05.06.2019 - Representation of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino
EU resources for mobility and transport under the next MFF with the focus on the Connecting Europe Facility and Financial Instruments
On May 16th 2019, the LIFE awards were presented at the European Green Week in Brussels.
Among the 15 finalists, within those selected for the Nature category, there were also LIFE+ TEN and LIFE WOLFALPS.
Today, the 30th of April, ahead of the European Council Sibiu summit, the European Commission presented a number of policy recommendations for the EU’s next strategic agenda for the period 2019-2024.
In the Commission’s view, these will be the five main areas of action for the European Union:
1. Protective Europe: The EU should pursue the establishment of an effective European Security Union and move towards an European Defense Union. Furthermore, the EU should also be more proactive in the field of migration management through an approach that fosters a greater share of the responsibility and greater solidarity among the Member states.
2. Competitive Europe: The achievement of a more competitive Europe passes through the upgrade and the full implementation of the single market in all its aspects. The EU has to keep fostering growth by deepening the Economic and Monetary Union and it also has to support the transformation of the European labour market while ensuring its fairness. Finally, it is essential that the EU focuses its research on the ecological, social and economic challenges that we are facing today.
3. Fair Europe: Social Rights remain a fundamental pillar for the EU. The Eu needs to work to achieve more social inclusion and equality within its Member States, focusing on regional disparities, minorities’ needs, gender issues and the aging population. A fair and innovative taxation policy is also needed as much as high-quality and affordable health care and housing in Europe.
4. Sustainable Europe: Achieving a more sustainable economy, fighting climate change and reversing environmental degradation are high priorities for the EU, now more than ever. It is necessary to transition to a more resource-efficient circular economy by promoting green growth, bioeconomy and sustainable innovations. Finally, the EU must also address the remaining challenges in the field of energy, such as energy security and costs.
5. Influential Europe: Europe needs to lead in the world through consistent and strong support for a multilateral, rules-based global order, with the United Nations at its core. The EU should also make it a priority to develop strong relations with close neighbors. A strengthened international role of the euro would also increase Europe's economic and monetary sovereignty.
Background
In 2014, the European Council defined a broad strategic agenda for the Union, a fundamental text that eventually turned into President Juncker’s 10 political priorities. Three years later, after the Commission published its White Paper on the Future of Europe, President Juncker unveiled a roadmap detailing the main steps towards a more united, stronger and more democratic Union in his 2017 State of the Union address.
The Sibiu summit represents the culmination of this process started five years ago.
For more information:
- Unfinished business: the Top 10 EU issues awaiting final agreement
- The Top 20 EU achievements 2014-2019
- Key figures for the EU 2014-2019
From the 8th to the 10th of April 2019, the students of the Euregio Masters in Public Administration (EMEPA) visited the Tirol-South Tyrol-Trentino Joint Representation in Brussels as part of a study trip.
The visit was the culmination of the extensive programme of the two-year course, which is aimed at civil servants from the administrations of the three regions and organized by Euregio and the Universities of Innsbruck, Bolzano and Trento to promote the development of a public administration of European level in the three areas, with a focus on intercultural, community and multilingual issues. The first edition of the course was attended by 36 civil servants who are required to acquire 60 credits within the two years.
The purpose of the study visit was to explore the European dimension, focusing on the future of cohesion policy, European research and innovation policy and the European elections in May 2019 through an intensive three-day programme. The aim was to deepen the students' knowledge of the EU Institutions and to promote their knowledge of matters related to cross-border cooperation. The programme included informative visits to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions. On site, EU policy makers introduced the students to the work of the respective Institutions, followed by exciting exchanges of ideas with the lecturers.
In the EU Commission, they discussed EU neighbourhood policy with David Müller, a Member of Commissioner Johannes Hahn's Cabinet. The students then visited the Committee of the Regions, where Slaven Klobučar, Policy Officer of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), gave them an introduction to the EGTC. In the European Council, the participants of the study trip met Berthold Berger, Director of the Department for Environment, Education, Youth, Culture, Audiovisual and Sport, from the Council of the European Union, with whom they discussed the role of each institution in the European decision-making process.
Furthermore, the students gained an insight into the work of a civil servant, encountering Kathrin Maria Rudolf, Administrator at the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI). At the Common Representation of Tirol- South Tyrol -Trentino, Markus Warasin, member of the cabinet of Antonio Tajani, spoke about the 2019 EU elections, the top candidates’ mechanism, Brexit as well as the current polarization of the EU. Afterwards, the importance of research in relation to the decision-making process and policy making was discussed in a lecture by Klemen Žumer, Head of Unit at the DG for Parliamentary Research Services and, the same day, the students also had the opportunity to better understand the role of the regional representations in Brussels thanks to Lieke van Alphen´s speech. As a Senior advisor for EU Public Affairs at the Province of Noord Brabant, she gave an insight into her work by describing the cooperation of the regional offices with the EU institutions and the institutional lobbying in general, the same kind of work that the Common Representation does here in Brussels. Eventually, the students had the chance to visit the European Parliament.
The experience in the capital of the European Union was also an important moment of sharing and debate for the members of the three regions.
Tirol in Europa 16-19
Der neue Tirol-Newsletter beschäftigt sich unter anderem mit den durch das EU-Parlament bestätigten neuen CO2-Emissionsgrenzwerten für Lkws, der neuen Sitzberechnung für das nächste Europäische Parlament (EU 28) und mit Maßnahmen von Online-Plattformen gegen Desinformation im Hinblick auf die Europawahlen.
Tirol in Europa 13-19
Der neue Tirol-Newsletter beschäftigt sich unter anderem mit dem angenommen Bericht des EU-Parlaments über besseres Leitungswasser und die Verringerung von Plastikabfall, der neuen Sitzberechnung für das nächste Europäische Parlament und der ersten Abstimmung des EU-Parlaments über die Reform der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP-Reform).
The fourth of April 2019 the Commission will launch a new call for WIFI4EU. The initiative, which has stored 120 million of euros for the period 2018-2020, will foster the installation of modern Wi-Fi networks in the centers of community life in all the member States of the European Union.
On March 18th, 2019, the European Commission announced some important decisions regarding the European Innovation Council (EIC), which is currently in the pilot phase under the Horizon 2020 program. For 2019-2020, the pilot will be enhanced in this way:
From 8 to 10 April 2019, the students of the Euregio Master in Public Administration (EMEPA) will take part in a study visit at the Representation of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino in Brussels. The visit is included in the rich program of the two-year course, addressed to officials of the three administrations promoting a better knowledge of issues related to cross-border cooperation.
The three-day Brussels session is aimed at exploring the European dimension: the main topics will be the future of cohesion policy, the European policy on research and innovation and the European elections in May 2019. It will be an opportunity to take a closer look at the policies and the role of the various EU institutions, including visits to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Part of the program will also focus on the work of the European Committee of the Regions, in particular with regard to its relationship with the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). Moreover, this training experience will allow to deepen the understanding of how a liaison office structures the relations within the networks based in Brussels and how it carries out lobbying activities.
The lectures will be held in the three teaching languages of the master, namely English, German and Italian, so as to encourage full immersion in the multilingual environment of the European capital.
On March 15th, 2019, the Representation of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino hosted the seminar “The common agricultural policy: the role of the Institutions, objectives and priorities”, organized by Associazione dei produttori ortofrutticoli trentini (APOT) in cooperation with the Representative office of Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione/Confcooperative in Bruxelles.
A startup that goes faster, that matches sports and technology, that breaks all the records. This is the ideal candidate for the new edition of SPIN Accelerator, the world-biggest sports startups accelerator, promoted by Trentino Sviluppo in collaboration with Hype Sports Innovation and the University of Trento.
The initative, at its second edition, in 2018 counted 65 participants amongst Italian but also American, Israeli, Austrian and Spanish startuppers. The 24 selected teams underwent 130 training hours with 30 international-level coaches and mentors. SPIN Accelerator Italy helped them to grow in the sport-tech field, developing technologies such as sensors for the improvement of skiing skills, gamificated rehabilitation, VR hockey and more.
Headquarter of the initiative is Progetto Manifattura, the green-tech hub of Trentino Sviluppo in Rovereto. There, selected startups will experience a 4-week free incubation path with a personalized mentorship, free access to top-notch laboratories and specialized training. The winner, selected during a demo day in which a number of investors will participate, will receive a 10 thousand euros prize to be spent on the services provided by Progetto Manifattura.
Applications may be submitted by March 15th, 2019.
For further information, visit the dedicated website.
Invitation to the presentation of the book by
Markus Warasin
The Polarization of European Politics
Wednesday, 3 April 2019 at 19h00
(entry as from 18h30)
Representation of the European Region Tyrol – South Tyrol - Trentino
47, Rue de Pascale, 1040 Brussels
The Book
European politics is more polarized than ever. The former lack of conflict over EU policy decisions is being replaced by a lack of consensus. The agreements reached in Brussels are increasingly contentious, the European institutions seem increasingly fragmented and European political debate has become increasingly controversial. The asymmetric politicization of the European Union has manifold manifestations that produce not only negative but also positive criticism, and not only resistance against but also support for the political system. If politicization is not only understood as an obstacle to integration, but seen as having the potential to promote integration, the somewhat outdated drivers of European integration dynamics and policymaking, namely ‘deepening’ and ‘widening’, could be replaced or at least complemented by the new driver of ‘politicization’..
The Author
Markus Warasin holds a PhD in Political Theory and History of Ideas from the University of Innsbruck and a MA in International Politics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He is an EU civil servant and is currently assigned to the cabinet of the President of the European
Parliament.
PROGRAM
Welcome
Vesna Caminades, Head of the Liaison Office Brussels of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Bozen/South Tyrol
Introduction to the book
Markus Warasin, Member Cabinet President of the European Parliament
Discussion panel
Arno Kompatscher, President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Bozen/South Tyrol
Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament
Markus Warasin, Author and Member of the Cabinet Antonio Tajani
The book is written partly in English and partly in German. The event will take place in DE-EN-IT without simultaneous interpretation.
The event will be followed by a cocktail dinner.
We kindly ask to confirm your participation by 01 April 2019 using this Link .
On January 30th, 2019, the European Commission released the Reflection paper “Towards a sustainable Europe by 2030”, the publication of which was announced in the letter of intent accompanying the State of the Union speech of President Juncker in 2017. The aim is to renew the commitment of European Union to achieve the objectives of 2030 Agenda of United Nations, including those of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The document presents a reflection on the complex, urgent challenges related to sustainable development: ecological debt, climate change, but also demographic change, migration, inequality, economic and social convergence, and pressure on public finances. Isolationist and nationalistic tendencies can be added to those as clear signs of the lack of confidence by European citizens in the effectiveness of EU policies.
The focus of the paper is therefore directed to the strategies on which the transition towards sustainability must be founded: moving from linear to circular economy, correcting the imbalances in our food system, future-proofing energy, buildings and mobility, and making sure that this transition is fair, leaving no one and no place behind. The Commission then lists the horizontal enablers behind this process: education, science, technology, research, innovation and digitisation; finance, pricing, taxation and competition; responsible business conduct, corporate social responsibility and new business models; open and rules-based trade; governance and policy coherence at all levels.
Three scenarios are presented in order to stimulate the discussion on how to follow up on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda within the EU:
- an overarching EU SDGs strategy guiding the actions of the EU and its Member States;
- a continued mainstreaming of the SDGs in all relevant EU policies by the Commission, but not enforcing Member States' action;
- an enhanced focus on external action while consolidating current sustainability ambition at EU level.
At the end of the document, the Commission reiterates the willingness to make EU a pioneer of the transition towards a sustainable economy on a global level, in the awareness that European policies can have only a limited impact on the planet if others pursue contrasting strategies.
Here the press release of the European Commission.
Here the factsheet on the contents of the paper.
Here the full version of the Reflection document “Towards a sustainable Europe by 2030”.
A study visit by a delegation of young researchers from the University of Trento took place in Bruxelles on February 6th-8th, 2019. The mission was organized with the support of the EU Liaison Office in Bruxelles of the Autonomous Province of Trento, in the framework of EU-TIPS (Trentino Interactive Platforms for Stakeholders).
The program of the visit was agreed according to the requests of the participants and therefore it was oriented to European opportunities in the field of research. The meetings with officials of European Commission’s Agencies ERCEA (European Research Council Executive Agency) and REA (Research Executive Agency) were particularly interesting, because the researchers had the opportunity to discuss and clarify their doubts about research fellowship programs funded by EU.
The delegation also visited the building of the Representation of European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, where they were introduced to the work of EU Liaison Office in Bruxelles of the Autonomous Province of Trento by the director Valeria Liverini and the policy officer Gabriele Pedrini.
On February 1st, 2019, the Autonomous Province of Trento hosted a meeting organized by the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) at the common Representation of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino in Bruxelles.
NPLD is a European network which works in the field of language policy and planning for Constitutional, Regional and Small-State Languages (CRSS) and includes national and regional governments, universities and associations as its members. Its main goal is to raise awareness at a European level on the importance of linguistic diversity, also by facilitating the exchange of best practices in this matter.
Friday’s meeting brought together representatives of NPLD members from the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, Brittany, Catalonia, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Province of Fryslân, Galicia, the Autonomous Province of Trento and of Valencia. Moreover, representatives of Faroe Islands and Greenland were also present.
The participants took part in a dynamic exchange of opinions, which allowed them to report practical examples of promotion of linguistic minorities in their territories of origin. In addition to this, they had the opportunity to express some proposals in order to better support the work of NPLD in Bruxelles, also in relation to the European Day of Languages which will take place at the end of September.
The Autonomous Province of Trento is member of NPLD as representative of the three linguistic minorities of its territory, namely the Ladin, the Mòcheno and the Cimbrian minorities. Various collaborations have characterized the relationship with this network, such as the event dedicated to reading poetry in each of the three minority languages which took place in September 2018 at the common Representation in Bruxelles, organized in the framework of the last edition of the European Day of Languages.
Tirol in Europa 02-19
The initiative “Science meets Parliaments was launched in September 2015 by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission together with European Parliament’s panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA). The goal is to strengthen the role of science in political processes by promoting a regular dialogue between scientists and policy-makers, in order to encourage an evidence-informed decision-making.
This fourth edition will focus its attention on the great challenges of 21th century and in particular on some current topics:
- the impact of artificial intelligence on our lives;
- the need of building resilient societies in a turbulent world;
- the role of values and social relations for what concerns political behaviour and policy-making.
The agenda also includes the launch of the pilot project called “Science meets Parliaments/Science meets Regions”, which aims to encourage a wider involvement by national and regional authorities and to make local political issues come to light.
The event will take place on February 6th-7th, 2019, at the European Parliament in Bruxelles, in Paul Henri Spaak building (PHS).
For further information, please visit the event page.
Here you can find the event agenda.
Registration here – first day (February 6th, 2019).
Registration here – second day (February 7th, 2019).
On January 10th, 2019, a kick-off meeting took place in Barcelona among the participants to the project “AI4EU”, which was officially launched at the beginning of the new year under the Horizon 2020 programme and the strategy on artificial intelligence (AI) of the European Commission.
AI4EU aims to create an European network able to bring together resources and tools on AI matters and put them at the service of social and economic growth within the European Union.
The starting point consists of eight project-pilots covering as many topics (Citizen, Robotics, Industry, Healthcare, Media, Agricolture, IoT, Cybersecurity): the goal is to demonstrate how the open and collaborative platform about AI which will be set up in the course of 2019 could stimulate scientific research and technological innovation in all sectors. Potential users will be able to access to resources, tools and knowledge and will be given support in order to integrate AI solutions in their processes, products and services.
The project, led by the French company Thales, involves 79 partners from 21 different countries, namely SMEs, large enterprises and research institutes, among which alto the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK) is present. According to the grant arrangement signe on December 12th, 2018, AI4EU will receive a total funding of €20 millions over the next 3 years: total public and private investments should reach at least €20 billions by the end of 2020.
For further information, visit the official website of AI4EU.
Tirol in Europa 01-19
Tirol in Europa 43-18
