|
Data: 24/02/2014
RegioFlash: Regional Policy - 20 February 2014
News
• Don't miss the RegioStars Award Ceremony 2014!
On 31 March in BOZAR (Brussels), the European Commission will reveal the RegioStars 2014 winners, awarding Europe's most innovative projects having benefited from European Cohesion Policy support.
The objective of the RegioStars Awards is to identify good practices in regional development and to highlight original and innovative projects which could be attractive and inspiring to other regions. For this 7th edition of the Awards, the European Commission has received many excellent and noteworthy applications and the Jury has selected 19 finalists under four categories:
1 - Smart growth: SME innovation
2 - Sustainable growth: Green growth and jobs through Bio-economy
3 - Inclusive growth: Creating jobs for the young generation
4 - CITYSTAR: Investments projects in sustainable urban public transport
An independent Jury will select the winners, who will receive the awards from the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, and the President of the RegioStars Jury, Luc Van den Brande, at the ceremony in Brussels.
More information:
Website: www.ec.europa.eu/regiostars
Registration: http://www.cvent.com/d/f4q1cn/4W
More info
• Urban Forum has endorsed an urban agenda for the EU
On 17-18 February the European Commission organised Cities of Tomorrow: Investing in Europe; a major forum to debate an EU urban agenda. Several stakeholders, amongst them the European Parliament, UN HABITAT, Member States, the Committee of the Regions, Eurocities and CEMR, are calling for an EU urban agenda to give better recognition to cities' key role in addressing our key societal challenges and in implementing EU objectives.
The main objective of the forum was to stimulate a debate at European level on how we can better tackle the urban dimension of EU policymaking, and on how we can better recognise cities' key role in rolling out EU and national policies. Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn noted in his opening speech "I believe an EU urban agenda could improve the quality of policy making – at EU and at national level and I am convinced that an EU urban agenda could make cities more clearly partners for EU and national policy makers."
President of the Committee of the Regions Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso added: "Towns, cities and metropolitan areas are are powerful engines for growth and jobs and as such make a significant contribution to achieving both the Europe 2020 Strategy and EU economic, social and territorial cohesion."
The record interest in the forum clearly indicated that the topic is urgent. Three questions guided the debates:
• Do we need an EU urban agenda?
• What should an EU agenda be?
• How should an EU agenda work?
The first question was clearly answered with a YES, we do need an EU urban agenda. The two follow-up questions generated valuable input that will be presented in April to the Informal Council on Cohesion Policy in Athens under the EU Greek Presidency. The CITIES Forum is a first step in the process that will shape our future polices and ways of working.
More info
Pagina precedente
|
