About this course
Did you know that three quarters of EU policies affect our
everyday lives in our regions and cities? Did you know that regional and
local governments in Europe manage two thirds of all public
investments? Be it the economy, social affairs, territorial cohesion,
education, youth or culture, energy, environment, transport, immigration
– local government in Europe matters.
The importance of the regional and local dimension has continued to
increase in Europe. Among the EU institutions in Brussels, the European
Committee of the Regions stands up for the rights of citizens, ensuring
that the local perspective is heard and giving communities a voice in
Europe.
This introductory course aims to explain how the European Union works
and what the European regions' place is within it. Join us to (re)define
the role of regions in European policy making!
Who is this course for?
This course is for everybody interested in the EU and its regional
affairs, particularly for officials of regional and local
administrations involved in EU affairs and for teachers, students, and
local journalists.
What do I need to know?
Recommended background: basic knowledge of European Union
What will I learn?
In this course you will learn about how the EU institutions function,
how they work together and how this impacts policies and activities at
the regional and local level.
Course Structure
Chapter 1: EU institutions and legislation
This chapter focuses on the European Union and its legal foundations,
institutions and legislation. How did we come to the EU of today? What
are the EU institutions and how do they work? Moreover it explains the
basics of the EU's legislative process and the guiding principles of EU
law.
With Professor Alberto Alemanno, HEC University, Paris
Chapter 2: The role of regions and cities in EU affairs
The level of decentralisation varies among EU Member States, but
regardless of this, the EU matters to all regions and cities and vice
versa. This chapter looks into the different levels of government in the
EU and their cooperation and influence of regions and cities on EU
policies. What are the trends in the development of regions and cities'
roles in the EU’s political system? What does multilevel governance
mean? What are the upcoming challenges for regions and cities and their
"constitutional role” in the EU?
With Markku Markkula, President of the Committee of the Regions;
Professor Michel Huysseune, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels; and
Hella Dunger-Löper, State Secretary, Representative of the Land of
Berlin to the Federal Government
Chapter 3: EU Cohesion Policy and Structural and Investment Funds
This chapter describes the development and current implementation of EU
Cohesion Policy and the European Structural and Investment Funds in
2014-2020. Representing one third of the EU budget, EU Cohesion Policy
and the European Structural and Investment Funds are an important source
of funding regional and local projects, with management often at the
sub-national level. What is the key rationale of EU Cohesion Policy? How
has it developed over time? What will be the future of EU Cohesion
Policy?
With Iskra Mihaylova, Chair of the Committee for Regional
Development, European Parliament; Walter Deffaa, Director General for
Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission; and Professor John
Bachtler, European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow
Chapter 4: Research and innovation; social, employment, education and youth policies
This chapter is twofold: it presents on the other hand the European
employment, social affairs and equal opportunities policies, which aim
to increase employment and worker mobility, to improve the quality of
jobs and working conditions, to combat poverty and social exclusion, to
promote equality, and to modernise social protection systems. On the
other hand it discusses the implementation of innovation policies and
smart specialisation strategies, a priority for all member states and
their regions. These strategies will help to tap into their regional
innovation potential, thanks to EU support.
With Professor Dominique Foray, École Polytechnique Fédérale de
Lausanne, Switzerland; Katja Reppel, DG Regional and Urban Policy,
European Commission; and Manuel Palazuelos Martinez, Joint Research
Centre, European Commission
Chapter 5: Environment, natural resources, energy and sustainable development policies
Regions and cities are of key importance when it comes to implementing
the EU’s environment legislation and its sustainable development
targets. At the same time, regions and cities are unevenly affected by
the effects of climate change and the challenges and possibilities of
the Energy Union. This chapter focuses on the Paris Protocol: climate
change, energy policy and the role of regions and cities: Which are the
biggest challenges of the EU's policy on climate change? What role can
the regions and cities play with regards to EU climate and energy
policy?
With Jos Delbeke, Director General for Climate Action, European Commission
Chapter 6: Free movement and migration
Migration and the integration of migrant populations are of key
political importance at the local level. The objective of this this
chapter is to discuss the rationale, legislation and major challenges of
related EU policies and the way in which regions and cities are
involved in it. What is the role of regions and cities in addressing
migration and how can the EU support them? Does increasing international
migration require the reform of the welfare state and labour market
institutions and if so, how would the EU be involved in it?
With Claude Moraes, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs at the European Parliament (tbc)
Chapter 7: Regions and the single market: industry, SME, competition and digital policies
This chapter is an introduction to the main principles and sources of EU
competition policy and state aid legislation. What is the scope, volume
and impact of (regional) state aids in the EU? What links the regional
state aids and EU Structural and Investment Funds? Moreover, it presents
the EU's SME and digital policies.
With Fiona Wishlade, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Chapter 8: The EU budget, programmes and projects
The objective of this chapter is to highlight the historical development
and legal foundations of the EU budget, the way its revenue and
expenditure is composed, how different EU programmes are managed and the
key issues with regards to its future. Which are the main actors in
setting up, implementing and controlling the EU budget? What are the
main challenges when it comes to its implementation, in particular for
(sub-) national authorities?
With Stefan Lehner, Director at DG Budget, European Commission
and Jorge Nunez Ferrer, Associate Research Fellow, Centre of European
Policy Studies