Juncker joins local leaders in debate on priorities for Europe

As negotiations on the regulation for the European Fund for Strategic Investment enter the final phase, the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) plenary in Brussels on 3-4 June will look to clarify the role of regions and cities in the roll-out of the EU Investment Plan. Regional and local leaders will debate with the European Commission's President – Jean-Claude Juncker – the EU's priorities and how to make the most of the investment package which aims to mobilize €315 billion.

During the plenary, the CoR will adopt its priorities for 2015-2020 with the draft resolution focusing on job creation, sustainable growth and tackling unemployment locally. Making the most of cohesion funds and the recently launched EU Investment Plan, whilst making EU legislation work for citizens, are considered vital to drive local and regional economies. Building on the institution's CORLEAP and ARLEM intiatives, consolidating relations between local authorities in the EU and outside its borders is also a prioritiy given the instability to the East and surge in migration from the South.

Regions and cities take a stand on EU migration

The EU’s borders have been the scene of human tragedies which is why the European Commission has taken action by adopting an European Agenda on Migration. Given the increasing pressure on regions and cities receiving increasing numbers of migrants, on 4 June the CoR will debate and vote on a resolution setting out its position on how best to manage the reception of migrants and asylum procedures whilst assuring the protection of human lives

Guidelines for Employment Policies

The European Commission's new guidelines on employment take into account the legacy of the economic crisis and put them in line with the new approach of economic policy making. They focus on four key points: boosting demand for labour; enhancing labour supply and skills; enhancing the functioning of the labour market; and ensuring fairness, combating poverty and promoting equal opportunities. Led by Mauro D'Attis (IT/EPP), Councillor of Brindisi Municipal Council, the CoRs' draft opinion calls for a "territorial dimension" of the EU2020 strategy, acknowledging green jobs and the social economy are key drivers for jobs and the support for self-employment and the digital economy.

Other points on plenary agenda

Better protecting the marine environmentRapporteur: Hermann Kuhn (Member of Bremen City Parliament, Germany/PES)A decent Life for all: from vision to collective actionRapporteur: Hans Janssen (Mayor of Oisterwijk, Netherlands/EPP)Local and regional support for Fair Trade in EuropeRapporteur: Barbara Duden (Member of Hamburg City Parliament, Germany/PES)Debate on the future of the Lisbon Treaty, with MEPs: Mercedes Bresso, (IT/S&D), Elmar Brok, (DE/EPP) and Guy Verhofstadt, (BE/ALDE).

(Plenary agenda & documents / Plenary will be streamed live)

Conference: 4^th Assizes of Decentralized Co-operation, 1-2 June 2015

Co-organised with the European Commission, the Assises of Decentralised Cooperation for development brings together local and regional authorities' representatives from the EU and developing countries. This year's edition takes place in the context of the European Year of Development – a year when the international community is expected to agree on the future global framework for poverty eradication and sustainable development. Among the 500 participants are some 50 CoR members, various MEPs and other high level speakers.

Conference: Decentralisation and multilevel governance as key factors for a stronger Europe, 4 June 2015

Celebrating 25 years of Polish self-governance, Markku Markkula (CoR President), Jerzy Buzek MEP, and other prominent speakers will take part in a conference debating the EU, financial decentralisation and the reinforcement of the regional and local level.

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