004 July 2021

COVID-19: the 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 the virus, foster mutual support and act as a mechanism to test 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, in particular 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 an information exchange and mutual support platform for local and regional leaders to share their needs and proposals in the face of the pandemic. The new platform will also allow CoR members to give feedback on EU actions and their accommodation in the different territories. In addition, the CoR will provide regular and practical information on EU measures, particularly on 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, inter alia to coordinate the distribution of essential medical equipment across the EU.

To address the population’s health, social and economic needs, local and regional leaders need to protect their economies. The action plan calls for financial support for local businesses and individuals facing unemployment and EU support for the tailor-made recovery strategies that many EU regions are currently developing to stabilise their economies.

Commenting on adopting the action plan, European Committee of the Regions President Apostolos Tzitzikostas said: “Our CoR members and all EU regional and local leaders are making extraordinary efforts in the fight against the pandemic. In these difficult times, we must be united and act responsibly. Many presidents of regions and mayors have asked me to create a platform for exchange, allowing CoR members and EU regional and local leaders to share their needs, observations and ideas and develop common solutions. The action plan we have just adopted will also allow us to address the health needs of local communities better and address the social and economic aspects of the pandemic and its impact on local and regional authorities.

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

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

• promoting EU support for local and regional authorities in the health sector by calling for an EU Health Emergency Facility;
• 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 the local and regional level 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 practical and regular information to local and regional authorities on EU measures to deal with the crisis;
• provide an on-the-spot reality check of the EU’s actions to combat the pandemic and gather feedback 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 what the EU is doing to assist and support local communities in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

* The Conference of Presidents of the European Committee of the Regions is composed of:

• 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 President of the West Pomeranian Region (Poland)
• Christophe Rouillon, President of the PSE 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 CRE Group at the European Committee of the Regions and Podkarpacie Region (Poland)
• Kieran McCarthy, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ AE Group and Cork City Councillor (Ireland)
• Satu Haapanen, Co-President of the Greens Group of the European Committee of the Regions and Member of Oulu City Council (Finland)

Contact:

David Crous

Tel. +32 (0)470 88 10 37

david.crous@cor.europa.eu