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Webinar - 30.03.2021

#EuropeanSemester: How can local and regional governments have a say?
How can the EU fiscal rules and recommendations on investment defined in the Semester impact the competences of municipalities? How can the local and regional level be more involved in the Semester?

During the last years, some progress has been made in several Member States in the involvement of local and regional governments in the European Semester process, but there is still a lot to do. We will address all these questions and many more during our webinar "The European Semester at the crossroads: rebuilding our territories", on Monday 19 April.

Follow the discussions with the hashtag #EuropeanSemester.
Social dialogue - 26.03.2021

Watch the kick-off event of the project “EU Dialogue, Local Solutions”
To mark a decade of the social dialogue committee and to raise grassroots awareness about the resources provided by European dialogue, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), representing employers, and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) are launching the project “EU Dialogue, Local Solutions”.

You can now watch the kick-off webinar online. You can also read the report here.

The participants included a representative of DG EMPL who presented the upcoming Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights. Social partners from France, Sweden and Spain addressed the issue of the third-party violence and harassment, gender equality, and integration of migrants and non-discrimination.

This project, carried out with the financial support of the European Commission’s DG EMPL will focus on three joint achievements: the guidelines on gender equality guidelines, on third party violence and harassment, on integration of migrants and non-discrimination.
Webinar - 16.03.2021

Activating citizens: how municipalities can make use of the European Solidarity Corps
This online event with about 25 municipalities from all over Europe will highlight the various possibilities of the European Solidarity Corps. This seminar, open to local governments and their organisations, will show how the Corps can help municipalities meet their local needs, activate their citizens and strengthen their networks, notably in the field of town twinning.

Date: 27-28 April 2021
Registration link
Draft programme
Information video
Call for tender - 05.03.2021

We are looking for a researcher in the area of third-party violence and harassment at work
We are looking for a researcher or a group of researchers to support the project "The role of social partners in preventing third-party violence and harassment at work".

The project aims to assess the effectiveness at national level of the EU Multi-sectoral social partners’ guidelines to tackle and prevent third-party violence and harassment related to work (2010), hereafter the Guidelines.

You have until 2 April 2021 to apply.

Applicants may be invited for an interview with the project partners on the afternoon of 8 April 2021.
COVID-19 - 17.02.2021

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on tourism regions? Complete the survey!
The European Commission Directorate General for Regional and Urban policy wants to assess the impact of COVID-19 on tourism regions and propose policy recommendations on how to make tourism regions more resilient.

The survey aims to collect information about the regional and sector sensitivities to COVID19 impacts, the experience with policy initiatives in the tourism sector, and the future needs and opportunities in tourism.

Complete the survey before 28 February.
Conference - 12.02.2021

Hungarian Best Practices of Local Governments 2020: local innovations and solutions against COVID-19
The Hungarian National Association of Local Authorities (TÖOSZ) is organising an online conference on the Best Practices of Local Governments. This year, the focus is on the best innovations and solutions againd COVID-19 at local level. To find out more, please consult the event's programme.

The conference is taking place on 24 February 2021. There will be interpretation in English and Hungarian. You can sign up with the following online registration form.
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.