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International partnerships - 12.02.2021

DG INTPA is looking for a seconded national expert for its local authorities unit
The European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) is looking for a seconded national expert for its G2 Unit “Local Authorities, Civil Society Organisations and Foundations” in Brussels*.

Seconded national experts (SNE) must come from a national, regional or local public administration or an International Government Organisation (IGO). The SNE will remain employed and remunerated by his/her employer during the secondment.

Candidates should send their application according to the Europass CV format in English, French or German only to the Permanent Representation / Diplomatic Mission to the EU of their country, which will forward it to the competent services of the Commission.

More information in the job description and vacance notice.
COVID-19 - 01.02.2021

What was the crisis impact on local competences? Answer to CEMR and CoR's joint survey
CEMR has joined forces with the Committee of the Regions’ NAT Commission to carry out a survey to see how local and regional governments are managing the crisis and the possible impacts on their competences and devolved responsibilities.

The survey is open to local and regional governments as well as to their national associations.
SDGs - 14.01.2021

CEMR and URBACT join forces to localise the global goals
CEMR has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with URBACT, the EU programme for territorial cooperation. The document formalises years of collaboration between the two organisations and prepares joint work with local and regional governments for the next two years.

More specifically, the Memorandum paves the way for concrete actions and the creation of a pilot network on the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to run from March 2021 to September 2022. We will notably make use of URBACT’s tried and tested methodology and the Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities (RFSC), a self-assessment tool to evaluate and plan local policies in line with the SDGs.
Inclucities - 05.01.2021

We are recruiting a Project Officer - Migration and Integration
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is recruiting an Officer for IncluCities (full-time contract at the CEMR Secretariat in Brussels until January 2023).

Find all the details in the Job description.

Please send your CV and application letter, telling about your motivation and interest to application@ccre-cemr.org before 10 January 2021 – 23h59 . Please put ‘Project Officer – IncluCities’ in the title of the email.
Development - 08.12.2020

Development of Municipalities: Trust, Institutions, Finance, and People (10-11 December)

'U-LEAD with Europe' is organising the International Expert Exchange 2020 – Development of Municipalities: Trust, Institutions, Finance, and People on 10-11 December online.

Two intensive days of discussion, knowledge exchange, and sharing bold, innovative ideas on key regional and local development challenges, relevant for both the Ukrainian and the international audience.

The event will bring more than 30 speakers: high-level officials, experts, diplomats, scholars, from 12 countries.

Get more information and register!
Recovery plan - 01.12.2020

Local governments must be involved in managing and recovering from the crisis
“European recovery plan: we must have confidence in our territories!": this was the call of over 200 local and regional leaders and territorial representatives on the occasion of the 6th European University (26-27 November) of CEMR's French section (AFCCRE), under the theme "Europe facing the crisis: support territories!".

The list of participants included the mayors of Fontainebleau, Fréderic Valletoux, and Quimperlé, Michaël Quernez, MEP Anne Sander and CEMR secretary general, Frédéric Vallier. The assembled leaders called for a better coordination and clarity concerning the access to EU funds and the fight against exclusion and poverty, in view of the devastating impact of the crisis.

Nearly 58 billion euros - under cohesion policy and the recovery plan - are expected by French local governments to address the social crisis and revive the economy. This is why Philippe Laurent, the mayor of Sceaux and president of AFCCRE, called on the EU and national governments “to trust the territories and their elected representatives to make the crisis management and crisis management measures understandable and operational."
CoR-OECD survey - 30.11.2020

Local and regional perspectives on COVID: local finances, coordination and recovery
The Committee of the Regions and OECD have joined forces to analyse of the impact of COVID-19 on local and regional governments. The two bodies received 300 responses from local and regional representatives in 24 EU countries, providing a unique territorial view on coordination against the pandemic, the state of local finances and prospects for recovery.

The study is a useful complement to CEMR’s own survey of national associations of local and regional governments on the question of local finances and COVID. Indeed, there are shared results: local finances are under extreme strain and there needs to be effective national support and coordination to overcome the crisis.
Emperor Maximilian Prize 2021 - 25.11.2020

Win €10,000 for your local project with European ambitions
Do you have a creative project in mind for your municipality or region? Do you live by the motto “act local, think European”? If so, you should compete for the Emperor Maximilian Prize, awarded by the City of Innsbruck and the State of Tyrol, rewarding excellent local or regional projects with a European dimension.

Individuals, private associations and public institutions are eligible for the €10,000-prize. Previous winners have included Swedish politician Anders Knape for his lifelong advocacy for local and regional government and the Tyrolean association “Rückenwind”, which enables underprivileged young people to go abroad for an international project.

For more information, please go on the Kaiser Maximilian Prize’s website. The public tender and prize information are available in multiple European languages.
Study - 24.11.2020

How cities and regions can lead the environmental and energy transitions
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published an in-depth report looking at how local and regional governments can lead the way towards climate-neutral and low-waste economies by 2050.

Drawing on academic and policy expert discussions with the European Commission, the study shows what cities, regions and rural areas can do in a wide range of areas, including energy supply, conversion and use, the transformation of mobility systems and land use practices.

To find out more and read the report, please consult the OECD website.