Media programme coverage

As the 2022 European Year of Youth comes to an end and the 2023 European Year of Skills begins, one way to build a bridge between them is the EU’s concerted effort to include young people in Research and Innovation (R&I) policies. Anna Panagopoulou, Director for European Research Area & Innovation for the Directorate General for Research & Innovation at the European Commission, points out that integrating young scientists into R&I shapes the field’s future sustainability at an environmental...

This week has seen further escalation of conflict in Ukraine, with Russia bombing Ukrainian cities and damaging civilian infrastructure, leaving 19 people dead and 105 wounded. The bombings also had a great cost on the average Ukrainian – 301 settlements have stayed without electricity as a consequence of damage to civilian infrastructure. As normality of life is again threatened by the escalation of war, Europe must prepare for a new wave of Ukrainian refugees. But as in chaos lays opportunity...

One of the most vulnerable groups in the labour market is the youth. After the so-called corona crisis, inflation and war are looming over European economics, as unemployment among young people is increasing. What can regions and small cities do to fight against this problem? More than 71 million young people live in the EU nowadays. From all of them, 5 million are currently seeking for a job without succeeding. Meanwhile, employers try to attract them with more and more sophisticated methods...

Brussels - The EU Regions Week officially started on Monday afternoon, gathering hundreds of representatives from local and regional institutions and entities in the European Parliament’s Hemicycle. This first event was a way to reflect on regions and cities’ achievements and to prepare for upcoming challenges and crisis. The Political Opening was held after Monday morning’s Russian missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, where more than 10 people died and severe damages were...

Mental health issues like anxiety, depression and other mood disturbances have always been common. However, during the pandemic, people’s mental health has significantly worsened. We’ve lost our freedom to socialize, there was a period in our life where we couldn’t meet our friends and that has taken a toll on our psychological well-being. But how bad is the situation? By Viktória Šiketová (Edited by Marta Silvia Viganò) The 2021 European Week for Cities and Regions featured the event Recover...

Small towns and villages suffer from a widespread disease, and a keen-eyed observer will not need these statistics to recognize this. Lower rates of educational offers, fewer job opportunities, more difficulties accessing public and private services, and even accessing leisure and cultural activity: small cities often mean great decline. By Clémence Maquet (Edited by Dinah Ahl) For many small towns, the increase in the average age and the urban exodus of their population over the years have had...

The pro/anti-migration debate has been taking up a generous amount of space in the EU’s media and political sphere, especially in the last ten years. But what effect is migration having on Europe? New data may shed light on this question. By Jagoda Sadowska and Sarah Nassar Badwy (Edited by Vilde Skorpen Wikan) Migration is a topic of fierce debate in Europe. And many member states are not seeing eye to eye on the value of opening their borders to refugees and immigrants. For example, anti...

Aging, depopulation and loneliness are realities witnessed in more and more regions in countries across Europe. But now regional, national and EU-initiatives are seeking to stop and reverse this situation. By Xoel Rodríguez (Edited by Vilde Skorpen Wikan) European regions must focus on the impact that demographic change is having on our countries. Various demographic challenges and possible solutions were presented by the Galicia Europe Foundation and the Department of Social Policy of the...

There sat four people. It was the second workshop, Cohesion Policy 2021-2021 and NextGenerationEU: making it real in Europe’s regions and cities. By Onur Anamur (Edited by Dino Subašić) Two were members of the Committee of the Regions, the EU’s advisory committee on regional policy comprised of municipal and regional politicians: a Frisian alderman, Rob Jonkman, and Isabelle Boudineau, vice-president of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. There sat also two eurocrats: high-ranking communications officer...

More than half of the human population today lives in urban areas even though cities produce 60 % of greenhouse gas emissions. To make cities more sustainable and inclusive, urbanists have developed smart cities strategies. At an event of the European Week of the Regions and the Cities, four innovators showed how they are overcoming challenges, like the lack of financing and citizens’ support, while implementing smart initiatives. By Valeria Pavlenko (Edited by Dinah Ahl) Every urban area has...