The EPP GroupLatest news
20/11/2009
From dialogue to cooperation
Isidoro Gottardo, President of the EPP Group, will today take part in the EPP Group in the European Parliament's Group Bureau meeting in Venice. Dedicated to dialogue between the Group and religious institutions, this meeting aims to identify shared values for Europe. This will mark the third occasion that the EPP/CoR participates in a debate on the topic following a Group meeting in Rome in 2007, the Summer University for local and regional media in 2008 and its recent OPEN DAYS seminar dedicated to city diplomacy in October of this year.
18/11/2009
Europe's aging society: a burden or an opportunity?
“Demographic change towards an ageing population is already
a reality in Europe and this is having a growing impact on many policy areas including employment and the economy. Local and regional authorities have a particularly important role to play in this field due to their close proximity to EU citizens" Constance Hanniffy underlined at a roundtable debate on the EU's aging society today. The debate formed part of the ECOS Commission meeting and will contribute to a CoR opinion that should be adopted in April 2010.
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16/11/2009
Integrating migrants through education
Jyrki Myllyvirta, 1st Vice-Chair of the EDUC Commission, is today
welcoming CoR members in Trier for a seminar on the local and regional perspective to the integration of migrants through education. This seminar will be an opportunity to share experiences with European Commission representatives as well as hearing from regional experts in the field.
16/11/2009
Local and regional authorities in the fight against child abuse
Ján Oravec, Mayor of Štúrovo and CoR rapporteur on combating child abuse, took part in a high-level conference aiming to draw attention to child protection on the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. "I believe and hope that the political guidelines and recommendations that will be adopted by the CoR Plenary Session later this year will facilitate the work of those that are already active in the field" he explained. Other speakers included the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Jacques Barrot and CoR President Luc Van den Brande.
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13/11/2009
Uniting to strengthen the local and regional impact in Europe
In his capacity as President of the Congress of Local and
Regional Authorities (CLRA), Ian Micallef has signed a revised cooperation agreement with the Committee of the Regions. In addition, during the joint meeting with Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions, the CLRA identified shared priorities for their 2010 actions identifying four main areas: cross-border co-operation, intercultural dialogue, monitoring of regional and local elections and the fight against corruption at local and regional level. "By working together, we will be more effective in the interests of regional and local authorities" the CoR President concluded.
5/11/2009
“Don’t marginalise cohesion policy“
Speaking at a high-level conference in Brussels yesterday, Marek Wozniak, Marshall of the Wielkopolskie region and Head of the Polish delegation to the Committee of the Regions, told participants that, while EU cohesion policy needs to be reformed, it must not be marginalised. “If cohesion policy were to be marginalised, we would have to ask what the European Union stands for. We are aware that cohesion policy requires reform. But we also have to make use of the regional development potential that exists in Europe" he argued. Adam Struzik, Marshall of the Mazowsze region, also participated in the meeting highlighting the need to consider "transition regions".
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4/11/2009
EPP Group delighted that Treaty has cleared the last hurdle
Isidoro Gottardo, President of the EPP Group in the Committee
of the Regions has today welcomed the Czech ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and urges that it can quickly come into force in order to strengthen the representation of regions and cities throughout Europe. "After more than two decades of discussions on the EU's functioning and institutional set-up, the Lisbon Treaty will enable the European Union to face the challenges of the 21st century by making it more democratic, transparent and efficient" the President said. "We, in the EPP Group, have argued for a quick ratification of this Treaty from the start and we are ready to make the necessary changes in order to implement it."
29/10/2009
European Commission welcomes FYROM's progress in regional policy
The Joint Consultative Committee for the European Union and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met this afternoon for the third time to debate recent developments in view of the Commission's enlargement report 2009 - 2010 and their impact on sub-national authorities. Ahead of the meeting, representatives of the EPP Group in the CoR were pleased to note that there has been some progress in the area of regional policy and coordination of structural instruments; however they believe that administrative capacity needs to be substantially strengthened if FYROM wants to be able to secure absorption of EU funding in the short and longer term.
28/10/2009
Cutting Edge Healthcare Quality for a Competitive Europe
Johan Sauwens, Member of the Flemish Parliament and the EPP
Group in the Committee of Regions, will participate in a conference dedicated to the role of local and regional authorities in healthcare tomorrow. By bringing together European, national and regional stakeholders and decision-makers, the meeting hopes to develop strategic health care issues, policies and priorities and to establish a continuing dialogue and cooperation between the EU institutions and other European stakeholders. This event is being organised in association with the Swedish Presidency of the EU.
27/10/2009
Günther Oettinger nominated as Germany's next EU commissioner
Günther Oettinger, alternate Member of the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions, has been named as the German candidate for the next college of European Commissioners. The Minister President has led the economically powerful region of Baden-Württemberg for the past four years and since 2006, he has been a representative in the CoR. In response to the announcement, President of the EPP Group, Isidoro Gottardo congratulated Mr Oettinger and thanked him for a positive cooperation. "I hope that your engagement will stimulate the work between our Group and the European Commission and that we will be able to continue working together for the benefit of citizens living in regions and cities throughout Europe" he underlined.
19/10/2009
DEVE members seek sustainable fisheries policy
With just weeks until the talks on a new global climate change
deal begin in Copenhagen, the CoR's Commission for sustainable development (DEVE) met today in Toruń to debate the need for greater support for local and regional government's role in reducing greenhouse emissions. Top of the agenda was a debate on the sustainability of the EU fisheries policy led by rapporteur Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, President of the autonomous community of the region of Murcia.
15/10/2009
Implementing Citizens' Rights at Local and Regional Level
CoR Members of the Commission for constitutional affairs, European governance, freedom, security and justice (CONST) will meet in Hungary tomorrow on the invitation of György Gemesi, Mayor of Gödöllő. The main topic for discussion will be the role that local and regional authorities play in guaranteeing human rights. István Zachariás, Mayor of Moldava nad Bodvou, will make a presentation on citizens' opinions and this seminar will also serve as an opportunity to share experiences and best practises with EPP Member of the European Parliament, Pal Schmitt.
6/10/2009
Think.Act.Change : Change begins at home
The top three film-makers from the EPP's Think.Act.Change film competition - Stelios Alexandrakis, Kostas Karydas and Gints Amolins - came to Brussels yesterday to see their films screened in the European Parliament and to receive their prizes. This imitative follows the success of last year's EPP/CoR Europe@Home photography competition and is part of the Group's commitment to listen to work with young people to ensure they have their say in European policy-making. "We believe that climate change is one of the biggest challenges that Europe is facing and if we want to make a difference, change should begin at home" underlined Isidoro Gottardo, President of the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions.
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6/10/2009
Cities and regions: key players for the stability of Europe
Local and regional authorities are the best placed to ensure stability in Europe, according to the conclusions of a seminar organised by European People's Party Group in the Committee of the Regions (EPP/CoR) today. The seminar; "City Diplomacy: A Tool for Building Measures of Confidence" was chaired by Isidoro Gottardo, President of the EPP/CoR, and marks the third year that the EPP have been actively involved the Open Days: European Week of Regions and Cities.
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2/10/2009
Opinions at Plenary
During the CoR plenary session on the 5-7 October 2009 12 opinions are due to be adopted by its members and these include six drafted by EPP rapporteurs:
An EU strategy for the Danube area
Wolfgang Reinhart, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Land of Baden-Württemberg
Priorities for regional and local authorities to prevent violence against women and improve support for victims
Juan Vincente Herrera Campo, President of the region of Castile and Leon
Medicinal products package
Susanna Haby, Member of the Executive Committee of the City of Gothenburg
A Community approach on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters
Helmut Jahn, District councillor, Hohenlohe district council
A simplified CAP
Olivier Bertrand, Town Councillor, Saint-Sylvain-Bellegarde
"Progress" Microfinance Facility
David Parsons, Member of Leicestershire County Council
In addition, the EPP Group will be holding its third seminar during OPEN DAYS. This year the topic is City Diplomacy, following the advice of rapporteur Eleni Loucaides. The award ceremony and film premiere of the Think.Act.Change competition will also take place on the fringes.
21/09/2009
CoR and the College of Europe to debate multilevel governance
21/09/2009
EPP opinions unanimously adopted by EDUC
16/09/2009
EPP Group delighted with re-election of Barroso
14/09/2009
The impact of the financial crisis on the economy of EU regions
10/09/2009
CoR plays host to EPP Political Bureau
09/09/2009
Leading politicians debate Europe's regions and cities at a time of crisis
08/09/2009
EU Beyond tomorrow
07/09/2009
The added value of multi-level governance