18 June with different stakeholders to discuss about ways to improve the current legislative framework to address the specific issue of plastic waste.Representatives from municipalities, regions as well as from industries and ... |
The huge problems of water in Palestine and in the EUROMED discussed in Bethlehem | 16 June 2013 | The CoR ARLEM (SUDEV committee) met in Bethlehem on the 15th June discussion with local and regional representatives the problems of water and urban mobility. The European Alliance group was represented by Cllr Brian Meaney and Mr Stanislaw Szwabski who heard first-hand the huge problems of water shortage which is facing the local popu ... |
Zajakala discusses sustainability of rural areas with stakeholders and the EC | 31 May 2013 | EA Group's first vice-president, Mr Jerzy Zajakala held a series of meetings in preparation on his own-initiative opinion Sustainability of rural areas.
The meetings included exchange of views with representatives of the R.E.D. (Ruralité-Environnement-Développement) international association representing rural development sector, and consultation ... |
Szwabski addresses Commissioner Hahn on 2014-2020 structural policy | 30 May 2013 | On 30 May Mr.Stanisław Szwabski, EA member and president of Gdynia council, addressed Commissioner Hahn on the future of structural funds and the partnership agreements.
As former rapporteur on the European Code of Conduct on Partnerships, Szwabski praised the effort put in place by the Commission on this front and stressed that "Alm ... |
Cllr Gillham presents EU 2020 survey on fighting poverty | 29 May 2013 | Linda Gillham, Member of Runnymede Borough Council and Member of the EA group, presented during the conference on Fighting poverty and social exclusion the results of a survey organized by the CoR EU2020 Monitoring Platform which assessed the implementation of the poverty flagship initiative. Based on responses from regions and cities, the survey ... |
Linda Gillham presents paper on role of women in the Mediterranean to ARLEM Bureau | 23 May 2013 | Cllr. Linda Gillham, EA member in ARLEM, joint assembly of the CoR and regional and local authorities around the Mediterranean, on the occasion of the ARLEM bureau which took place in Barcelona on 23 May, presented A position paper on the role of women in Euromed cooperation in view of the Ministerial Meeting to take place in September, and to whi ... |
COTER adopts Kalev opinion on clean power for transport | 07 May 2013 | The COTER commission has adopted today by overwhelming majority the opinion on Clean Power for Transport drafted by the EA member Dr Saima Kalev. The opinion supports the proposal of the European Commission to set mandatory targets for recharging points for electric cars.
However, the COTER commissions ask more time be given to Member States and ... |
Waste legislation and prospects for shale gas high on ENVE Commission agenda | 24 April 2013 | The ENVE commission has been dealing recently with a number of important energy and environmental topics ranging from energy efficiency, climate change to the internal energy market.
However, focus is now on the future legislation on waste, in particular plastic waste, which is of particular relevance for LRAs. After adopting in outlo ... |
Saima Kalev held stakeholder consultation on Clean Power for Transport Package | 22 April 2013 | Dr Saima Kalev, Member of Jõgeva Rural Municipality Council, and EA rapporteur on the Package “Clean Power for Transport: A European alternative fuels strategy”, held on 22 April 2013 a stakeholder consultation in the Committee of the Regions' premises. Dr Kalev and her expert exchanged their ideas with the representatives from local and regio ... |
Witold Krochmal advocates more support for innovative clusters to fight economic crisis | 10 April 2013 | Mr Witold Krochmal, member of the EA group bureau and coordinator of the ECOS commission in the CoR has taken part in a panel discussion on the Industrial Policy flagship initiative on 10 April.
Mr Krochmal pointed out in his speech that clusters could represent a successful growth enhancing solution if supported by effective cooperation between ... |
Hendrickx hosts EA group study visit in Mechelen | 09 April 2013 | On 9th April, the bureau members of the EA group have taken part in a study visit in Mechelen upon invitation of Mr. Marc Hendrickx, "schepen" of Mechelen and member of the N-VA political party.
The study visit focussed on local governance structures, remits, competences and financing of local authorities in Flanders, also including its ... |
Silberg participates in Conference of Presidents meeting with Van Rompuy | 12 March 2013 | European Alliance group President participated in the Conference of Presidents meeting with the President of the European Council Mr Van Rompuy. Points for discussion related to the MFF, competitiveness and Youth Employment with a view to the Spring European Summit to be held on the 14-15 March 2013.
Dr Silberg focussed on the issue ... |
Maxwell welcomes inaugural meeting between Icelandic local authorities and CoR | 04 March 2013 | The newly-established Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) between the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and Icelandic local authorities held its inaugural meeting in Reykjavík, Iceland. The JCC, which brings together local and regional representatives from the EU Member States and Iceland, aims to ensure that Iceland's municipalities are fully engaged ... |
Silberg welcomes 'youth guarantee' and also the CoR's focus on Skills & Jobs | 01 March 2013 | During the Committee of the Regions bureau meeting and the forum on Skills and Jobs, European Alliance group president welcomed the EU agreement on the Youth Guarantee. With youth unemployment reaching over 50% in some Member States clear and decisive action needed to be taken and this was a first step. He also welcomed Commissioner Ge ... |
Silberg calls for practical cooperation between the European Parliament and the CoR | 31 January 2013 | At a joint meeting between the Conference of Presidents in both the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions, European Alliance President Dr Uno Silberg said that there was a clear need to show that both institutions could work together, in particular in the lead up to the European elections in 2014. He highlighted not only rappo ... |
Blue Growth opinion by Banaszak adopted by CoR plenary | 31 January 2013 | Member of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region (PL), Mr Banaszak's opinion on the Blue Growth was unanimously adopted during the CoR plenary session on the 01st February 2013. His opinion is based on the assumption that seas, coasts and oceans can play a key role in overcoming many current challenges and should be underpinned by "smart specializat ... |
Dr Silberg presents to high-level fact finding delegation in Brussels | 21 January 2013 | A visit of local and regional representatives from Estonia took place on the 21st January. They have visited the Committee of the Regions, where EA President, Dr. Uno Silberg, welcomed the group.
Mr Silberg presented the Committee of the Regions, its activity and the role it plays in the European institutional spectrum. The delegation ... |
|