EUROPEAN WEEK OF REGIONS AND CITIES 2016

EUROPEAN WEEK OF REGIONS AND CITIES 2016

3 OCTOBER 2016WWW.THEPARLIAMENTMAGAZINE.EU

@PARLIMAG

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR COHESION POLICY?

HELPING EUROPE’S REGIONS FACE

TODAY’S CHALLENGES

DO EUROPE’S CITIESHOLD THE KEY TO

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH?

01 RR Cover.indd 1 29/09/2016 17:41:48

What is NALAS…?NALAS was created in 2001 under the auspices of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe (SEE) and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. It brings together 15 Local Government Associations (LGAs) from 12 countries1 and represents approximately 9.000 local governments (LGs) directly elected by more than 80 million citizens in SEE. After positioning itself as a Knowledge Centre for its members, the current Strategic Plan gives continuity in terms of promoting NALAS as a market leader for knowledge management and scaling up good local government practises.

What do we do?NALAS provides professional services for its member associations with a focus on permanent exchange and transfer of knowledge through coaching, mentoring and on-job learning and facilitates use of genuine expertise and experience in good local governance within the network.

How do we work?NALAS operates as a Knowledge Centre and coordination platform on local government issues and strives to strengthen the capacity of its members. There are 5 key topical areas of local government competences: Waste and Water Management, Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Tourism, Urban Planning and Fiscal Decentralization. In each of them operate Task Forces, made up of regional experts representing member associations in specific topics, identifying priorities and addressing their issues. Knowledge Management Assistants, appointed by each member association and the NALAS e-Academy, a singular knowledge dissemination tool, form the backbone of the NALAS Knowledge Management System. NALAS derives its strength from its member LGAs and the knowledge accumulated over the past 20 years in local government reform and association development.

Who are our cooperation partners?NALAS is supported on institutional and operational level by the Austrian, German and Swiss Development Cooperation Agencies (ADA, GIZ, SDC), works with the UN on specific Gender issues, cooperates with UNDP in climate change mitigation and supports together with the World Bank cities and local governments in the regional reform and modernization process to promote inclusive and sustainable growth and enhanced urban governance. These strategic partnerships assisted NALAS throughout its start-up and consolidation phase and have been a fundamental element in the network’s innovative evolution.

Today, NALAS is recognized as a unique network of Local Authorities Associations within South-East Europe. The network: i) collaborates with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in developing and implementing the SEE 2020 Strategy for Growth, being a coordinating institution for the pillar dimension on Governance for Growth ii) participates in the Joint Consultative Committee Meetings of the Committee of the Regions iii) collaborates

Are you looking for a potentially strong partner in South-East Europe (SEE) to promote good governance, decentralization and professional quality public service administration at local level?Then do not look any further because the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in SEE - NALAS is the right choice!

within the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) as a stakeholder for governments in SEE and iv) participates in the Euro-Mediterranean Commission of the global network United Cities and Local Governments.

1For further info, please contact the following link: http://www.nalas.eu/Members

NALAS.indd 1 29/09/2016 16:42:08

3 OctOber 2016 Regional Review | 3www.theparliamentmagazine.eu

Look to cities for answers to Europe’s youth employment crisis

Panama Papers scandal “gets to the heart of our democracy”, says

whistleblower

Brexit: Verhofstadt launches withering attack on

Johnson, Fallon and Fox

MEPs and industry experts join forces in calling for

‘compromise’ approach to new EU fertilizer rules

EU Commission’s ‘transparency register’

proposals branded “too little too late”

regional review

07 / EmpowEring citiEsThe European Week of Regions and cities is an opportunity to share best practices, says Corina Cretu

12 / cohEsion policy...is our best tool against Eu-roscepticism, writes Marku Markkula

16 / compEtitivEnEssCurrent regional policy tools could also be geared towards other policy areas and boost EU growth, ar-gues Iskra Mihaylova

contEnts03.10.16

on the website

www.theparliamentmagazine.eu @parlimag www.facebook.com/theparliamentmagazine

07 24

34

19 / hi-tEchOur regions must be given the means to innovate and succeed, write Lambert Van Nistelrooij and Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso

22 / looking EastThe EU must protect its eastern partnership, writes Zigmantas Balčytis

24 / sustainability...is mission impossible for the EU without its cities, says Anna Lisa Boni

26 / miscommunicationThe EU must better com-municate with its citizens on the positive impact regional funds have on citi-zens’ lives, writes Lambert Van Nistelrooij

30 / a nEw visionThe EU must adopt a bottom-up approach to policymaking, says Oldřich Vlasák

33 / post-2020Jan Olbrycht wonders what the future holds for EU cohesion policy

34 / tourismEuropean tourism is an engine for regional growth, writes Hanspeter Wagner

03 RR Contents.indd 3 29/09/2016 17:22:11

In the transition to a greener economy there is no ‘one-size-fits all’ solution. This report on Green Growth in Nordic Regions explores green growth through a wide lens, showcasing 50 Nordic examples in a broad range of contexts, both urban and rural, and is designed to be a source of inspiration for both practitioners and policy-makers.

A key feature of the collection is the analysis of the regional dimension of each case. Regional and local actors and agencies play an important role in supporting green thinking and planning and, in turn, green initiatives based on local resources and strengths can have a substantial impact on regional development. Understanding these regional peculiarities and pre-conditions is essential for successful green growth practices and can also increase the potential for different green practices to be adapted and implemented elsewhere.

The 50 cases are categorised under 5 broad themes: Circular economy; Bioeconomy; Blue growth; Cleantech and renewable energy; Green cities and municipalities.

The transition to a green economy will not happen over-night but rather step-by-step. This collection seeks to contribute to a greener and more circular economy through the exchange of good practice in the Nordic countries, across Europe and around the world.

The collection belongs to a series of publications commissioned by the Nordic Working Group for Green Growth - Innovation and Entrepreneurship, under the auspice of the Nordic Council of Ministers.Down-load your own copy here – all 50 or case by case: www.nordregio.se/50cases

Coastal hazards constitute a major concern for local population and authorities since the interaction of coastal processes with human

activities and structures can adversely affect the economy, health, well being and safety of people and communities. An effective hazard mitigation planning requires the economic assessment of the various risk prevention measures correlated to the costs for response and rehabilitation. Notwithstanding the considerable progress that has been made over the past few decades in the fields of hazards’ analysis and modeling, investment decisions in prevention measures have been made more on local and regional policies and political agendas than logical risk assessments.

The EcosHaz project (Economics of Prevention Measures Addressing Coastal Hazards) has succeeded to establish a sustainable knowledge framework addressing the costs and benefits of prevention and response measures to coastal hazards generated by hydro-meteorological events (flooding, shoreline erosion, storm surges) and technological accidents (oil spills). Ecoshaz Project will provide state of the art guidance and tools as well as necessary data sources and support structures for the implementation of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) of coastal risk management prevention measures.

ECOSHAZ PROJECTInformational and training tools have been developed and are already fully operational. These tools include:

A Knowledge Toolkit, fully accessible via the project’s, website containing good practices, case studies, literature and other information on different modules of coastal risk management.

Two Guidelines on the implementation of CBA for the economic assessment of coastal prevention measures both for natural and anthropogenic hazards.

A web based platform to deliver training courses to coastal authorities on how to adopt economic assessment tools in their work, enabling decision makers to make sensible and sustainable choices against coastal hazards.

Five national clusters of EcosHaz key stakeholders that will evolve into an EU transnational cooperation structure have been created in Greece, Italy, Spain, Poland and UK.

For further information on EcosHaz project you may visit the project’s website www.ecoshaz.eu

The EcosHaz project is co-funded by the EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Agency.

page4.indd 1 29/09/2016 17:36:44

3 OCTOBER 2016 REGIONAL REVIEW | 5WWW.THEPARLIAMENTMAGAZINE.EU

EDITORIAL

The challenges currently facing Europe’s regions and cities are at the heart of this year’s European Week of Regions and Cities programme. In a more topical and policy-focused approach, the annual regional policy gathering will be more aligned to the EU institutions’ political priorities.

Under the ‘Regions and cities for sustainable and inclusive growth’ theme, more than 100 sessions, seminars and meet-

ings will help to shape and focus the debate along three key thematic strands:

Sustained and sustainable economic growthWhat are the new opportunities for regions and cities to foster growth and jobs given the internationalisation of Europe’s economies? And what are the main factors attracting new productive investment in the 21st century? This year’s Week will consider which regions and cities are currently the more successful in drawing new investments and why, and will look specifi cally at the new opportunities linked to innovation with particular reference to energy e� ciency, developing the low-carbon economy and promoting the circular economy as well as smart specialisation.

Inclusive economic growthA key question that will be at this year’s Week will be, “How are labour market and social inclusion policies for disadvantaged sections of the population developed and implemented at local level?” “What are the measures for the creation of micro-businesses or small enterprises and for facilitating an envi-ronment which is more ‘self-employment friendly’? According to the organis-ers, this thematic strand will also allow regions and cities to share their experi-ences in tackling the refugee crisis, including through the use of EU funds.

Making ESI Funds simplerWhat can be learned from experience and good practices of regional and national authorities implementing programmes supported under European structural and investment funds? How can programme management be more e� cient and more e� ective, how can it be simplifi ed? How to build admin-istrative and executive capacity? This strand will also examine best practice in urban development, integrated territorial investment programmes and community-led local development.

As always, we hope that this special edition of the Parliament Magazine’s Regional Review will help contribute to the success of the 2016 European Week of Regions and Cities.

Brian JohnsonManaging editor

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GROWTH INDUSTRY

05 RR Editorial.indd 5 29/09/2016 17:42:12

T he most important instrument for implementing the regional development strategy of Bucharest-

Ilfov region is the Regional Operational Programme (ROP) .

During the 2007-2013 programming period, the European Union focused on integrated urban development - which involved a holistic and comprehensive approach to cities, meant to promote, in a harmonious and integrated manner, all the dimensions of urban sustainability (territorial, social and economic).

Thus, a total of 12 Integrated Urban Development Plans (IUDP) have been adopted in the region, resulting in achievement/completion of a total of 41 projects aimed at modernizing the road infrastructure, redevelopment of green spaces and parks, installation of video monitoring, upgrading social centres etc. All these projects have led to a better living standard for over 1.2 million inhabitants.

Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Development Agency (ADRBI) is the primary catalyst for public institutions and other entities involved in developing the Regional Development Strategy for Bucharest-Ilfov region.

ROP 2007-2013 also solved some of the imperative problems of the Bucharest-Ilfov region’s public infrastructure: transportation, health, education and social protection.Some of the results of REGIO 2007-2013:

- 3681 apartments rehabilitated;

- 14 social centres rehabilitated/modernized;

- 50 mobile units equipped for emergency response;

- 10 schools and campuses rehabilitated/modernized;

- 6 new business support structures;

- Support for 189 SMEs in acquiring new equipment.

More details can be found on the electronic map and in the REGIO projects brochure found on www.regioadrbi.ro

Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020, following REGIO 2007-2013, represents one of the programmes through which Romania will be able to access EU structural funds and investment funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

More details can be found on http://2014-2020.adrbi.ro/

bucharest.indd 1 29/09/2016 17:31:11


WEEK OF REGIONS AND CITIES

I n a few days, we will be cel-ebrating the 14th edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities, which is the EU’s larg-

est gathering of representatives of regional and local authorities, EU institutions, businesses, academics and many other stakeholders. They all have in common a great interest for the opportunities for growth and jobs o� ered by EU cohesion policy.

This year’s focus will be on urban policy. In May, the EU launched the Urban Agenda to allow cities to have their say in European policymaking.

We organised thematic partnerships on housing, social inclusion and mobility, in order to come up with concrete solutions in the fi eld of sus-tainable urban development.

In the same spirit, during this Week, the Commission’s Directorate-gen-eral for Regional and Urban Policy and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) have joined forc-es with the Brussels Capital Region and representatives from other cities and European networks, in order to facilitate international exchange on

sustainable urban development. This will allow the wide urban

practitioners’ community to partici-pate in dedicated interactive ses-sions, workshops and project visits around the Urban Agenda for the EU and the essential role that multi-level governance is expected to play in ad-dressing major urban challenges.

Seminars will also discuss what labour market and social inclusion policies at local level, such as social housing or public services, can do for the benefi t of those most in the need. In particular, they will allow regions and cities to share their ex-periences in social and professional

integration, including of mi-grants, also with the support of cohesion policy funds.

Like every year, this Week will also focus on supporting the ef-forts of European regions and cities in translating EU

investments into excellence, growth, jobs and quality of life. There will be a broad range of successful examples of projects, ranging from energy

The European Week of Regions and Cities is an opportunity for cities and regions to come together and share best practices, as well as plan cooperation on future projects, writes Corina Crețu

Empowering cities and regions

Corina Crețu is European regional policy Commissioner

“Like every year, this Week will focus on supporting the e� orts of European regions and cities in translating EU investments into excellence, growth, jobs and quality of life”

→

07-08 RR Cretu.indd 7 29/09/2016 16:32:41

@PARLIMAG 8 | REGIONAL REVIEW 3 OCTOBER 2016


e� ciency and circular economy to smart specialisation, which not only attest of what our regions and cities are capable of, but also pave the way for exchanging good practice and learning from each other.

But to allow more and more innova-tive and quality EU-funded projects to see the light of day, we need to make it easier for small businesses and start-ups to access the funds.

This edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities will also give us the opportunity to exchange experience and good practices in simplifying the management of ESI funds programmes and enhancing administrative capacity. The reform of cohesion policy for 2014-2020 has al-ready introduced a range of actions to simplify the life of both managing au-thorities and benefi ciaries, but feed-back from the ground, as well as from our high level group on simplifi cation for benefi ciaries of the ESI funds, can

defi nitely be a powerful drive to make further progress. In this context, there will be presentations of innovative working methods, especially through online procedures.

Jointly organised by the European Commission and the CoR, the Euro-pean Week of Regions and Cities will involve up to 5000 participants in around 120 workshops, debates and networking opportunities from 10 to 13 October.

Among all these events, I would like to fl ag two important gatherings. The fi rst one is the opening session, which will take place on 10 October at the European Parliament. This will be a unique opportunity to engage in a lively debate with CoR members and President Markku Markkula, as well as with Parliament Vice-President Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso.

The second gathering is the o� cial reception on 11 October at BOZAR, where the winners of this year’s Regi-

oStars awards will be announced. The awards are a Commission initiative to encourage innovative and inspiring projects throughout the almost 300 European regions.

In any case, beyond these two par-ticular events, the European Week of Regions and Cities will be, above all, a unique opportunity to exchange data, project results, experiences and best practice resulting from pro-gramme implementation, as well as to establish new contacts for partner-ships and projects.

There is so much that we can learn from each other. The aim is not to replicate experiences, nor to copy and paste projects. The aim is to empower cities and regions and give them the means to exchange, learn and build their own ways to innovation, growth, jobs and quality of life. And of course, to come back next year and make this enhanced experience available to everyone.

“The reform of cohesion policy for 2014-2020 has already introduced a range of actions to simplify the life of both managing authorities and beneficiaries”

07-08 RR Cretu.indd 8 29/09/2016 16:32:46

T he overall objective of REGIO 2014-2020 is to increase economic competitiveness and to improve

living conditions for local communities by supporting business development and upgrading infrastructure of public services.

Although Bucharest-Ilfov region is the lowest as size in the country as well as the most developed Romanian region in terms of economy, having a smaller amount allocated in contrast to other regions of Romania, projects can still be financed in the following areas/priorities, during the 2014-2020 programming period:

• PriorityAxis3-Supportingthetransitionto a low carbon economy - 299.99 Million Euro

• PriorityAxis5-Improvingtheurbanenvironment and conservation, protection and sustainable use of cultural heritage - 40.77 Million Euro

• PriorityAxis6-Improvementofroadinfrastructure of regional importance -13.30MillionEuro

• PriorityAxis9-Supportingeconomicand social regeneration of deprived urban communities - 11.82 Million Euro

• PriorityAxis10-Improvingeducationalinfrastructure-53.19MillionEuro.

More details can be found on http://2014-2020.adrbi.ro/

REGIO-Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 is managed at national level by the ROP Managing Authority, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, while the regional level falls into responsibility of Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Development Agency (ADRBI), as Intermediary Body.

ADRBI is going to organise a series of events within or related to the European Week of RegionsandCities2016.Theyaredesignedto promote REGIO at European level, both in Brussels and Bucharest. More details about events and registration can be found on:

• October13th,2016,PermanentRepresentation of Romania to the EU headquarters, Brussels -Sideeventwithin the European Week of Regions andCities:“SustainedandSustainableEconomic Growth”

http://2014-2020.adrbi.ro/events/13-october-2016-sustained-and-sustainable-economic-growth/

• October18th,2016,ChezTeo,AvenuedeRoodebeek109,Brussels:“Tastethe colors of Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Projects”

http://2014-2020.adrbi.ro/events/18-october-2016-taste-the-colors-of-bucharest-ilfov-regional-projects/

• October19th,2016,EuropeanParliament,Brussels:“Opportunitiesforregional and urban development”

http://2014-2020.adrbi.ro/events/19-october-2016-opportunities-for-regional-and-urban-development/

• November22nd,2016,“Toghetherwedevelop the Bucharest-Ilfov Region through REGIO “ - European Week of Regions and Cities Local Event

http://2014-2020.adrbi.ro/

bucharest.indd 2 29/09/2016 17:31:28

Oulu

TurkuEspoo Vantaa

Tampere

Helsinki

Six Cities, 30 % of population

=100,000 people

1.68m people in the Six Cities

5.44m people in totalThe six largest cities in Finland are home to some 30% of the population. As a result, their joint development projects

are of national importance. Based on solution-oriented thematic collaboration rather than geographical region, this unique initiative boosts city co-operation to go beyond rhetoric.

“As the cities face many common challenges, they can best be tackled together. Finland is a relatively small country compared to many, but actually, this is an asset when it comes to finding solutions together”, says Jose Valanta from the City of Vantaa, the current chair of the Six City Strategy management group.

The Six City Strategy implements the EU-level territorial development instrument ITI (Integrated Territorial Investment) in Finland. The managing authority of the instrument is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

“The six largest cities have a key role in boosting Finnish economy and competitiveness. Through cooperation, we expect to see the six cities form a platform for development activities and trials. We hope to see world-class references, new productivity, know-how, business and jobs in Finland,” says Johanna Osenius from the Ministry of Economic A� airs and Employment.

SIX FINNISH CITIES JOIN FORCES TO BECOME BETTER AND SMARTERThe six largest cities in Finland have joined forces to tackle their common urban challenges. The Six City Strategy (6Aika) is implemented with cooperative projects which enable the cities to experiment in a larger context than just one city. They engage the whole urban community to create more viable cities, and to bring new business to Finland.

LARGER THAN ONE

If a company develops a digital service used by the residents of only one city, it is still small business. If the same service is replicated to the six largest cities in Finland, it becomes a success. With shared projects, platforms, co-creation models, standards and open data, the aim is to go towards interoperability and shared services.

“The joint market created by the six cities is already big enough to attract companies to develop and test their solutions. By sharing the best practices between the cities and other actors

involved, it also becomes easier for companies to join and pitch in,” states Jukka Järvinen from the City of Tampere. Järvinen leads the steering group of the Six City Strategy which includes representatives from each city.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND PILOTING The Six City Strategy has been highly e� ective. Since 2014, the six cities have already launched up to 26 co-operation projects with a budget of 45 million euros. Finland is a forerunner in implementing the Integrated Territorial Investment instrument in Europe.

© Metropolia UAS SOHJOA-project

helsinki 6 aika.indd 1 29/09/2016 17:20:48

IN SHORTThe Six City Strategy is carried out as part of Finland’s structural fund programme for sustainable growth and jobs 2014–2020. The Strategy is funded by European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, the Finnish Government and the participating cities. The budget is approximately 100 million euros.

Website: www.6aika.� Twitter: @Kuutosaika #6Aika

ContactJose Valanta, City of Vantaa, jose.valanta@vantaa.� Jukka Järvinen, City of Tampere, jukka.jarvinen@tampere.� Minna Torppa, the Six City Strategy O� ce, minna.torppa@6aika.�

Oulu

TurkuEspoo Vantaa

Tampere

Helsinki


=100,000 people


5.44m people in total

Oulu

TurkuEspoo Vantaa

Tampere

Helsinki


=100,000 people


5.44m people in total

The project portfolio ranges from smart mobility, cleantech and agile piloting, to creating development environments for product testing and boosting open data for business.

Opening up public data has the potential to o� er fuel for companies to make money with new apps and services. The six cities are committed not only to opening up their data but also to encouraging its commercial use. They are harmonizing the ways their data is opened and released - several joint recommendations have been published to steer this work. The cities

have also done signi� cant e� orts to harmonize their open APIs releasing the data. The goal is to help companies scale up their business to all six cities at once.

The six cities have also pushed forward a network of pilot environments, which include both physical spaces and virtual ones, to be utilised by companies and other actors in their research, product development and innovation. When it comes to developing better public services, the cities value dialogue and co-creation with residents and the whole urban community.

Pilots and agile experiments test the innovations in practice. For example, robot buses are currently on trial in the Six City Strategy cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Tampere. This unique experiment aims to solve the challenges of urban mobility. Automated road transport systems are a hot topic in smart mobility but hard to test due to legislation. In Finland, all this is possible. For companies, the robot buses are a chance to develop and test their solutions in practice.

© Lauri Rotko / Visit Helsinki / City of Helsinki Mediabank

helsinki 6 aika.indd 2 29/09/2016 17:20:50



H ow to intensify growth, cohesion and job creation in Europe’s regions and cities is a priority for us all.

From its very beginning, the EU has devoted much attention to reducing disparities among and within mem-ber states, creating new opportunities for social and business innovation and promoting a better quality of life. Thousands of local and regional authorities are working throughout Europe to deliver cohesion policy’s investment programmes, which are worth almost €640bn between 2014 and 2020 (€454bn come from Euro-pean Structural and Investment Fund; the rest from national and regional matching funds).

This growth policy is unique not only in terms of resources, but also because it benefi ts all regions in all countries, engaging thousands of municipalities, universities, small and medium enterprises, associations, research centres and NGOs. It is a collective e� ort to pursue a better way of growing together. No other policy, tool or plan has this capacity of reach-ing out to all di� erent EU local com-munities, with such a bold and massive investment on par-ticipated, inclusive and sustainable growth.

This is why the European Commit-tee of the Regions works tirelessly to improve cohesion policy. We support local authorities in charge of its delivery, to spread best practices and to cooperate with – and put pressure on – EU legislators to overcome prob-lems. We also recognise that if we are to create a stronger cohesion policy fi t for the future, it needs reform to make it more e� cient, more result oriented and simpler.

The European Week of Regions

and Cities 2016 – the world’s largest event focused on local development – represents a precious opportunity to exchange experience, assess the impact and discuss priorities with EU, national and local leaders. The key message of this year’s Week is that only by integrating cohesion policy’s structural and investment funds with other fi nancial instruments such as the European fund for strategic

investment, can we make a di� erence in tackling Europe’s investment gap. We must also recognise that fi nancial instruments cannot replace grants when it comes to reduc-ing disparities and spreading growth and innovation,

especially in the less developed areas. For citizens, communities and

businesses to fully exploit the invest-ment potential, we need to simplify structural funds. This may sound like a technical problem, but it is also a political question. Involving di� erent actors in delivering EU co-funded investment can be a complex exercise. This complexity rises if

Supporting cities and regions and encouraging them to work together can restore confidence in Europe, writes Marku Markkula

Cohesion policy is our best tool against Euroscepticism

Marku Markkula is President of the European Committee of the Regions

“The best argument the EU has to regain citizens’ confidence lays in its capacity to deliver results and show that together we are better”

12-13 RR Markkula.indd 12 29/09/2016 16:33:17


cohesion policy becomes a lever to promote member states’ compliance with the EU legislation in strategic sectors such as public procurement or environmental protection – as was the case during the 2013 reform.

If we add the late adoption of the 2014-2020 regulations and the introduction of tougher rules on audit and control entities, we can understand why the use of available funding is cur-rently worryingly low. This risks being a perfect argument for those who believe Europe does much less than it does, with fewer resources and capacities. Showing added value on the ground is the only way to protect cohesion policy from the fury of Euroscepti-cism. Europe’s regions need to rely on a timely, fully-fl edged growth policy and innovative, well targeted and selective fi nancial instruments.

For this reason, together with the European Investment Bank and the European Commission, we will ensure that the second phase of the investment plan for Europe, with its

European fund for strategic invest-ments 2.0, is closer to the needs of regional and local economies, not only by supporting SMEs – as was the case in the past months – but also promoting regional investment platforms, matching relevant invest-ment tools, projects and partners.

This will allow us to increase the quality and impact of EU supported investment projects.

Together, these commitments will form part of the response that locally elected politicians can give to citizens, who are witnessing the economic crisis transform into a social and institutional crisis. Cohesion is and must remain a core task for our Union. Its role becomes even more relevant in a time where isolation, social confl icts and exclusion risk feeding populism, racism, xenophobia or radicalisation of migrant communities.

The best argument the EU has to regain citizens’ confi dence lays in its capacity to deliver results and show that together we are better. Together we can grow faster, make our socie-ties more inclusive and innovative, our business more competitive and green, our cities more dynamic. Cohesion policy is one of the best tools we have to make this a reality. If regional policy fails, Europe risks failing. If it succeeds and keeps its promises, we can succeed together, convince and inspire.

“Showing added value on the ground is the only way to protect cohesion policy from the fury of Euroscepticism”

12-13 RR Markkula.indd 13 29/09/2016 16:33:23

Endemic to the Pannonian biogeographical region, which spreads across the south eastern part of Central Europe down into the Balkans, the abundance of Pannonic

salt marshes and sand dunes have been greatly diminished. They are included in the list of European priority habitats, which are considered, endangered across the whole of their range.

The habitats themselves are very rare in Slovakia and are only found in the Danube Lowland in the south-western part of the country, occurring within 15 Sites of Community Interest (SCIs). About 8,300 ha of saline biotopes existed up to the middle of the 20th, but after reclamation and land use changes the total area has been reduced to around 500 ha. At present, both habitats are fragmented; they have been reduced dramatically and were

Natural pEarls of thE DaNubE lowlaND iN slovakia

found mainly in a degraded state before start of the project. They suffered from numerous issues including abandonment of traditional land management practices, high levels of drainage which had cause lowering of the groundwater table and insufficient scientific knowledge of key processes within salt marshes. Sand dunes were threatened by afforestration and invasion of non-native tree species. This combined with a lack of public awareness on the importance of the protection of these ever diminishing habitats provided the focus for LIFE+ project “Restoration of Endemic Pannonic

Salt Marshes and Sand Dunes in Southern Slovakia”. DAPHNE – Institute of Applied Ecology together with their partners BROZ and State Nature Conservancy has been working since September 2011 to help restore these habitats.

The long term aims of this project are to maintain a favourable conservation status for these priority habitats, supporting and strengthening the Natura 2000 network. Good cooperation with municipalities, farmers and authorities has been established, creating significant socio-economic benefits and positive promotion of nature conservation actions. Grazing was re-established on 8 project sites so far on about 350 ha of valuable habitats. Motivation of local farmers was secured by project investment into necessary restoration management, grazing infrastructure and purchase of animals. It will attract further financing by possible use of agri-environmental incentives and secure additional jobs and finances from extensive farming. On the other hand, it attracts attention of other farms and communities which have expressed interest to create common pastures. By restoring ecosystem services, this approach can make village communities more self-sufficient. This is especially important in more remote regions.

Pannonian salt marshes are highly influenced by climate with extreme

temperatures and aridity in summer. The enrichment of salt in the soil is due to high evaporation of ground water during summer. A recultivation of landscape and drying of wet saline soils has caused the soil salinity decrease which has caused that open saline vegetation is currently close to extinction. To improve ecological

Filling of drainage channel on SCI Kamenínske slaniská

improve hydrological conditions of salt marshes

Hungarian grey cattle was introduced to graze salt marshes after 40 years of their abandonment

Photo

s by: J

arosla

v Koš

ťál; M

ilan J

anák

DAPHNE Institute of Applied Ecology.indd 1 29/09/2016 16:43:28

conditions, top soil removal was realised on 50 small-scale sub-sites on six project localities and drainage channel was filled on one site in total length of 450 metres. It should support and restore salinization – infiltration of salt water to the surface.

Open sand dunes were forested by non-native invasive species as black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Tree of Heaven is considered one of the worst invasive plant species in Europe. It propagates easily by seed, coppice and root suckers and is an aggressive species. Its rapid growth is reducing overall species abundance and diversity. Within the frame of project, chemical eradication by the stem injection method was applied. After the end of the project, control and eradication of both invasive species will be ensured on the area of 160 ha.

The first results of biodiversity monitoring are very promising – quality of habitats is being improved by reintroduction of regular management and populations of rare species are increasing on project sites.

There has been a big focus on informing and educating people about the importance and rarity of Pannonic salt marshes and sand dunes. This has been

addressed both on and off project sites through information panels and booklets in 3 different languages, up to date websites regarding the projects

and arguably most importantly through educating the younger generations by providing toolkits and identification keys for teachers to use during lessons and by running educational programmes as well day trips to the project sites.

This five year long project is coming to a close in the mid of 2017, a lot has been achieved towards the restoration of Pannonic salt marshes and sand dunes in Southern Slovakia and there is still more to be done before this project officially finishes. The tools necessary

to improve on and maintain long term health of these endemic habitats have been put in place with the hope that those directly and indirectly involved will continue the good work.`

Sea aster (Tripolium pannonicum) is among the critically endangered species of South-Slovakian saline soils. It is a pannonic endemic species

Critically endangered species Camphorosma annua is obligate halophyte, endemic to Pontic-pannonian region. It grows on open soil patches with high salinity. Due to intensive land reclamation of saline

habitats in the past, the species is near extinction in Slovakia. Due to realised restoration measures its population is increasing

Restoration of panonic salt marshes by top soil removal has significant level of innovation. It was used in situations, when top soil layer was deteriorated by different farming activities. Survival of salt tolerant plants depends on infiltration of salty water close to surface, but if the soil structure was destroyed, lower capillary

pressure cannot transport water. We have tested depth of soil layer with sufficient salinity in each site and based on these measurements we planned extent and depth of restoration measure. The positive effects of

top soil removal were evident even few days after restoration with visible soil spots on the surface

Information about project is available onwww.daphne.sk/pannonicsk

www.perlypodunajska.sk

projEct maNagEr: Viera Šefferová Stanová PhD.,DAPHNE – Institute of Applied Ecology, Bratislava email: [email protected]

Photos by: Ján Šeffer; Viera Šefferová Stanová

DAPHNE Institute of Applied Ecology.indd 2 29/09/2016 16:43:32


D uring the fi rst years of im-plementation of ESI funds programmes (2014-2020) the European Union has been

confronted with unforeseen challeng-es of an unprecedented scale, such as the economic crisis and the resulting investment gap, the migration and refugee crisis, internal and external security concerns, as well as climate change. Therefore, we need above all investments and more e� cient coordination and synergies between European structural and investment funds, European fund for strategic investments and the other Community funds and initiatives, as well as private fi nancial instruments, in order to help countries and regions to unlock new growth potential and to raise their productivity and competitive-ness.

In this socio-eco-nomic and political context it is impor-tant to speed up the implementation of the 2014-2020 ESI funds programmes and all activities, which support im-plementation, such as simplifi cation and

improving administrative capacity building.

There is also a strong need to focus on public and private investment, in order to enhance the EU’s com-petitiveness, achieve better coherence between di� erent strategies, especially in the fi elds of energy, transport, com-munications and the digital economy and their links with regional develop-ment and urban strategies, as well as with the developed smart specialisa-tion strategies.

In its opinion on the report on ‘the preparation of the post-electoral revision of the MFF 2014-2020: Parliament’s input ahead of the Commission’s proposal’, the regional development committee considered the review as an opportunity to con-tinue reforms and implement political priorities agreed for the multiannual fi nancial framework 2014-2020, to stimulate investment, growth and economic recovery in the EU, as well as address the internal and external chal-

lenges the EU faces today.ESI funds are also a key driver

for both structural reforms and investments. Many country specifi c recommendations are implemented with ESI funds support, including in the fi eld of research and innovation like smart specialisation strategies. ESI funds are the ideal instrument for di� erentiated, place-based invest-ment strategies. They address in a tailor-made way the challenges and opportunities that are specifi c to the di� erent regions. Therefore, I believe that they can play an important role in making key investments in the real economy and, if targeted wisely and implemented e� ectively, can achieve the objectives set in the Strategy Europe 2020.

Nowadays, Europe needs larger

Current regional policy tools could be geared towards other areas of EU policy, in order to boost the Union’s competitiveness, writes Iskra Mihaylova

Making the most of policy and investment

Iskra Mihaylova (ALDE, BG) is Chair of Parliament’s regional development committee

“In an interconnected world that has become more fragile, more prone to crises, I would like to point out the importance of the Interreg programmes”


16-17 RR Mihaylova.indd 16 29/09/2016 16:33:52

3 OCTOBER 2016 REGIONAL REVIEW | 17

investments targeted to its specifi c growth opportunities. The European fund for strategic investments is con-siderably increasing the EU budget’s

capacity to leverage public and private investments. However,

further steps still need to be taken to ensure comple-

mentarity and synergies between the ESI funds, the EFSI and other EU-subsidised programmes

and initiatives, together with national public invest-

ments and private fi nancial instruments, in order to obtain maximum added value and synergy by exploiting their full potential.

I am convinced that the multi-level governance principle, the partnership principle and the actual implementa-tion of the European code of conduct are particularly signifi cant for the successful implementation of ESI funds and maximising the synergies of policies and instruments.

And we have to think ahead, in ambitious terms, for the post-2020 regional and urban policy. Living in an interconnected world that has become more fragile, more prone to crises, I would like to point out the importance of the European territorial cooperation (Interreg) programmes. The report adopted by the European Parliament on ‘European territorial coopera-tion - best practices and innovative measures’ points out that Interreg has proven its e� ectiveness and its poten-tial could be further explored and de-veloped even beyond regional policy, in areas such as the single market, digital agenda, employment, mobility, energy, research, education, culture, health and the environment and therefore calls on the Commission and member states to consider preserving Interreg as an important instrument post-2020. Interreg programmes could, within agreed programme priorities and in complementarity with other ap-propriate funding, support responses in matters of migration and foster e� ective integration policies.

Urbanisation will be the defi ning trend over the next few decades and the importance of this trend is refl ected in the our report on the urban dimension of EU policies, as well as in the established in May 2016 Pact of Amsterdam – the Urban Agenda for the EU, with its focus on sustainable growth and job creation.

The future performance-oriented regional policy should be based on performance-based budgeting, ex-ante conditionalities and thematic concentration, at the same time allow-ing for some degree of fl exibility in order to respond to suddenly arisen specifi c needs.

In conclusion, I would like to point out the need to establish mechanisms and broad institutionalised platforms for cooperation in order to ensure bet-ter visibility and awareness-raising of successes and best practices achieved in the implementation of ESI funds projects, as well as their successful com-binations with other instruments.

“Urbanisation will be the defining trend over the next few decades”

WWW.THEPARLIAMENTMAGAZINE.EU

16-17 RR Mihaylova.indd 17 29/09/2016 16:33:55

Local communities and cities play a crucial role in the transition to a low carbon future. Considering the fact that by 2050 about half of the current building stock in

Europe will still be operational, tackling the energy performance of existing buildings is a top priority. EnergyVille develops knowledge to support public and private stakeholders in this transition. Our technological solutions are applied in more than 55 urban testing grounds throughout Europe.

From individual building refurbishment to urban district retro� ts

Current practice tends to take place in the form of individual refurbishment projects. However, there is much to gain through upscaled and collective retro� t, as it provides unique opportunities for the regeneration of districts and cities. This approach o� ers numerous advantages, such as:

- Allowing prioritised and phased role-out of retro� t measures;

- Economies of scale making the projects more � nancially viable;

- Possibilities to integrate district energy solutions, such as local renewable energy production;

- Opportunities to integrate other important social, economic and environmental considerations into the decision-making process.

Smart energy district development with Ecodistr-ICT

Ecodistr-ICT: A toolbox to support sustainable district renewal

During the past years, EnergyVille has coordinated the development of a modular, open source software platform to support such decision-making processes for district renovation. The platform allows to bring together multiple stakeholders –including local inhabitants- in a single online environment in order to overcome the current fragmentation, and thus reach a jointly supported vision for the district. It provides trustworthy insights on costs and bene� ts of various design options, taking into acoount the entire life cycle of the buildings, as well as environmental and social impacts at district level.

The platform has been realised under the framework of the European FP7 project Ecodistr-ICT and has been tested in � ve pilot projects across Europe: Rotterdam (NL), Valencia (SP), Stockholm (SE), Warsaw (PL) and Antwerp (BE). Thanks to its modular nature, KPIs and calculation modules can be selected speci� c for each case study. Connecting proprietary tools which are used at local administrations is also possible.

In the Antwerp case study, the tool has been applied in the district Kiel-West; a multi-cultural district with around 6,000 inhabitants or 2,500 housing units including about 80 % social housing. The district contains a diverse housing stock ranging from modernist high-rise social housing to privately owned single-family houses. In collaboration with local actors, a district retro� t strategy has been developed, aiming at cost-e� ective reduction of the energy demand up to 60 %, while introducing renewable energy production and increasing liveability and comfort.

Join us and test the Ecodistr-ICT platform

The regeneration of existing districts in our cities requires a coordinated approach towards design, planning and implementation of retro� tting projects. Are you a city o� cial, a design � rm, contractor or project developer that is interested to get acquainted with the advantages of the Ecodistr-ICT platform? Contact us to experience how integrated decision support tools can guide you and your stakeholders to design district renewal projects that are � t for a liveable urban environment and climate-neutral future.

3D representation of the energy performance of a district, based on Lidar aerial imaging and energy calculation routines

The Ecodistr-ICT integrated decision support system connects stakeholders in district renovation processes in a single cloud based software environment.

Ecodistr-ICT Dashboard: details of the district Kiel-West from the Antwerp case study.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 608702

Energyville

Association of KU Leuven, VITO and IMEC in the � eld of sustainable energy and intelligent energy systems http://www.energyville.be/en

Ecodistr-ICT

Project coordinator: [email protected] partners: VITO (BE), SP (SE), TNO (NL), CSTB (FR), Strusoft (SE), VABI (NL), Omgeving (BE), Arup (NL), Bipolaire Arquitectos (SP), and White Architects (SE)http://ecodistr-ict.eu/

vito.indd 1 29/09/2016 17:38:37



W e are all aware that technology is changing the way we work. During the 90s, there was an

implosion of web pages: from 18,000 in 1995 to one million pages in 1997 and 10 million in February 2000. Since then, technology is in our lives and our businesses. The arrival of smartphones has only increased this trend, which will continue to grow over the next years.

In this context, the knowledge-based economy appears as a key opportunity to fi ght against youth

unemployment and to promote eco-nomic growth.

The crisis that the European Union has su� ered over the last years has had serious e� ects on the employ-ment and production systems of many of its member states. If the EU wants to remain competitive in this globalised world, innovation through-out all its productive sectors is certainly an obligation that public authorities must promote.

Therefore, regional funds cannot ignore the increasing role of technol-ogy in our society. That is why the current operational programmes for the 2014-2020 period established the research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS 3) as an ex ante conditionality to

persuade regions to create a strategy if they want to apply for funding in this area.

Thanks to this, regions have devel-oped their RIS 3 to use funds for inno-vation. In this process, regions have discussed the strategy with a wide range of economic and social sectors. Moreover, they have carried an analy-sis of their strengths and weaknesses to guide its future growth strategies towards the sectors in which they believe they should to specialise.

It is important to continue invest-

In a world increasingly dominated by technology, our regions must be given the means to innovate and succeed, write Lambert Van Nistelrooij and Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso

The importance of the knowledge-based economy

Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso (EPP, ES) is MEP rapporteur on cohesion policy and research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation

Lambert Van Nistelrooij (EPP, NL) is MEP rapporteur on, maximising the contribution of the structural and investment funds

“If the EU wants to remain competitive in this globalised world, innovation throughout all its productive sectors is certainly an obligation that public authorities must promote”

→

19-20 RR Lambert and Ramon.indd 19 29/09/2016 16:34:29



ing in the knowledge-based economy. In this regard, the report on cohesion policy and research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation voted on 13 September by the Euro-pean Parliament is a clear signal of support to the RIS 3.

The report high-lights the importance of the European Union intensifying its e� orts to achieve smart, sus-tainable and economic growth in the current period of crisis through research, technological de-velopment and innovation.

A document that stresses the need to develop triple and quadruple helix strategies with the participation of public administrations, universities and citizens, the need to promote multilevel governance and adminis-

trative capacity, as well as the need to carry out a proper analysis of the capabilities, assets and skills in each region in order to focus on the discov-ery process of business opportunities.

We should also stress other key aspects of the report such as the need to in-vest in fi nding macro data at the regional level, the need to take into account regional and local authorities to

design strategies, avoiding national RIS3 strategies and, above all, the need to review strategies in 2017 to increase its e� ciency and e� ective-ness.

If we want to continue investing in the knowledge-based economy, we need to learn from the experiences of the RIS 3 strategies during the

implementation phase, to have e� ec-tive evaluation mechanisms that will ensure a proper use of public money and to correct any errors or dysfunc-tions to improve and further develop the knowledge-based economy in Europe.

It is crucial for that knowledge that regions, cities, businesses and individuals possess is converted into innovation and production. This will eventually result in more “made in Europe” labels. Other institutions are also very involved in this topic; the Committee of the Regions recently presented the publication, “Regional innovation ecosystems”, in which it focuses on the take up. Smart spe-cialisation and innovation should be among the foundations of the future cohesion policy post 2020: connect-ing the front-runners and enabling the followers.

“Regional funds cannot ignore the increasing role of technology in our society”

19-20 RR Lambert and Ramon.indd 20 29/09/2016 16:34:32

danube.indd 1 29/09/2016 16:45:14



2016 while waiting for the ratifi ca-tion of the agreement by all member states. However, this will not be an easy task. The negative outcome of the referendum in the Netherlands has undoubtedly halted the whole process.

All the eastern partners – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia – are under heavy political and economic pres-sure from Russia due to their deci-sion to more closely integrate with the EU. Russia has closed access to its market for Ukrainian goods. This is a painful economic attack against a country whose market has always been Russia-orientated. It seems that Ukraine has no other option but integration towards the EU.

Therefore, it is di� cult to compre-hend why the EU agrees to free trade

agreements but tries to avoid granting visa-free regimes to its eastern part-ners. Our east-ern partners have proven their choice for a European path despite their complex political and economic situ-ation and Rus-sia’s pressure.

It would be naïve to believe that Russia would embrace the EU’s eastern partnership programme. That will not happen within

W hat is the future of the Eastern partnership programme? What can the most advanced

Eastern partnership countries – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia – expect from it?

Today we fi nd ourselves in a situ-ation where inevitably we have to ask when a visa-free regime will be granted to Ukraine and Georgia. The European Union was quick to

make promises, but it is more than apparent that the EU is not ready to grant such a regime unconditionally. Both Ukraine and Georgia are trying hard to implement the requirements set out by Brussels. They have been quite successful, especially consider-ing their extremely di� cult geopo-litical situation. But it seems that the EU keeps coming up with additional requirements, which is not quite fair, especially when a visa free regime was granted to Moldova in 2014.

If we are unable to keep up our promises what can we o� er to Ukraine and Georgia then? To wait?

There has been signifi cant pro-gress in the area of free trade. The free trade agreements with Moldova and Georgia came into force in September 2014, and the free trade agreement with Ukraine has been preliminarily applicable since the beginning of

The eastern partnership is at risk from Russia and the various crises facing the Union, and must be safeguarded, writes Zigmantas Balčytis

The EU must protect the eastern partnership

Zigmantas Balčytis (S&D, LT) is a Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to the Euronest parliamentary assembly

“All the eastern partners – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia – are under heavy political and economic pressure from Russia due to their decision to more closely integrate with the EU”

22-23 RR Balcytis.indd 22 29/09/2016 17:22:44


the next decade and could perhaps take even longer. Traditionally, Rus-sia has considered the region as an area of its exclusive infl uence – and continues to do so – and will stand against any attempts by these coun-tries to integrate with the EU.

The eastern partnership pro-gramme is not only hampered by the actions of Russia. One of the biggest problems is the current state of turmoil in the EU, with the ongoing migrant crisis, terrorism threats, un-stable economic recovery, state of in-decisiveness and a lack of unity and solidary among the member states. The EU looks lost while trying to

fi nd responses to these chal-lenges.

I am con-vinced that the eastern partnership has a future. We cannot forget that the association and free trade agree-ments with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are one of the great success stories and achievements of Euro-pean politics.

We must keep a very close focus on Ukraine which is still undergoing immense political and economic pressure from Russia and which risks

becoming yet another proxy confl ict .

The security of the eastern partnership countries has

a direct infl uence on the stability, economic prosperity and strengthen-ing of democratic processes in the region.

The EU must be proactive in con-fl ict solving and must demonstrate a fi rm and united stance on the imple-mentation of the Minsk agreement and to continue to raise the issue of the illegal annexation of Crimea.

“One of the biggest problems is the current state of turmoil in the EU, with the ongoing migrant crisis, terrorism threats, unstable economic recovery, state of indecisiveness and a lack of unity and solidary among the member states”

22-23 RR Balcytis.indd 23 29/09/2016 17:22:46



O ver three quarters of Europeans live in cities, where 85 per cent of the continent’s GDP is

generated. We can’t gloss over these fi gures: cities are the backbone of Eu-rope’s economy. Although they have been shaken by the fi nancial crisis, confronted by the prospect of ageing societies, and left in turmoil by the ever-changing political landscape, Europe’s metropolitan economies have what it takes to become drivers of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth that benefi ts everyone.

Cities have the potential to be the most sustainable form of human settlement. Urban concentration is known to make the best per capita

use of natural resources, such as land, energy, and water. However, with cities also responsible for around 80 per cent of global carbon emissions, with transport and buildings among the largest contributors, sustainability remains one of the greatest challenges at urban level. Our cities must become greener if we are to meet the EU climate targets. Buildings and busi-nesses must become more energy e� cient.

Urban Europe is very diverse. There is no single model of a European city. They di� er markedly in their economic structure and functions, social compo-sition, size and geographical location, and these di� erences shape the chal-lenges cities face. Equally, national di� erences in economic performance,

institutional arrangements and gov-ernment policy have an important im-pact upon cities. The problems faced by global cities like London or Paris are di� erent from those of smaller cities. Declining industrial cities have di� erent dilemmas to ponder than fast-growing cities with high-tech industries. Cities in the periphery face di� erent economic, social and

environmental chal-lenges than those at the centre of Europe.

Yet, despite all these di� erences, cities are a� ected by common trends. They face common chal-lenges and can all be part of their solution. Sustainable growth is certainly the biggest one at this moment

in time, and it will remain the most pressing challenge for city leaders and city managers as climate change is accelerating at a pace that is to a large extent still understated. But cit-ies and their leaders are dealing with

Cities are leading the way when it comes to implementing environmentally friendly solutions, writes Anna Lisa Boni

Sustainability: Mission impossible without cities

Anna Lisa Boni is Secretary General of EUROCITIES, the network of major European cities

“Urban concentration is known to make the best per capita use of natural resources, such as land, energy, and water”

24-25 RR Euro Cities.indd 24 29/09/2016 17:23:14


this every single day. The issue is moving up on their agenda and many cities are already leading the way (look at Paris and COP mobilisation).

Many cities are leading the way through urban planning measures and regulations (think of congestion charges). Others do it very coura-geously through sustainable urban mobility policies: avoiding cars, shift-ing to soft modes, improving the en-ergy e� ciency of transport vehicles. Sustainable growth is also ensured by cities through investing proactively in infrastructure and plans for climate adaptation to help them become climate resilient.

The emerging and highly innova-tive concepts of ‘circular economy’, where products are designed to last and can be repaired, reused or recycled, and ‘sharing economy’, which enables individuals to borrow or rent assets owned by someone else, are also being adopted throughout Europe by cities. They are testing and promoting such new economic mod-els and are best positioned to be the driving force behind their uptake.

Europe’s cities are replete with policy practices that aim at promot-ing green jobs.

Cities are leading by example. That is why the EU needs its cities and that is why they should be on board when European policies to promote sustainability on our continent are discussed and developed. The recently established Urban Agenda for the EU is a very promising start. It recognises the key role of cities in promoting a better quality of life for European citizens. It is both a practical framework for connecting policies across di� erent sectors and levels of government, and a political commitment towards a stronger and more sustainable Europe.

Elected governments and leaders

of major cities with a public mandate and democratic legitimacy should be around the negotiating table when investment decisions are taken that a� ect cities. Using the new urban impact assessment (UIA) procedure, cities can fl ag potential concerns directly to EU policy makers. This tool ensures smart investment and ef-fi cient integration of EU funding with other related actions.

The 2014-2020 priorities for EU cohesion policy have also recognised the need to invest in cities, namely to promote sustainable growth. Propos-als include several innovations with the potential to deliver integrated development on the ground. This is a strong starting point, and cohesion policy must continue to prioritise

the urban dimension to ensure an adequate level of investment in our cities across the EU.

Throughout this complex but highly rewarding process, the EU and cities have plenty to gain from the knowledge exchange that takes place in city-led networks and between cities and other levels of government. Drawing on 30 years of experience, EUROCITIES engages more than 135 of Europe’s largest cities at both po-litical and expert level across a broad range of policy issues. Our members o� er democratic legitimacy, expertise, capacity building and commitment, and remain fully committed and ready to contribute to, and benefi t from, this unique chance to deliver strategic solutions.

“Europe’s metropolitan economies have what it takes to become drivers of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth that benefits everyone”

24-25 RR Euro Cities.indd 25 29/09/2016 17:23:17



D uring the European Week of Regions and Cities, held from 10-13 October, thou-sands of representatives,

decision makers and experts in re-gional policy will gather in Brussels. They will exchange best practices, participate in debates, workshops and lectures. It is a unique opportunity to refl ect upon the European structural investment (ESI) funds, or regional funds, the fi nancing instrument in the fi eld of regional policy. The ESI funds have a long history and stem directly from the cohesion articles of the treaty. Even now, in times of rising nationalism, the regional funds still serve the purpose of inclusion and

connection throughout the European Union.

However, our regional funds are currently a� icted by their Achilles’ heel: an obvious lack of visibility. Unfortunately, the Brexit referendum outcome proves my criticism of the ESI funds. It illustrates all too well the state of mind of many European citizens. On 23 June, a majority of the people of Wales voted in favour of the UK leaving the EU. This was a bitter pill to take, as Wales has greatly benefi ted from the ESI funds over the last few years. The Welsh example therefore raises many questions about the way citizens

throughout Europe perceive the EU and instru-ments like the ESI funds.

On 15 September, I raised precisely this point during the opening debate on European cohesion policy sum-

mit in Bratislava, organised by the Slovak EU Council presidency. I am glad that Euro-pean regional policy Commissioner Co-rina Creţu appears to be going down the same lane as I am in the redesign

of EU communications style.I denounce the lack of a modern

communication strategy. What is the

The EU must better communicate the extensive positive impact regional funds have on citizens’ lives, writes Lambert Van Nistelrooij

Cohesion Policy: Out of sight, out of mind?

Lambert Van Nistelrooij MEP (EPP, NL) is jury President of the EU Regiostars Awards

“What is the use of all our success projects, if we cannot reach out to the hearts and minds of our citizens in our regions and cities?”

26-27 RR Lambert.indd 26 29/09/2016 17:24:07


use of all our success projects, if we cannot reach out to the hearts and minds of our citizens in our regions and cities? Unknown is unloved.

On 11 October, we will announce the winners of the EU Regiostars Awards. As President of the jury, I promote successful projects. To me, it is one of the best examples of how Europe has a positive impact on people’s lives. Our EU Regiostars demonstrate the progress achieved in several fi elds, such as innovation and creativity. The winners receive

extensive EU-wide press coverage.

I strongly support cohesion policy, whose architecture is like the Sagrada Familia, the Spanish masterpiece. Like Gaudí’s renowned chef d’œuvre, EU cohesion policy is still under construction. Jacques Delors laid the basis for it, close to citizens and partners from society throughout the Union. We have to engage our citizens to both modernise and strengthen the very foundations of this architecture.

We need to nominate and support more EU “tour guides”, who have been involved in fruitful projects fi nanced by our regional funds. These so-called “tour guides”, or ambas-sadors, would be citizens themselves, who are aware of the added value the EU delivers.

I therefore suggest we intensify the number of partnerships among re-gions and cities. Within the framework

of city-to-city projects, people will learn from one another on how to tackle specifi c issues. Through this kind

of cultural exchange between cities, innovation can directly fi nd its way to citizens, as many of them are person-ally involved in the projects. This bottom-up approach would deprive Eurosceptics of the blatant lie that the EU is trying to dominate every aspect of the lives of its citizens.

The EU’s Sagrada Familia, cohesion policy, is out there. Let us therefore take advantage of the Week of Regions and Cities to give it the spotlights it deserves. This way, we will be able to make the stars of the European Union sparkle again. The stars of the Union are our citizens themselves. Let this serve as wake-up call. We still have time to act. Let us show our citizens how they truly ben-efi t from cohesion policy, so that they can spread the word.

“Our regional funds are currently a� licted by their Achilles’ heel: an obvious lack of visibility”

26-27 RR Lambert.indd 27 29/09/2016 17:24:09

Energy is without any doubts one of the most important topics of our era. Uncertainty on the energy markets, rapid development, integration of

renewable energy sources in the grid, transformation towards low carbon economy and focus on security of supply are issues that require our full attention. Of course we have also witnessed positive developments: oil revolution or boom of innovative technologies and development of global LNG market. Nevertheless, all of these inputs – whether positive or negative - impact us and pose challenges to our way to secure, affordable, and sustainable energy sector.

In this regards, Danube region is not an exception. With its diversity, population, and undeniable energy vulnerability, it faces many challenges as well. However, diversity of the region poses an opportunity to learn from each other. And it is exactly through

DANUBE REGION ENERGY: OPPORTUNITY FOR CLOSER COOPERATION

sharing of experience, through joint projects and most importantly through strengthening the cooperation that enables us to tackle challenges and contributes to the solving of problems identified within the Danube region.

Energy security is crucial topic not only for the EU as such but also for the Danube region. Thus, the Priority Area 2 of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region has focused on providing analyses and answers on how to deal with energy security issues by mapping its energy landscape. As a result, studies on the potential of gas market integration, natural gas reverse flows, security of energy supplies or the prospects of the LNG in the Danube region have been carried out. Findings have not always pictured

positive outlooks for the Danube region - especially when dealing with the security of supply. Physical as well as regulatory barriers to the integration of the market have been repeatedly pointed out and high prices in the case of disruption of the energy supplies are to be expected certainly. We have also learned that the most recent development in the LNG market is not going to impact the region in positive way without constructing necessary infrastructure. Yet, all the outputs have provided relevant policy makers with necessary answers and recommendations how to increase the energy security in the region. In order to effectively tackle challenges, we need to be able to identify risks and opportunities laying ahead of us. And more importantly, we need to start

Danube region faces many challenges in the energy field. The diversity of experience in the region and sharing it cross-border provide for an opportunity to develop solutions and strengthen cooperation.

Tomáš Prouza National Coordinator of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and State Secretary for European Affairs of the Czech Republic

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an open discussion among ourselves across the region.

Data collection and an open dialogue initiation are not the only actions to be taken. If we aim to really make the difference in the energy situation of the region, the key is our willingness and commitment to joint cooperation not only in the field of energy security, but also in other dimensions of energy policy. Development of renewable energy sources and improvements in energy efficiency offer significant

potential for the region. Also an innovative approach towards decarbonisation of economy is not a new topic for Danube region. Among others we are eager to reconcile the energy poverty at the municipal level and to limit the negative impact of the energy demand at rich biodiversity of our natural resources in the region.

In order to manage effectively the challenges mentioned above, we shall encourage cross-border and macro-regional projects. Financial resources for such projects are still quite limited, but we see within the framework of Strategy that the impetus for cooperation from the bottom-up is growing. As challenges are not limited by borders, we have to reach out across the borders within the region. The Energy Priority Area is thus directing its focus also on promotion of cross-border macroregional projects by organising specific project workshops, such as workshop on financing of Danube projects in Prague in mid-September, where project ideas were formulated and project consortia formed. Admittedly, this is

not sufficient. Adequate political and financial commitments are a must in order to furtherly explore the potential of macro-regional projects that shall be the living core of the Danubian cooperation. Concrete projects bring benefits to the people and fulfil both national and European goals while implementing the policies set. It is them, which prove that cross-border and macroregional cooperation has its right place in todays´ Europe.

All studies and information how to take part in the activities of the Energy Priority Area of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region can be accessed at the www.danube-energy.eu

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O ur current territorial de-velopment strategy dates back to more than 15 years ago. It is now

out of date and we need a new vision to guide our policies. The last time we adopted a strategy be-hind which we could streamline our policies and funds was in 1999, when the European Spatial Development Perspective was adopted in Potsdam.

Since then, our cities, regions and municipalities have been impacted by new global trends and challenges, including the fi nancial crisis, migra-tion fl ows and climate change. These trends and challenges have a� ected regions di� erently. For example, since the 2007 fi nancial crisis, the variation in employment and unemployment rates between regions has been rising. We need a new vision to help us respond ef-fectively to current and also future challenges.

Currently, harmoni-ous development of the European Union is unfortunately not a reality. Despite it being an overarch-ing objective set in the EU treaties and despite one third of the EU’s budget focusing on achiev-ing cohesive development, the gap

between our richest and poorest regions continues and has gotten worse in the

past years. This is deeply concerning, because cohesive development is

crucial for eco-nomic growth

and job creation, as well as interna-

tional competitiveness. The situation is unlikely to

get better unless we bring our cur-rent territorial development strategy up to date.

Positive steps were taken by the Council towards the end of last year to launch a debate on a new territo-rial vision. I very much welcome that the Luxembourg EU Council

The EU must adopt a bottom-up approach to policymaking and help our regions better deal with ongoing crises, writes Oldřich Vlasák

Europe needs a new territorial vision

Oldřich Vlasák is the European Committee of the Regions’ rapporteur on “Territorial vision 2050: what future?”

“The gap between our richest and poorest regions continues and has gotten worse in the past years”

30-31 RR Vlasak.indd 30 29/09/2016 17:24:46


presidency got the ball rolling and consulted local and regional authorities on this impor-tant matter. It was also very positive that towards the end of last year, EU Ministers responsible for cohesion policy referred to the Committee of the Regions’ opinion and called on the EU institutions to engage in set-ting the post-2020 territorial agenda. We have unfortunately not seen su� cient attention to this important issue from the Commission or the Parliament, despite our Ministers’ conclusions.

As Europe’s local and regional government representatives, we re-

sponded to the Council Presidency’s consultation with an opinion docu-ment. In this document, we called for the Commission to launch a Europe-wide consultation on a 2050 territo-rial vision. This is needed so that we can look concretely at how we can make better use of local and regional data to guide EU policies and help them achieve greater impact.

In our opinion, we also outlined the kind of vision that local and re-gional government would like to see shaping the post-2020 programming

period. We outlined

clearly that this new vision must be a bottom-up place-based approach to policymaking. That means di� erent governance levels, sectors and stake-

holders engaging in a collaborative process to address issues, as they are experienced within a geographic space. This bottom-up policy formu-lation process will improve policy design. As local and regional gov-ernment deliver 70 per cent of EU legislation and two thirds of public fi nance, better policy formulation depends on such a bottom-up ap-proach. This approach would result in policies being adapted to specifi c local conditions so as to e� ectively address the challenges faced on the ground.

This new ter-ritorial vision that local and regional government advise would also increase civic engagement at a time when citi-zens’ engagement is worryingly low. The model we put forward is an open governance system through which we can achieve greater democracy and

greater transparency.Amid our current ongo-

ing e� orts to defi ne the future of our Union, we

must show boldness in allowing our cities, regions and

municipalities to lead a prosperous and inclusive future. We must design our policies using local data from local stakeholders and our di� erent tiers of government must come together in partnership to formulate solutions as close to our citizens as possible. Now is the time to defi ne our post-2020 territorial vision and Europe simply cannot a� ord to be passive on the issue. The targets of the EU’s current growth strategy (Europe 2020) are often missed and one key reason for this is the lack of bottom-up approach. Through a new territorial vision, we can ensure that our future growth strategies deliver better results for all.

“Amid our current ongoing e� orts to define the future of our Union, we must show boldness in allowing our cities, regions and municipalities to lead a prosperous and inclusive future”

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Building on EuropE’s urBan solutions urBaCt launches call for good practices and transfer networks

Cities face shared challenges across Europe. The recently agreed Amsterdam Pact reflects this. It cements the Urban

Agenda for the EU and sets out clear priorities to address.

Cities are also where we are most likely to find the solutions to the wicked challenges of the 21st Century. Already, they are in the vanguard of tackling the environmental, economic and social headaches we face. So, how do we get better at ensuring that lessons are shared and, most important, transferred as widely as possible?

For 14 years URBACT, the European Territorial Co-operation Programme for cities, has invested in building urban networks and sharing knowledge across the EU. Until now, the starting point for participating cities has been a shared challenge, providing the focal point for collaboration.

URBACT is now widening its repertoire of support tools for cities, with the introduction of Good Practice Transfer Networks. These will flip the original network concept by building the partnership around an established

example of good practice, an existing solution with transfer potential.

This issue of transfer is critically important. In the Information Age, we are awash with examples of good practice in cities. For URBACT, however, good practice is not an end in itself. Our business is about supporting the spread of integrated sustainable urban development. Consequently, it is the transfer process, and the ability to scale solutions across Europe that lies at the heart of the new URBACT network model.

Three principles have guided our approach - Understand, Adapt and Reuse - which derive from a successful pilot process completed in 2015.

The pilot experience showed that fully understanding the good practice is a prerequisite for successful transfer. Although an intervention may have worked in one city, it may not travel well. There are many barriers to the transfer process – governmental, political and financial amongst them – which cannot be fully addressed without a deep understanding of the good practice model.

URBACT will initially establish a pool of European Good Practices. Each will be analysed, explained and widely showcased. The URBACT Good Practice cities will have the opportunity to get European recognition for their practice, while refining and improving it using URBACT expertise. They will also be in the position to mentor and lead the Transfer Networks, involving cities interested in importing the concepts.

So how can cities get involved? In December 2016 URBACT will launch its first call for Good Practices. The aim is to select good practices which are addressing complex challenges in urban environments by using the integrated and participative approach to problem-solving.

Drawing upon these, a call for the creation of Transfer Networks will follow in 2017. For further information visit www.urbact.eu and @urbact on Twitter.

We look forward to supporting an exciting new generation of URBACT networks, transferring urban solutions across Europe!

discover our programme and projects

www.urbact.eu

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T he future of cohesion policy post-2020 is still under dis-cussion. We must decide whether it is an investment

policy, or a tool to reduce disparities. As an investment policy, cohesion policy will target all European re-gions. If it is only aimed at reducing inequalities, it will focus merely on less developed regions. Therefore, cities will be looked at from a di� erent perspective, depending on the nature of cohesion policy. In the fi rst scenario, investments in cities will be important, because cities will be perceived as engines of growth. In the second scenario, more attention will be paid to solving problems accumulated in cit-

ies such as migration, climate change, transport and urban planning.

In any case, I believe that in the future programming period, sustain-able urban development should be reinforced with at least 30 per cent of allocated resources. In addition, more emphasis should be placed on urban-rural linkages. Strengthening these links will create more comple-mentarity between cohesion policy and rural development.

In my opinion, the urban dimension should be reinforced in the future in all EU policies and not only in cohe-sion policy. European instruments should have more impact on urban areas. Cities should be benefi ciaries not only of structural funds, but of all European policies and instruments. I am very pleased that this horizontal approach can be seen in di� erent partnerships linked to the Urban Agenda for the EU.

As policymakers discuss the future of cohesion policy, they must decide if it should serve as an investment tool or as a method reducing inequalities, argues Jan Olbrycht

Which future for cohesion policy?

Jan Olbrycht (EPP, PL) is the President of the European Parliament’s URBAN intergroup

WHAT IS THE URBAN INTERGROUP?

EUROPEAN WEEK OF REGIONS AND CITIES

The European Parliament’s URBAN intergroup is a cross-party and cross-committee grouping with a horizontal approach, aiming to discuss urban related issues. It brings together over 90 MEPs representing most EU member states, all of Parliament’s political groups, and work-ing in all the parliamentary committees. It works with 126 partners from local, regional, national and European level that represent the interests of European’s towns and cities or work in the domain relevant for urban development.

The theme of this year’s European week of regions and cities – previously known as Open Days – is, ‘Regions and cities for sustainable and inclusive growth’. Stakeholders from across the Union will gather for some 100 sessions, seminars and meetings to discuss ways in which to help our continent’s cities and regions thrive in the face of current challenges.Themes for these sessions include, ‘sus-tained and sustainable economic growth’, looking at how cities and regions can attract investment and boost employment. More particularly, attendees will discuss how regions and cities can promote energy effi ciency and the circular economy.Other sessions will focus on best practices for accessing and managing ESI funds and community-led local development. Attendees will also share their experiences dealing with the refugee crisis and sup-porting the creation of micro-businesses.

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T he signifi cance of tourism for the European economy can hardly be overstated. While the overall contribu-

tion of the sector to the Union’s GDP is around 10 per cent, tourism is the lifeline of many rural and remote regions in Europe, where it plays a strong role in creating employment. In Greece, 83 per cent of all new jobs this year – about 210,000 – are related to the sector.

Even though tourism is picking up after the economic crisis, there are many things we can do as decision-makers to help businesses and industries thrive. I believe that we can boost the sector with three key measures: easing access to invest-ment, cutting red tape and promoting European tourism.

The most pressing of these actions is related to investment. I am a big supporter of the European Commis-sion’s and the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) European fund for stra-tegic investment or EFSI. However, it doesn’t really o� er viable choices

for SMEs that wish to take advantage of its opportunities, as most have neither the time nor resources. It is paramount to facilitate their access to and provide better information of EU funding, as SMEs are the industry’s backbone. The money exists but requires an EU funding expert to understand where, when and how to access it.

I would address this by setting up Europe-wide investment platforms for tourism-SMEs and micro businesses through the EFSI – engaging the Commission and the EIB with the support of the European Committee of the Regions – and we’re already planning a partnership of fi ve di� er-ent regions for a pilot project as the challenges are very di� erent from remote areas to the heart of a big city.

Access to fi nancing is only one issue. The second pressing demand relates to the regulation and rules surrounding the SMEs in the tour-ism sector. Through layer after layer of complex bureaucracy, we have installed a European-wide system in place that takes an enormous amount of time from the entrepreneurs and

in e� ect, stifl es any possibility of ex-panding business – especially across borders. This bureaucratic legal and tax burden must be reduced. Only through enabling fi nancing and regu-lation can we encourage and ensure Europe’s tourism to maintain its lead-ing position in global tourism.

In my own region of Tirol in Aus-tria, fi nancial and administrative rules and large fi nes of non-compliance lay a heavy burden on our tourism busi-nesses, especially on family-led hotels and catering. Several mountain pas-ture farmers have already signalled that they will soon have to shut down their business; eventually this will ruin not only the tourism industry in Tirol but also in areas across Europe.

As European citizens travel freely across the continent – thanks to Schengen and the free market area – tourism also contributes to raising the awareness about European citizen-ship and a common identity. During these tumultuous times, this aspect should not be overlooked. I believe that we can encourage European tourism through di� erent incentives in a digitalised and connected world. We could create a European citizen travel card to o� er reductions of major sights – or engage travellers through a European traveller’s pass app, gathering useful information on Europe’s travel destinations together with information on consumer rights.

Tourism is a driving force in Eu-rope we should use. This is why the European Committee of the Regions wants to see tourism high on Europe’s agenda.

Tourism is crucial to boosting the EU economy, and policymakers should make it easier for the sector to access funding, says Hanspeter Wagner

European tourism: An engine for regional growth

Hanspeter Wagner is a Member of the European Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Breitenwang

“I believe that we can boost the sector with three key measures: easing access to investment, cutting red tape and promoting European tourism”

34 RR Wagner.indd 34 29/09/2016 17:25:44

In 2016, AER is targeting its actions to “revitalise democracy” which has delivered results in the fields of growth & jobs, participation & inclusion and securing the future of regions. Defending regional interests has been the essence of AER’s work since 1985. AER President Dr Hande Özsan Bozatli confirmed “it is quite naturally that we have been involved for many months now, with our member Lower Austria (AT), to gather all regional voices to stand

for a strong renewed cohesion policy for all regions after 2020, as this is our core mission”. On 28 September in Brussels, the official declaration endorsed by 337 partner signatories, 240 political regions and 188 NUTS-2 regions (representing 71,5% of the EU population) was handed over to the high representatives of EU institutions, Mrs. Corina Cretu, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Mrs. Iskra Mihayloiva MEP, Chair of the REGI Committee and Mr. Markku Markkula,

President of the Committee of the Regions. Mr Michiel Rijsberman (Flevoland-NL), AER rapporteur on future Cohesion Policy explained “28 September was the first of many milestones for regions in our work to safeguard a fair allocation of the EU budget to regional policy. We are pleased with the support and will continue the dialogue with EU officials until we are satisfied that the interests of regions are properly considered after 2020”.

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is the largest network of regions in wider Europe, gathering regions from EU and non-EU countries, working for a peaceful and prosperous Europe. AER is the place to be for regional stakeholders across the European continent.

We stand strong to promote a Europe that embraces its diversity to thrive in a global world.

Revitalising democRacyActing for the future cohesion policy after 2020

to discover all aeR activities, visit our [email protected]

Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985

AER President Dr Hande Özsan Bozatli and Vice-President Treasurer Mr Magnus Berntsson joined other

regional Presidents to stand for a strong Cohesion policyEU Commissioner Corina Creţu and AER President Dr Hande Özsan Bozatli

The book of 337 signatures handed over to high level EU officials

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IEEE.indd 1 29/09/2016 16:47:54

Documents

EUROPEAN WEEK OF REGIONS AND CITIES 2016