During the debate on the draft opinion on the future plan for care workers and care services, Cllr Declan McDonnell (Galway City Council, Ireland) called for better recognition of and support for the family caregivers which could be a win-win situation for all: the state, the care recipient and the caregiver. "Caring for a relative is a full-time job and family caregivers are saving money to the state. Yet they work 24/7 for only 50% of the minimum wage, often give up jobs and suffer from big stress," Cllr McDonnell said and further stressed the psychological strain caring for a relative implies.

Further on the agenda, the members discussed the new Horizon Europe Missions, presented by Ms Minna Wilkki from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD). During the debate, Cllr Kieran McCarthy (Cork City Council, Ireland) said that Horizon Europe Missions, although still evolving, can help local and regional authorities in very practical ways in their approach to Sustainable Development Goals and climate adaptation strategies. "Good cooperation between local and regional authorities and the European Commission's services is crucial in this regard," he added.

Finally, at the end of the meeting, members held an exchange of views on the New European Bauhaus with Marcos Ros Sempere, Member of the European Parliament, Sneška Quaedvlieg – Mihailović, Secretary-General of Europa Nostra, and Alessandro Rancati from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). Cllr McCarthy, who last week made a passionate speech about the New European Bauhaus (you can watch the video​ on our YouTube channel), said that although technology has sped up and changed how we look at our cities and culture, we have a lot to learn from the narrative and the legacy of the original Bauhaus movement. He particularly stressed the role of local and regional authorities who know how to spot opportunities and create new cultural projects, especially within the European Capital of Culture initiative.
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