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Smart cities - 14.05.2018

Are you making the most of how smart your citizens are?
CEMR and Smarticipate are organising a conference on smart cities and citizen participation on 29 May. Come over and discover the role digital tools can play in transforming local governance. See the programme for more details.
Future of Europe - 27.04.2018

Sharing Europe: join us at the 70th anniversary of the Congress of the Hague
The European Movement International and the City of The Hague are celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the famous Congress of the Hague, which lay the foundations for European integration. They want to “recreate the spirit of 1948” 70 years later: on 24-25 May 2018. Our Vice-President, Roulers councillor Luc Martens will be representing us there as a thought leader. This future-oriented event is a great opportunity to exchange with citizen movements, businesses and local governments from across Europe.
European affairs - 16.04.2018

EU policymaking: the time has come to make the role of cities official
In a column in the Parliament magazine (an extensively read magazine in the European Parliament), CEMR Secretary General Frédéric Vallier took to the pen to explain why cities and local government associations should be formally and systematically involved in EU decision making.
Migration - 13.04.2018

How to improve access to funds for migrant inclusion
The Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees has developed 10 recommendations on how to improve access to European funds dealing with inclusion and integration. These recommendations will be used as input during the Commission’s consultation for the EU’s new budget.
World Mayor Prize - 10.04.2018

Which woman deserves the 2018 World Mayor prize?
Nominate who you think should win! This year’s edition focuses on women mayors.
Migration - 21.03.2018

Have you heard of the “Welcoming towns” initiative?
“Commune hospitalière”, a Belgian-born initiative, is inviting local governments to commit to raise awareness on migration and to improve hosting conditions for migrants.
Governance - 20.02.2018

Will CEMR become a ‘permanent consultant of EU policies’?
The European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) has drafted a report on the role of cities in the EU’s institutional framework. The document states that CEMR should become a permanent consultant of EU policies. The report should be adopted in the Committee in June, and in plenary in September. To be continued...
Human rights - 12.02.2018

Danube cities against human trafficking
Cities in the Danube region are stepping up against human trafficking. They have released guidelines to help municipalities eradicate such exploitation.
EU affairs - 17.01.2018

Irish Taoiseach speaks up for devolution at the European Parliament
In his official address to the European Parliament on 17 January, the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, spoke up for devolution. He stated: "The Europe of the future, I believe, must (...) where appopriate, devolve some powers back to member states, municipalities and regions". He then added: "I also support the Subsidiarity and Proportionality Taskforce. It is interesting that, on many matters, US states and Canadian provinces, even counties and municipalities, have greater autonomy and greater variation among them than EU member states currently have. Do we have the balance right? And does everything have to be harmonised and standardised?"