COVID-19: European Committee of the Regions will launch a platform to support local and regional communities across Europe

The new information exchange platform will help share needs and solutions to deal with the virus, promote mutual support and act as a mechanism to check whether EU measures are realistic at the local and regional level. The CoR will also provide local communities with practical information on EU support actions, particularly financial measures.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has drawn up an action plan to support and assist local and regional authorities in the fight against the coronavirus. The five-point plan includes the launch of a platform for information exchange and mutual support so that local and regional leaders can share their needs and proposals in the face of the pandemic. The new platform will also allow CoR members to give their views on the actions taken by the EU and their accommodation in different territories. The CoR will provide practical and regular information on EU measures, particularly those relating to economic and financial support.

The Conference of Presidents of the European Committee of the Regions* has endorsed an action plan to tackle the coronavirus, calling on the EU institutions to support local leaders through an EU Health Emergency Mechanism, aimed among other things at coordinating the distribution of essential medical equipment across the EU.

To address the health, social and economic needs of the population, local and regional leaders need to protect their economies. The action plan calls for financial assistance for local businesses and people facing unemployment, as well as EU support for the tailored recovery strategies currently being developed by many EU regions to stabilise their economies.

Referring to the adoption of the action plan, the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said: “Our CoR members and all regional and local leaders in the EU are making extraordinary efforts in the fight against the pandemic. In these challenging times, we must be united and act responsibly. Many regional presidents and mayors have asked me to create a platform for exchange that will allow CoR members and local and regional leaders in the EU to make their needs, comments and ideas known and to develop common solutions. The action plan we have just adopted will also make it possible to respond better to the health needs of local communities and to address the social and economic aspects of the pandemic, as well as its impact on local and regional authorities.

In its institutional role, the CoR is the interface and reference point between the European Union and its local and regional governments. In the current crisis, it stands ready to help, inform, collaborate with and represent regions and cities across Europe.

Specifically, in operational terms, the CoR’s action plan aims to:

• promote EU support for local and regional authorities in the health sector by calling for an EU Health Emergency Mechanism;
• create a platform for exchange and cooperation to promote mutual support between cities and regions across the EU;
• provide, through the CoR mechanisms, concrete indications from a local and regional perspective on how to address the health, social and economic aspects of the pandemic, as well as its impact on citizens and their local communities;
• provide regular practical information to local and regional authorities on EU measures to address the crisis;
• provide on-the-spot verification of the reality of the actions taken by the EU to fight the pandemic, as well as collect data from members to improve EU policies based on experience gained at local and regional level (policy adequacy check).

These interventions and measures will be accompanied by specific communication initiatives to inform about what the EU is doing to assist and support local communities in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

* he Conference of Presidents of the European Committee of the Regions is composed by:

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions and the Region of Central Macedonia (Greece)

Vasco Ilídio Alves Cordeiro, first Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions and President of the Regional Government of the Azores (Portugal)

Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions and the Western Pomerania Region (Poland)

Christophe Rouillon, President of the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Coulaines (France)

François Decoster, President of the Renew Europe Group at the European Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Saint-Omer (France)

Władysław Ortyl, President of the ERC Group at the European Committee of the Regions and of the Podkarpacie Region (Poland)

Kieran McCarthy, President of the European Committee of the Regions’ EA Group and Member of Cork City Council (Ireland)

Satu Haapanen, Co-President of the Green Group of the European Committee of the Regions and Member of Oulu City Council (Finland)

Contact us:

David Crous

Tel. +32 (0)470 88 10 37

david.crous@cor.europa.eu