Cohesion policy

In the framework of the 2012 OPEN DAYS, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is co-organising a workshop on local development as a key pillar of the 2014-2020 EU territorial development policies.  CEMR is pleased to see that the session is fully booked with participants from 33 European countries.

The workshop, to be held on 9 October 2012 in Brussels, Belgium, will bring together EU decision makers, elected representatives from member states and experts.  Participants will examine how public authorities can apply the principle of local development in their partnership agreements and operational programmes. The aim will notably be to help EU institutions to better understand how the local level assesses its value and role in EU territorial development policies and how it intends to make the most out of the new proposed multi-fund approach.

Finally, participants will take stock of the state of negotiations at EU and national levels on the matter, as detailed provisions on local development have been introduced for the first time in the Commission’s regulation, published in October 2011.

Erasmus for local and regional elected representatives

One hundred elected officials, all selected to take part in the Erasmus for local and regional elected representatives, will start off their Erasmus programme by attending CEMR’s OPEN DAYS workshop on local development.

The workshop is organised by CEMR in collaboration with the European Commission (directorate generals for regional policy (REGIO); employment, social affairs and inclusion (EMPL); agriculture and rural development (AGRI); maritime affairs and fisheries (MARE)) and a number of CEMR’s member associations (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), the Romanian Municipalities Association (AMR), the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), the Association of Estonian Cities (ELL) and the Association of Municipalities of Estonia (EMOVL). It is being held under the patronage of the Committee of the Regions.

Practical information

Date: 9 October 2012 from 14:30-17:00.
Venue: Committee of the Regions, Jacques Delors, Room 62.
Languages: English, Estonian, French, German, Italian, Romanian and Spanish.
Programme: Download programme in pdf here.
Session note: Download session note in pdf here.

Background information

Each year more than 6 000 participants, including local, regional, national and European authorities gather for the Open Days to exchange in over 100 different workshops, debates, exhibitions and networking events. In addition to the event held in Brussels, more than 250 local events are organised all over Europe.

This year’s leading theme “Europe's regions and cities: Making a difference” will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss a number of topics revolving around smart growth, territorial cooperation and delivery of results. This will be an opportunity to reflect on the future of European cohesion policy and its delivery instruments such as Community-led Local Development (CLLD).