Cities & regions
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¡Ojalá!
Follow the first steps of Michelle, a 25-year-old student from Barcelona (Spain), in Marrakesh (Morocco). She discovers how municipalities in the province of Barcelona joint efforts with municipalities in the Marrakesh-Safi region to strengthen citizens’ participation and promote gender equality...
Basque country leads way in implementing global development goals
While the sustainable development agenda took a back seat during the pandemic, one region in Spain pressed ahead with creating an 'ecosystem for sustainable development goals' to reach global goals locally. To take a closer look, EURACTIV spoke with Marta Marín, delegate of the Basque Country's mission to the EU. VideoPromoted content
Discover PLATFORMA-CEMR latest study on SDGs!
The 2021 edition of PLATFORMA-CEMR regular series of publications on how municipalities, regions and their associations are making the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality on the ground is online!
Local players still sidelined in global sustainability efforts
With less than a decade to achieve the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, new studies show that local and regional authorities are still often sidelined in the monitoring and national coordination of implementing the global benchmarks.OpinionPromoted content
Local and regional governments pave way for implementation of the global goals
“Local and regional governments in Spain and across Europe are paving the way to the active implementation of the global goals”, writes Carlos Martínez Mínguez Mayor of Soria (Spain), CEMR Vice-President & Spokesperson on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable...OpinionStakeholder Opinion
Raising awareness on what citizens can do and policy makers should do
“We must be able to count on ambitious political commitment that takes into account local communities’ needs,” writes José Hila Vargas, Mayor of Palma, Balearic Island (Spain). He signs the forward of a publication on Global Citizenship Education just released...
Some EU delegations remain ‘passive’, development chief admits
The European Commission is looking into a number of European outposts with a central role in programming EU external aid which remain “passive” despite receiving instructions to actively engage with a wide variety of local actors, Commissioner for International Partnerships... VideoPromoted content
EDD21: Join us at the “The Global Village Online City Hall”!
This year, the European Development Days (EDD) are fully digital. But once again, the five major international networks of local and regional governments active in development cooperation (AIMF, CLGF, PLATFORMA/CEMR, UCLG and UCLG-Africa) are showcasing how cities and regions lead...
Water cooperation with global South helps European regions
Decentralised cooperation for sustainable water management and sanitation between European regional, local authorities with their counterparts across the globe is key to help localise sustainable development goals, stakeholders say.OpinionPromoted content
Ensuring that no one and no place are left behind thanks to local governments
“Local and regional governments represent a key partner for the EU Delegations” writes Frédéric Vallier, Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), on behalf of PLATFORMA. He signed the foreword of a study on EU Delegations...
‘Kiss goodbye’ to reform if local leaders in EU neighbourhood ignored, stakeholders warn
Though their efforts are often overlooked, from cultural exchange to capacity building, local players are a key part of the European integration of Western Balkan and Eastern European countries and need more support.
EU ‘antenna’ outposts to submit proposals for bloc development aid
EU delegations are to submit by the end of February their proposals for spending development aid based on consultations in their respective countries, reflecting the bigger role of the diplomatic outposts in hitting assistance targets. The EU has some 140...OpinionPromoted content
Why the future is local for the Eastern Partnership
After having interacted over the past decade, the European Union is now better placed to engage with Eastern Partnership states and to prepare the post-2020 partnership framework. By the Presidents of the national associations of local governments Kakha Kaladze of...
Don’t forget local authorities in EU-Africa relations
As the EU and African Union seek to make up for lost time in 2020 by accelerating talks on a new ‘strategic partnership’ covering political and economic cooperation one of the risks is that the talks take place in a vacuum at high political level with little regard for local communities.
EU and Africa must ‘co–operate as equals’, MEPs say
Europe should move away from a donor-recipient relationship with Africa and cooperate as equals instead, EU lawmakers have said in a new report adopted on Thursday (28 January). VideoPromoted content
Happy and safe new year 2021 from Platforma!
Throughout the year, all over the world, local and regional governments have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis. Whatever happens in 2021, PLATFORMA and its partners will continue to assist towns and regions! HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR! VideoPromoted content
Another success! The #LocalSolidarityDays 2020
Discover what happened all over Europe at the European Days of Local Solidarity 2020! +70 municipalities, regions and provinces +60 events over 2 weeks +20 local and regional elected officials +770 Tweets and retweets with #LocalSolidarityDays The EDLS are coordinated...
Educating EU citizens key to effective development policy abroad
Investing in teaching global citizenship education at home is key to reach the EU's foreign policy and development goals, experts say.
Most political issues unresolved in external action fund negotiations
After five rounds of trilogues since the beginning of the year, European institutions are still locked in negotiations over the instrument that will channel the biggest share of external action funds but also suffered one of the biggest cuts during... VideoPromoted content
SDGs: Municipalities, regions and their associations are game-changers!
The 2030 Agenda was adopted 5 years ago by national leaders. Discover the progress made by European local and regional governments and their associations in localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in PLATFORMA & CEMR latest publication https://bit.ly/3k1dj0E
Valencia mayor: We are ready to become testing ground for innovation in Europe
Valencia is one of the dozen finalists in the race to become the 2020 European Capital of Innovation. In an interview with EURACTIV, its mayor, Joan Ribó, defended their mission-oriented proposal to overcome the biggest challenges of our period, bringing on board political parties, the civil society and the scientific community.
French and Italian organisations partner up to fight flood risks in Mediterranean
The Proterina-3Evolution project has gathered fourteen Italian and French partners from the coastal region to fight against flood risks together, as they share the same risks and benefit from the same support fund, EURACTIV France reports.
Local action for global goals
Authorities around the world are putting UN Sustainable Development Goal at the core of their agenda but including local governments in their implementation is key for success, writes Tine Soens.
Cities at the forefront: cooperation as an opportunity for towns to internationalise
Cities across the world have chosen to go beyond fulfilling their citizens’ needs and contribute to development by engaging in international cooperation. EURACTIV has looked into local and regional leaders’ motivation to do so.Supporter
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PLATFORMA is the pan-European coalition of cities and regions – and their associations – active in city-to-city and region-to-region development cooperation. Its 30 partners are all engaged in international cooperation for sustainable development. PLATFORMA is co-funded by the European Union and its secretariat is hosted by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR).