Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR)’s Post

🇪🇺 Magellan at #EURegionsWeek 2026: A wrap-up of a week of work in Brussels We have reached the end of another edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities, an event that gathered over 5,000 participants at the center of the European debate. Over 3 days, Magellan Circle had a team of 7 people on the ground. We spread out across 5 buildings, walked a total of more than 120 kilometers, and coordinated the agenda and presence of over 60 people. We closely followed a regional and institutional diplomacy agenda, ensuring the participation and representation of our clients: 📍CIM Douro: We supported the region's presence, which included presenting the "Douro 2035 Strategy" in the high level political debate, a EURegionsTalk on rural mobility, and a Tasting session of local products. We also accompanied the delegation in working meetings with counselors from the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union (REPER) and at the session marking the 25th anniversary of the Alto Douro Wine Region's classification. 📍CIM Viseu Dão Lafões: We supported the region's participation through the activation of its official stand, which served as a European space to showcase its projects and territory. 📍Área Metropolitana do Porto (AMP): We ensured AMP's representation in its EURegionsTalk, which kicked off the week focusing on sharing best practices and the metropolitan vision for cohesion challenges. 📍LIPOR: Marked its first participation in the European Week of Regions and Cities by attending strategic sessions and hosting the EURegionsTalk "Turning Waste into Shared Energy," dedicated to waste recovery and shared renewable energy production. Our work is about building bridges between local challenges and European opportunities, ensuring that our regions and entities have a stage and a voice. Congratulations to all our clients and partners for their work during this edition! 🤝🌎 #MagellanCircle #EURegionsWeek #CIMDouro #ViseuDaoLafoes #AMP #LIPOR #Brussels #TerritorialCohesion #StrategicRepresentation #EuropeanUnion #RegionalDevelopment #Networking

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲: 𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆! From Europe's largest cities to its smallest villages, strong regions mean more opportunities, better services and a better quality of life for people. That was a central message as the 24th European Week of Regions and Cities kicked off today, bringing together EU leaders, regional and local representatives, and stakeholders to discuss how to build a more competitive, resilient and cohesive Europe. The opening session, featuring European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Council of the European Union President António Costa, European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto and European Committee of the Regions President Kata Tüttő, put regions and cities at the heart of Europe's future. Key messages from the opening day: 🔹 Cohesion Policy adapting to new challenges: €35 billion reallocated under the mid-term review, including more than €15 billion for competitiveness and almost €12 billion for defence and security. 🔹 Investing in Europe's future: A simpler, more flexible EU budget that responds to changing priorities while maintaining a strong role for regions and local partners. 🔹 The Right to Stay: Giving people real opportunities to build their futures where they call home, with access to jobs, infrastructure and quality public services. 🔹 Recognising every region's potential: Tailored EU strategies for cities, Eastern Border Regions, islands and Outermost Regions, reflecting the diverse challenges and opportunities across Europe. 🔹 Stronger partnerships, better results: Ensuring regions and cities have a meaningful role in shaping and delivering EU investments. The takeaway? Europe's future is not only shaped in Brussels. It is built every day in our regions, cities and communities — with Cohesion Policy helping turn European priorities into real opportunities for people. And the discussions continue tomorrow, including a dedicated high-level session on the Right to Stay. 📺 Follow #EURegionsWeek and watch the sessions online. https://lnkd.in/gc_u9PW7 #CohesionPolicy #EUFunds #StrongRegionsStrongEurope

Several responses are possible; it all depends on the stakes, the positions, and the context. I always take these factors into account when determining my lobbying positions and ensuring alignment with the clients with whom I collaborate on our shared interests..

🎥 A new video from the Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 Programme explores this question through the stories of two projects and the voices of young people from across the cooperation area. BRIGANTINE and FishNoWaste are just two examples of how cross-border cooperation is addressing shared challenges. The video also looks ahead, highlighting the importance of involving young people in shaping the future of Italy-Croatia cooperation, building on the ideas and perspectives shared during the Youth4Sea event in Ancona. 🌊From concrete projects to new ideas, cooperation is helping build a more sustainable, resilient and connected Adriatic. 👉 Watch the video and discover the impact of cooperation across borders.

We were delighted to welcome delegates from the European Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) as part of their visit to the Galway region during 6–9 October. Delegates from across Europe toured our facilities, met our technicians and EU project managers, and discussed food innovation, economic trends and the role of European cooperation in regional development. With discussions underway on the future funding of EU cohesion policy, the visit highlighted the importance of European investment for our region. At BIA, we see this through our active involvement in Interreg, connecting regions across Europe to support innovation, share knowledge and address common challenges. 🌳 A special highlight was our tree planting ceremony, symbolising the European Union’s roots in our region and BIA’s strong commitment to European cooperation. Thank you to all the delegates for visiting and sharing their perspectives!

Europe: A Global Player? 🇪🇺 Over the past few days, the Flemish Representation attended the 22nd edition of the Salzburg Europe Summit, hosted by the Institute of the Regions of Europe. This three-day summit brought together international experts, policymakers, and diplomats to address the most pressing challenges facing our continent, ranging from geopolitics and EU enlargement to critical infrastructure, demographic shifts, and the role of youth in strengthening democracy. As a regional representation, participating in these pan-European dialogues is key to reinforcing subnational partnerships, exchanging best practices, and ensuring Flanders remains an active voice on the international stage. Thank you to the organizers and participants for the engaging discussions and valuable connections! 🤝✨ Laurijn van Steenbergen Andréa Vanoppen

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Exploring the future of Europa Nostra’s network in Scotland On 14 September, Europa Nostra, as Project Leader of the EU-funded European Heritage Hub, met with its Scottish members and key contacts to discuss how to take forward the initiative to establish a Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Scotland. The meeting brought together representatives from @National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Civic Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, reflecting Scotland’s longstanding contribution to the Europa Nostra movement. The gathering builds on the strong interest expressed during Europa Nostra Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović’s visit to Edinburgh for the “Heritage Matters” event, held at Edinburgh City Chambers on 17 March 2026, which gave renewed impetus to the relationship between Europa Nostra and Scotland’s rich and diverse heritage movement. The exchange marked a first step in exploring how this initiative could develop and further strengthen this longstanding partnership.   #EuropaNostra #culturalheritage #Scotland #EuropeanHeritageHub

MECOG-CE in Brussels: How can we strengthen cooperation between the city and the surrounding municipalities? We participated in the European Week of Regions and Cities, which is being held in Brussels for the 24th time this year. The European Committee of the Regions selected our seminar, “Guiding Strong Intermunicipal Cooperation with Practical Tools,” from among a total of 400 submitted proposals. We focused on how cities and municipalities can cooperate more effectively across administrative boundaries and jointly develop their functional areas. 💡 We presented practical tools and recommendations from our project, which address, among other things, enhancing mobility, participatory processes, and food cooperation between the city and its hinterland. In doing so, we highlighted concrete ways to develop metropolitan cooperation and improve its governance. 🌍 Interest in the topic was further confirmed by the seminar itself, which was fully booked. Participants also included representatives from South Korea, demonstrating that the issue of cooperation across administrative boundaries resonates even beyond Europe. #EURegionsWeek #Interreg #MetropolitanCooperation #MECOGCE #Governance European Committee of the Regions Soňa Raszková, Ondřej Cmoriak

Why does EU Competitiveness need Cohesion Policy? Lately, we have heard a lot about the need to make Europe stronger, faster, and more geopolitically independent. However, the 2026 Annual Report by the European Committee of the Regions clearly emphasizes that Europe cannot become stronger globally if it weakens its internal cohesion. Real challenges and transformations dont just happen in Brussels offices; they take place directly in our cities and local communities. Here are the key takeaways from the report on what European cities are facing right now: 1. Centralization vs. Cohesion Policy. The debate around the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034) has highlighted the risk of excessive centralization. Trying to focus resources only on a few top innovation hubs might bring short-term results, but in the long run, it will widen the gap between regions. Cohesion Policy is not just a “compensation” for those lagging behind. It is a vital tool that connects every part of the EU to the single market, supporting local infrastructure, skills, and human capital. Competitiveness and cohesion are not competing goals – they depend on each other to survive. 2. The Housing Crisis and Energy Poverty Housing has turned from a purely social issue into an economic challenge that slows down labor mobility: 1.3 million people remain homeless across the EU; 1 in 10 citizens struggles with housing affordability; 75% of the EUs building stock is energy inefficient or poorly adapted to summer heatwaves. Cities need direct investments in municipal and affordable housing, as well as clear tools to regulate short-term rentals. 3. Demographic Decline and the “Right to Stay”. By 2050, about 3 out of 4 EU regions are expected to see population shrinkage. Around 135 million Europeans live in regions trapped in economic stagnation or decline. The outflow of young people and specialists (for instance, a shortage of over 1.2 million healthcare professionals) creates areas of deprivation. The report insists on implementing the concept of the “Right to Stay” – guaranteeing quality public services, digital connectivity, housing, and jobs no matter where a person was born. 4. Security, Civil Resilience, and Pressure on Local Democracy. Pressure on leaders: 8 out of 10 locally elected representatives report signs of pressure on democracy, and 4 out of 10 have experienced threats of physical violence. At the same time, local government remains the level of governance with the highest citizen trust (63%). To sum up, strengthening European autonomy and global competitiveness is impossible at the expense of regional development. A stronger Europe starts with stronger regions and cities. To overcome modern challenges, the EU must preserve the principles of multilevel governance, a territorial approach, and reliable funding for Cohesion Policy in the next budget cycle.

⬜️ Strong Regions. Strong Europe: The EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities 2026 ⬜️ Published on 12 October 2026 by the European Committee of the Regions, the seventh edition of the EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities takes stock of the key challenges facing Europe’s territories and highlights solutions from the ground to help shape future EU policies. 📍 What are the key takeaways? 📍 ▪️ Competitiveness needs cohesion: Strengthening Europe’s industrial competitiveness requires place-based investment, modernised energy infrastructure, decarbonisation and support for a fair transition. ▪️ Resilience is essential: Regions face different vulnerabilities and need stronger EU support for climate adaptation, preparedness and resilience. ▪️ The right to stay matters: With 135 million Europeans living in regions experiencing stagnation or decline, investment in jobs, housing, essential services and connectivity is crucial to ensuring quality of life across all territories. ▪️ Cohesion underpins a stronger Europe: The report highlights the importance of involving regions and cities in EU policymaking and maintaining strong cohesion policy to address territorial disparities and build a more competitive, resilient and fair Europe. 📖 Explore the full report, factsheet and digital story summarising its key findings here: https://lnkd.in/dCQcQhEQ #EURegionsWeek