This own-initiative opinion has the dual aim of taking stock of the current state of R&I infrastructure in the European Union and providing recommendations in view of the implementation of the next Framework Programme (FP) 9 for Research and Innovation at the local and regional level.

This report will look at the implementation of macro-regional strategies, with a particular focus on the Danube strategy and the issue of clusters.

Michiel Rijsberman will address the question of what will happen with the EU budget post-Brexit and which themes and conditions will be attached to the funds. “We keep urging to maintain the budget for our policies, to concentrate on sustainability and innovation and for less bureaucracy”.

This report concerns the very specific issue of facilitating the authorization and implementation of the projects of common interest on the Trans-European Transport core network (TEN-T) corridors.

François Decoster supports the reform of the comitology system.

The objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport by at least 60% compared with 1990 levels by 2050 can only be achieved by making profound changes to the way we move people and goods today.

Vorklaev will contribute to avoiding the digital divide and setting the pace towards 5G.

Martikainen will look at the implementation of the EU Forest Strategy and add to its review, calling on the Commission to offer appropriate empowerment options to regions and cities

Local actors play a key role in making local areas a safe place to live.

The defence industry & technology is an important part of many regions’ economies. Dainis Turlais (LV) will initiate a discussion on the EU defence policy after 2025 to strengthen the role of the EU in defence while focusing on research as well as on development and acquisition to ensure cooperation in defence equipment and technology.

Rapporteur Clavijo Batlle will thoroughly update the way that ORs are taken into account in European policies and provide a response to the expectations of European citizens in these regions.

Digital solutions can play a key role in building a new model of government which is more transparent, simpler, more efficient, more inclusive and thus more in tune with users’ aspirations.

Competitive services, particularly business services, are crucial for productivity and cost competitiveness in other sectors such as manufacturing which are vital for regional and local economies.

As rapporteur on a Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic area, Jerry Lundy aims at delivering smart, sustainable & inclusive growth.

The European Committee of the Regions has appointed Mr Michiel Rijsberman (NL/ALDE) rapporteur on the ‘Energy efficiency and buildings’ opinion which will analyse both proposals simultaneously.

François Decoster aims at relaunching the “Erasmus for local and regional elected representatives. This Erasmus initiative would allow elected representatives to enhance their knowledge about EU affairs and regional politicians could thus also learn from each other and launch joint initiatives to the citizens’ benefit!

As the guardian of the interests of local and regional authorities, it is essential for the European Committee of the Regions to evaluate whether the legislative proposal on regulation on the financial rules has taken on board the views of European Cities and Regions, as expressed in its opinions. Based on this evaluation, the CoR will suggest amendments to the legislative proposal where necessary.

Missing links in border regions form part of a wider issue: lack of financing for the development of local and regional transport infrastructure. In view of the upcoming budgetary review there is a necessity to intensify the political effort to close the missing transport links in Europe’s border region.

The opinion aims to support internet connectivity of high quality based on very high-speed broadband services, financial assistance within the Union to contribute to the EU’s economic, social and territorial cohesion. To supports the interim target whereby a 5G connection should be available as a commercial service in at least one major city in each Member State by 2020.

Water management is a capital-intensive policy area in which major investments are made, and these investments will only increase. We need to have a comprehensive approach by including all related policy areas such as agriculture, energy, economy, health… This would reduce possible disinvestment, and create new opportunities and grounds for innovation.

Space isn’t irrelevant for regions nor is it too far away: space matters, whether through satellite navigation or Earth observation programmes! “A good European space policy can help create jobs, boost growth, and be of strategic importance, pushing the boundaries of science and technology”.

The enlargement strategy and the accession of new Member States acts as a guarantee of EU policy implementation and the success of Europe as a whole. While there will be no further EU enlargement during its term of office (2014-2019), the ongoing enlargement process will continue. The process has now reached the point where enlargement discussions with Turkey have been put on hold for various political reasons.

EU laws should be as simple and reduce the costs of regulation, so that citizens, businesses and authorities can reap the intended benefits of them in the easiest and most straightforward way. To achieve this, the European Commission launched the Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) programme in 2012, and set up the REFIT platform composed of relevant stakeholders, which collects suggestions and makes recommendations on how to simplify laws.

Alcohol abuse has a large impact on our society, whether it is on the societal, social or economic level. With her report, Ewa-May Karlsson focuses on future action and prevention plans for alcohol-related issues at the EU level with an important contribution from local authorities.

The European Union is facing major societal challenges including migration, ageing, unemployment, climate change and the energy transition. Although these challenges call for significant European investment over the longer term, it is important to be alert to everyday issues in cities and regions, and to look for the solutions at grassroots level rather than in a top-down way. These challenges need to be tackled in a different way, since existing approaches are not bringing us any closer to a solution, and the problems continue to accumulate.

The rapporteur and President of the ALDE Group in the Committee of the Regions (ALDE-CoR) Bart Somers recently presented his report on how to combat radicalisation and prevent violent extremism. As Mayor of Mechelen in Belgium, a very diverse city of 124 nationalities, he has firsthand experience on policies that can help local authorities preventing the process of radicalisation

The liberalization of the European aviation market served us well – we have seen strong growth, jobs, trade and mobility but emerging economies outside of the EU and new actors like the ones from the Gulf states make competition fiercer on the European aviation market. We therefore need a more comprehensive European Aviation strategy because a competitive and viable European aviation sector is important for all regional development.

Fraud, fragmentation and the complexity of the VAT system are a major challenge especially for border regions and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Therefore the members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) broadly support the European Commission’s move to modernise VAT in the EU through an opinion prepared by Dainis Turlais (LV/ALDE).

In order to meet the economic, environmental and social challenges created by all this waste, the European Committee of the regions’ rapporteur, Ossi Martikainen (FI/ALDE), called on the EU to adopt a minimum target of reducing food waste by 30% by 2025. In his report adopted at the June plenary, he encourages local and regional authorities to take action by putting in place effective prevention and awareness programmes.