News

11.10.2006
European citizens set agenda for future of Europe
Environment and energy; social welfare and the family; and Europe's global role, its external borders and immigration - these were the topics chosen by members of the public to be discussed over the coming months in the biggest-ever pan-European deba...read more

10.10.2006
Council adopts Community Strategic Guidelines for Cohesion policy
The Community strategic guidelines on Cohesion 2007-2013 have been adopted following a decision by the Council on 6 October 2006. The Guidelines contain the principles and priorities of cohesion policy and suggest ways the European regions can take f...read more

09.10.2006
European week of regions and cities starts today
Close to 4,000 participants from 30 European countries are expected to attend OPEN DAYS 2006 "European week of regions and cities" which starts today in Brussels.read more

06.10.2006
OSMOSE award calls for entries
The Open Source for Mobile and Sustainable city (OSMOSE) Awards reward local authorities who have introduced innovative measures in the field of sustainable urban transport. European local and regional authorities and their local partners can partici...read more

06.10.2006
Commission allocates 140 mln euros to LIFE projects
The European Commission has approved 130 new LIFE projects, following the 2006 call for proposals, which was published in mid-2005. Of the new projects, 53 are LIFE-Environment projects, 61 are LIFE-Nature projects, and 16 are LIFE-Third countries pr...read more

02.10.2006
Commission awards eleven civic projects "Golden Stars"
Six town twinning schemes and five civil society projects have been awarded “Golden Stars for Excellence in European Citizenship”. The Prizes were awarded in Brussels on 28 September at the “Europe for the Citizens Forum” At this Forum mayors and oth...read more

02.10.2006
Participate in the Communication on culture
The Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) is preparing a Communication on culture. The role of culture in European integration will be analysed. The Communication will take stock of existing efforts and identify new challenges and po...read more

02.10.2006
CoR to create a Lisbon Monitoring Platform
The Committee of the Regions CoR has put together a research team set up a system to monitor the realisation of the Lisbon Strategy, the plan to make the EU the most competitive economy by 2010. The aim is to inform cities and regions on the implicat...read more

02.10.2006
EP offer suggestions to improve urban environment
The European Parliament (EP) adopted an own-initiative report adopted on 26 September. The report called for complementary measures to improve the urban environment in towns heavily impacted by pollution. One of the suggestions offered is to give pri...read more

29.09.2006
EP approve cohesion policy guidelines
On 27 September, the European Parliament has approved the Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion 2007-2013. The guidelines contain the principles and priorities of cohesion policy and suggest ways in which European regions and cities can take ful...read more

27.09.2006
World Economic Forum Report shows: “Lisbon” starts paying off
The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its annual Global Competitiveness Report on 26 September 2006. With six EU Member States in the top-ten rankings, the EU gives notice that its policies are starting to pay off. The top ten EU Member States are ...read more

26.09.2006
European Mobility Week 2006 proved successful
This year, over 1300 cities and towns were involved in the European Mobility Week (EMW). The central theme for EMW 2006 was ‘Climate Change’. The success of the initiative is amply demonstrated by the number of cities and towns involved. This year, 1...read more

26.09.2006
EcoProcura stresses local power in driving sustainability
At the EcoProcura conference in Barcelona, all European local governments were called upon to make sustainable procurement the rule and not the exception. European local governments hold considerable potential in stimulating environmental, economic a...read more

25.09.2006
Stockholm’s residents approve of congestion charging
On 17 September 2006, Stockholm residents voted in favour of the controversial congestion charging system tested in the city centre over a period of seven months. Of the residents, 53% voted in favour of the system. Before the start of the test, 70% ...read more

25.09.2006
International New Town Institute established
The Dutch City of Almere has initiated an international institute on so called “new towns”. The International New Town Institute is a scientific research institute focusing on new towns all over the world. The Institute will study the theory and prac...read more

25.09.2006
Rural communities join forces to counter urban regions
A new association representing the interests of European rural communities will be created. The idea is that Europe’s rural areas need to work together to better compete with cities, urban areas and other territorial communities for EU funding. The d...read more

15.09.2006
CEMR presents its charter for equality of women and men
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has presented its charter for equality of women and men to the European Parliament, on 12 September 2006 in Brussels.read more

13.09.2006
EESC prize for organised civil society
The first prize, worth 10,000 euros was awarded to the European Physical Society. A second prize was awarded jointly to the European Civic Forum and a Hungarian body, the Future of Europe Association , who each received 5,000 euros.read more

11.09.2006
EC Communication stresses social benefits of educational equality
The European Commission adopted a Communication on improving the European educational system on 8 September. Central point in the communication is that educational systems should not only be efficient, but equitable as well. If not, they will fail to...read more

11.09.2006
EC publishes decisions on regions and Structural Funds
On 6 September the European Commission has published decisions on identifying regions eligible for Structural Funds and the allocation of funds for the 2007-2013 period. Total Structural funds for this period add up to 308 billion euros.read more