Cities & regions
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.
Decentralised cooperation: boosting citizens participation from Barcelona to Marrakesh
The Government of the province of Barcelona (Spain) and six municipalities in Marrakesh (Morocco) have been working together to strengthen participatory democracy and upholding women’s rights in the region through decentralised cooperation for three years.
Urpilainen: COVID-19 crisis ‘proves the need for an international rule-based order’
The COVID-19 crisis "proves the need for an international rules-based order,” the EU's Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen said in an interview with EURACTIV.OpinionPromoted content
EU global response to COVID-19: a global pandemic with local solutions!
As a pandemic, COVID-19 is a truly global problem which knows no borders. The situation is now spread almost all over the world and some countries – near and far – could soon be heavily impacted, despite the youth of their population.OpinionPromoted content
Time to learn more about the PLATFORMAwards’ projects!
Did you know that many European towns and regions are building projects and partnerships with local and regional governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, but also in the Eastern partnership? This is called decentralised cooperation.
EU unveils ‘partnership plans’ for new Africa strategy
Partnerships on ten policy areas are at the heart of the EU’s plan “Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa,” launched on Monday (9 March). The paper will start a seven-month negotiating process with EU and African leaders, with a view to agreeing a partnership agenda at an EU African Union summit in October.
EU development policy to be more interest-driven under ‘geopolitical’ Commission
The geopolitical Europea Commission ambition would turn cooperation and development policy into an internal and external interest-driven policy, Alexei Jones, Senior Policy Officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) told EURACTIV.
Nuclear ‘excluded’ from EU’s new Just Transition Fund
The EU's regional policy Commissioner Elisa Ferreira revealed on Tuesday (14 January) details of the €100 billion Just Transition Mechanism, a key financial component of the European Green Deal that should make the bloc climate neutral by 2050. VideoPromoted content
Apply before 31 January 2020 to the PLATFORMAwards
Does your town or region contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals? Do you want to win a video to promote your development cooperation project? Do you want to get a free entrance to CEMR 2020 Congress in Innsbruck? Apply before...
24 Turkish cities oppose Erdogan, support Paris Climate Agreement
Within the framework of the current COP25, 24 Turkish cities and municipalities committed themselves to the Paris Climate Agreement yesterday (9 December). Turkey is the only G20 country that has not yet ratified the Paris Agreement. EURACTIV Germany reports.
COP25: cities are no longer waiting around for nations, Milan’s mayor says
Because there is still a small number of nations blocking progress in implementing the Paris Agreement, and cities already feel their impact of climate change, they are ready to take the lead in fighting global warming, Milan's mayor and C40 network Vice-Chairman Giuseppe Sala told EURACTIV in an interview.
Why EU must guarantee funding for local, regional governments in post-2020 development policy
Member states must strongly support the proposal of the European Parliament to add a budget line for local authorities to tackle global challenges, including through their decentralised cooperation, writes Marlène Siméon.Supporter
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).