COPPEM News

High-level conference: Investing in Europe's regions and cities

07/05/2013 - di Giovanna Cirino The Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank, with the support of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, invite stakeholders from the EU member states to discuss today's financial situation and future perspectives for long term investments in Europe's regions and cities In Europe, 65% of public capital investment originates from local and regional authorities. The crisis of the last 5 years has strongly affected the investment capacity of Europe's cities and regions.Fiscal consolidation impacts all levels of governance, whilst there is a need to step up the delivery of the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable, smart and inclusive growth on the ground. The conference will: provide a platform for regional and local authorities to present their views on trends in subnational public finances; discuss the impact of European economic governance on regional and local governments' capacity to deliver on the Europe 2020 growth strategy; build on experience and prospects of EIB financial instruments and EU structural funds 2014-2020 for 'quality investments' on the ground. Finally, invited experts will look into recent developments and good practice of public-private partnerships, synergies between budgets at all levels of governance, and financial engineering at regional and local level. Among the confirmed speakers are CoR President Valcárcel, EIB President Hoyer, Luxembourg Prime Minister Juncker and European Commissioner Barnier. Moreover, there will be a key note speech given by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform of Ireland, EU Council, Brendan Howlin. Member of the National Assembly of Wales, and member of the Committee of the RegionsRhodri Glyn Thomas (UK/EA) will also chair workshops on "The impact of the crisis on the autonomy of Europe's regions and local authorities" and "Securing financing and public private partnership for quality investments on the ground". Email: forum@cor.europa.eu

Environment: "Bottom Up" best practices. When the policy starts from the bottom to solve global problems. In Pescara, first meeting of regional coordinators of the Covenant of Mayors

06/05/2013 - di Roberta Puglisi Some of the good practices of multi-level governance composed by italian and foreign Coordinators' presentation and sharing. Creation of a network for cooperation between the different coordinators. These are the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors' first meeting that will held in Pescara on 7th may 2013 in D'Annunzio Hall,Aurum. Organized by Abruzzo Region in synergy with Covenant of Mayors' Organization the event will be focused on three foundamental topics: techincal support, financial support, and local actors cooperation. The programme is full of speeches with the participation of Ministry of Economic Development, European Commission (DG Energy), JRC of European Commission and CoMO. The meeting is a great pleasure for the european towns which have accepted the Covenant of Mayors, initiative launched in 2008 by EC in the framework of the second edition of Sustainable Energy European Week. These local administration are committed to prepare an action plan with the aim to reduce than 20% the greenhouse effect. These Municipalities have adopted policies to increase renewable energies. Today, after five years, with 4000 local municipalities that have joined the Covenant of Mayors is considered by the European institutions as an outstanding model of multilevel governance. Local governments, in fact, play a decisive role in the mitigation of the effects of climate change, especially when the 80% of energy consumption and CO2 emissions is associated with local activities. programme http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/xAmbiente/docs/pattoSindaci/programma_def_1.pdf

The role of Media in the Arab Spring

09/01/2013 - A Conference titled “The role of the Media in Arab Spring”, will be held at Aranciera di San Sisto (Rome) on the January 22nd 2013 at 7 p.m.. Organized by COPPEM Office in Cairo (Egypt) in collaboration with Nuovi Cittadini per l'Italia and supported by Municipality of Rome. The Conference will be an occasion for reflecting upon Arab revolutions and Egypt future.

Euromed cross border cooperation, projects boom

09/01/2013 - Fonte: Ansamed Many projects proposed on the occasion of the first call of cross border cooperation between the euromed area countries in the framework of EU's Neighbourhood Policy. The initiative are 600, a record for a european cooperation programme. The programme financed by EU are 15 with a budget of one billion euros 2007-2013. The ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme 2007/2013 is a multilateral cross-border cooperation programme funded by the European Union under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. It aims at reinforcing cooperation between the EU and partner countries' regions located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. From 2014, the ENPI (European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument) will be replaced by the European Neighbourhood Instrument(ENI), which will provide increased support to 16 partner countries to the East and South of the EU’s borders. The ENI will continue to provide the bulk of funding to the European Neighbourhood countries, essentially through bilateral, regional and cross border co-operation programmes.(EU Neighbourhood Info).The Joint Programming Committee (JPC), body responsible for the preparation of the new ENI (European Neighbourhood Instrument) CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme, was established on 6th December 2012 in Lisbon (Portugal): this event marked the official launch of the 2014-2020 programming exercise.The 13 countries which participate at the moment in the JPC - namely Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestinian National Authority, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia - discussed about a wide range of issues in view of the elaboration of the next ENI CBC Med Joint Operational Programme (JOP) for further information: ENPI - Info Centre EuroMed.

A partnership agreement was signed between DG Ener and Coppem.

22/11/2012 - A partnership agreement was signed between DG Ener and Coppem. The Permanent Committee will act for Local Authorities' interest on european and national level and will promote the good practices' exchange among its members in order to achieve and get over the 20% reduction' european objective of CO2 emission within 2020. An excellent european multilevel governance, the Mayors' Agreement, launched in 2008 by European Commission, after the adoption of European package on climate and energy, in order to support the efforts made by local Authorities pursuing european objective.Coppem, responsive to environment's problems, has decided on the signing of partnership agreement to motivate its members activating the Sustainable Energy Action Plans in their territories in order to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide of 20%,main reason of enviromental damages, devastating outcome for the planet

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

22/11/2012 - Las mariposas, the butterflies was the battlename of Mirabal sisters, revolutionary women from Dominican Republic, who have fought against Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. Regime.One of the most pitiless tyranny of Latin America, which plunged it into chaos for 30 years. On december 17th,1960, three women, married with three convicts opponents of the regime, Aida Patria Mercedes, Maria Argentina Minerva, Antonia Maria Teresa, visited them in military prison but the three women ambushed by military secret service,tortured, beated them up, strangled and threw into a cliff faking a car accident. On december 17th 1999, UNO General Assembly, resolution number 54/134,has declared November 25th as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,asking the Governments,Local Authorities,Internatinal Organizations and NGO's in order to organize cultural and political activities sensitizing public opinion on the topics. Since then, about a thousand of initiatives saying NO to the gender violence in all of its forms. Unfortunately the outcomes are not cheering: thousand of women suffered stalking, sexual or psychologic violence. Many of them are silent,astonished, aching,exhausted. They don't report these crimes to the police because of fear, to protect the children, for the neighbours,for cultural legacy. The data of problems are confirmed by news: women killings are growing up. According to UNIFEM report,women development UNO's fund, “Violence against women is the most pervading violence of human rights which devastate lives,community obstacling the development,a pandemic proportions'problem”. Struggles are not adequate.It is necessary to redouble the efforts, finding penal laws, fighting against male chauvinist mind which remains an archaic legacy. Several celebrations for November 25th like the exhibition of mexican artist Elina Chauvet. The creation Zapatos Rojos, is a red shoes' long line collected by word of mouth whose represent women victims of violence.The exhibition was in Ciudad Juárez on 2009, then in Mexico and Texas. Ciudad Juárez is one of the most dangerous place in the world for a woman because of fights between narcos,terrible political-economic dynamics,poverty and squalor. The art of Elina Chauvet goes beyond mexican case, Zapatos Rojos is dedicated to all women of planet that were murdered, abducted, raped, those who never come back home. .