 Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We are going to start our meeting in this second day of our October week. Before starting, we will proceed to the adoption of the agenda. If there is any comments, we consider the agenda adopted. Now move to the approval of the minutes of our 150th Plenary session held on June 29th and 30th. If there is no comments, the minutes are adopted. So dear colleagues, I would like to welcome you all to the second day of this October week. We have launched yesterday the 20th edition of the European Week of Regents and Cities in the hemicycle of the European Parliament. I think the calendar of meetings for next year has also been published in the COR's internet and internet sites and will be printed for the next plenary session when all commission meeting dates have been confirmed. The calendar contains the dates of the plenary sessions as approved by the Bureau in June and the date of the commission meetings. Now we are going to move to point number five under the debate on the state of regions and cities. Dear first vice president of the Committee of the Regents, presidents of the political groups, chairs of commissions, dear colleagues, I come to you at this moment and this place, at this place to address the state of regions and cities of our union. I think I could do it with a fancy speech, nice words and good sounding phrases. But right here and right now, I want to start by bringing out the voice of the ones who make our cities, our regions, our communities. The voice of the worker, of the farmer, of the entrepreneur, of the businessman, the voice of the citizens. So let me be the voice of that young person who is eager to live independently, but who is lost in a relentless fight to find decent housing. Let me be the voice of that parent who struggles to find decent and affordable they care for their child. Let me be the voice of that worker who doesn't know if there will be a decent job once the factory closes. Let us be the voice of the small business owner who had to shut down their store and fire their staff because the costs have increased by ten times. Let us be the voice of the one among the millions who flat an European country, Ukraine, leaving everything behind, their lives ravaged by a brutal and illegal war and questioning themselves. What happens now? Let us be the voice of that tourist and camper who ran away from wildfires. Let us be the voice of the ones who doubt if their grandchildren will be able to grow old in a liveable and breathable environment. Let us, here and once more, be the voice of citizens who don't know if they are being heard. The state of regions and cities can only be the state of people lives across Europe in all their diversities. The same way, the state of the European Union cannot be fully and completely assessed if we forget the state of its regions and cities. We, the local and regional democratic representatives, know because we face them on a daily basis that the doubts and fears of millions of Europeans exist are legitimate and require answers. All of us, bound by our political duty, bound by our democratic responsibility, we don't run away from providing answers. And indeed, we have been providing answers with solidarity. Here, and today, we can inspire ourselves in many stories that give us... It mobilized 14,000 volunteers, the president's lost his microphone, I'm afraid. Italy and France provided medical assistance, housing, education and legal assistance. Pride in Antwerp for being a pioneer in dealing with the mental health consequences of COVID-19 amongst the most vulnerable, particularly the young. Pride in La Pendrata in Finland, where seven artificial swamps were constructed using rainwater to protect biodiversity. Pride in Arabia, Silesia in the Czech Republic, which is leading the way towards a transition to a climate neutral economy where 5,000 people are now moving to zero emission vehicles. Pride in La Rioja in Spain, which is inspiring us to put gender equality at the heart of government with having plans to support professional life, personal life and to help companies get women into the workforce. Pride in Poitiers in France, where the spirit of permanent dialogue that we asked for has seen a citizen's forum being established where you have volunteers, local civil society stakeholders and companies getting together to shape the way their community faces the future. We can go on and on with more and more examples. There are so many of them, so many of these stories of regions, cities throughout the EU, which show on a daily basis the road that we need to follow. They are meeting people's challenges and questions and giving them opportunities and solutions. These are stories from all over Europe. I'm sharing them with you because they are a powerful statement of how citizens can be beacons for solidarity, for progress and hope. Regions and cities can be beacons for the values and principles of Europe. That's why I want to testify to the essential work that mayors and councillors and local administrations carry out in the EU on a daily basis in many different places. You make Europe on a daily basis. Let's not forget that. No one should forget this. We have to recognize their work. That's something we all need to do. Regions and cities I bring you today does not happen in isolation behind our borders or far from the challenges on the world. It has been now more than seven months that Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal war machine against Ukraine, bringing death and destruction in a way that our continent had long forgotten. This attack, which is not only an attack on a sovereign country, is also an attack on our values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. It is an attack on what the European Union stands for. It's an attack on each and every one of us. Since day one, regions and cities across Europe have answered to the sirens of war with the face of solidarity. We provided shelter, opened our schools, set up dorms, distributed first aid kits and sent vehicles. While we were first responders, we immediately looked into the future, a bright future, with a reconstructed Ukraine at peace and moving towards the European Union membership. The European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, which we have launched along with our partner associations of local and regional authorities in the EU and in Ukraine, aims to contribute to the success of the reconstruction effort by fostering city to city and region to region cooperation. The Alliance has also the role to stress the importance of local and regional levels of governance in the reconstruction effort. Especially today, especially after yesterday's terrible attack on Ukrainian cities, it reminds us that the road to peace is still long and resolve must remain our compass. We stand for a sovereign Ukraine and its territorial integrity and unity. No sham referenda will alter this reality. This is the message of solidarity and resolve I want to convey to the Ukrainian people and to the Ukrainian regions and cities on behalf of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. You are not alone, and you have our full and continuous support in this terrible endeavor. This is also the message I would like to convey to President von der Leyen and the European Commission. The task to rebuild Ukraine is of historical proportions. We praise the announcement of 100 million euros to rebuild Ukraine's schools as a commitment for the future. The local and regional authorities have an important role to play here. We are willing to help. I would also like to take this opportunity to present a concrete proposal in view of the Berlin Reconstruction Conference. A specific budget line available for regional and local cooperation in reconstruction efforts. We answered the call and stand ready to do more. Give us the tools, and we will help to get the job done. The social and economic consequences of this terrible war are being felt deeply amongst us. The energy crisis we are experiencing is really hitting households hard. That is to say the most vulnerable and companies and industry. We have to face up to this. Once again, regions and towns and cities are the first to have to deal with this burden on people's shoulders. Worrying signs are being seen throughout Europe with our towns and cities that might have shortages of electricity and are fighting to provide essential services to their citizens, such as public transport, waste management or simply just to keep children warm in school so they are not sent back home to learn remotely. Turning ambient temperatures down in public buildings, turning lights off for monuments at night and reducing speed limits in towns and cities investing in green energies are some of the initiatives that are being taken at the local and regional level. There are many of these initiatives, but it is not an easy thing to do. Solidarity is once again at stake here in Europe. That's why local and regional authorities need to be supported. They need to be supported in their energy saving efforts and we will help. A union in which people have to choose between eating and heating is not a union that can stand. Dear colleagues, the dire situation we face today in the field of energy is part of a larger equation, a larger transformation of our societies. The speed at which now we are reducing our dependency from fossil fuels should not, I repeat, should not only be because they come from Russia. This is what we should have been doing already for decades to shift towards the climate neutral economy. The terrible fires of this summer are another stark reminder of the climate emergency we live in today. This is a question of survival. Tomorrow we will debate our vision ahead of the COP 27. As the global goal for adaptation is on the table, let's ensure that it finds its roots in what it has done at local level. Overcoming global challenges such as the climate crisis will be faster, easier and more efficient if done with us and with citizens. As an institution we also have a duty to act. This is why we are already moving to put the Committee of the Regions on track to become a climate neutral institution. With the objective of cutting our eally carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by the end of 2030. We will also implement immediate actions as an institution to reduce our energy consumption. This should not remain within the walls of our administration. Only and therefore, starting at our next external bureau in Sweden next spring, I suggest having a political reporting of our climate action. And I count on every one of you to take part to this effort and again to lead by example. Dear colleagues, with the existential threat of the climate crisis and the consequences of the brutal war against Ukraine. Let us not forget that we spent almost the last three years dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. We now live in it with its human, social and economic cost. All these challenges narrow down to the need to make our union fit for purpose. Making the lives of our people better every day in a healthy environment and with respect to our fundamental values. And this starts with proper investment. For decades, cohesion policy contributed to the reduction of the territorial divide. And I am proud to count on a strong partnership with Commissioner Lisa Freira, our closest ally. The crisis we face from the pandemic management and its recovery to welcoming displaced people from Ukraine and the energy crunch have heavily mobilized cohesion policy. This is why it is now time to start the debate on the future of cohesion policy. Tomorrow we will launch a new cohesion alliance. Together we demand associations of regions and cities in order to be the main arena for discussion, to mobilize allies, but also those who are yet to be convinced of the added value of cohesion policy. Do no harm to cohesion. Should not be a dead letter and the work starts now. It must help us ensuring a strong territorial dimension across all EU policies with high territorial impact beyond cohesion policy itself. This is why the Committee of the Regions will work on ensuring that all EU policies integrate the do no harm to cohesion principle introduced by Commissioner Lisa Freira earlier this year. This is particularly timely, also in view of the review of the multi-annual financial framework announced by the European Commission for next year. This budget was prepared in a different context and it needs to be repurposed to ensure Europe's strategic autonomy to prepare for the reconstruction of Ukraine and to prepare ourselves for any new health threats. We therefore need to adapt it and make an ambitious budget that will deliver to all citizens. However, the review should not be used to affect fundamental policies such as cohesion policy. Future EU investment policies and instruments should learn from the experience of next generation EU, which poorly engage with regional and local authorities both in drafting and implementing it. Again and again and again I repeat, only by involving regions and cities will EU policies and programs achieve their best results and strengthen our communities. Ensuring sustainable investments and engaging reforms that will make our Union fairer and more effective go hand in hand with the social contract that unites us. I have mentioned it already. The social distress is high today in Europe and as we are now devising the policies of tomorrow, let's not forget the initial mission of European integration. Ensuring social progress. As a Union in our regions, in our cities, we shall ensure access to housing, lift children out of poverty, promote gender equality, provide quality jobs, educate our youth, develop our hospitals. As 2023 will be the European year of skills, well, let's use our local and regional talents to build this social Europe that leaves no one behind. Carus Collegas Before we hear your opinions and positions on the state of regions and cities in the European Union, I wanted to say why I think we're all involved in this mission. We're all involved and committed to change, because not only do we have a democratic mandate, but we have a duty as well, a democratic duty. Thirty years ago when the Maastricht duty was signed, a new dimension was added to European democracy, which we today represent the local and regional dimension. The dimension which is the guardian of the principle of subsidiarity, which is a pillar of a democratic Union, 30 years on, at a time when the conference on the future of Europe reached its conclusion, there's still even more need for local and regional development, and even more involvement in all European Union policies and in all channels of participation and dialogue. Here at the Committee of the Regions, we realised that we needed to have permanent dialogue with citizens. Democracy is not a static thing. It's something that needs to constantly evolve. There's a subtle balance between representative practices and deliberative practices. That's why we have been pioneers in our involvement with young people. It's not because this year is a year for young people, but actually it's because it's something that we advocate, it's something that we defend. I think that we can all be proud that in our next plenary session we will have the European Charter on Youth and Democracy, which was drawn up with young people and youth organisations together. That's why the Committee of the Regions is ready to help member states in organising initiatives to increase women's participation in local and regional elections. As we also carry out a role in the conclusions of the conference on the future of Europe, we have a role to play in implementing the conclusions from the conference at our level and also to do our own homework as part of our duties under the current treaties. Obviously, if a convention were to come about, which is something that this assembly supports, we will be ready to contribute and guarantee the participation of local and regional voices in this constitutional exercise. And we're not going to remain at a standstill. We are elected local and regional representatives and we have to represent them and make sure that their voices contribute in a timely fashion to the debates at the European level. The conference may well have finished, but the work goes on. We have to start preparing the next European elections and the next term of office. We need to have a series of initiatives to prepare and to shape and form a vision for the next strategic agenda and new political guidelines for the future European Commission, which will be presented before those next elections. The list of tasks is long. The expectations are high. One hundred days ago, you have elected me as your president and I committed to work with all of you for a stronger and fairer Europe to defend cohesion policy and to raise the political profile of our assembly. We have a duty to deliver to help erase the doubts in the eyes and the fears in the voices of people in our cities and regions. Let us deliver more solidarity, more cohesion, more democracy and the state of regions and cities in the European Union. And because of that, the state of the Union itself can only be stronger and brighter. Thank you. Thank you. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I now give the floor to our members. Mr. Geblevic, you have the floor for five minutes. Dear President, dear colleagues, Putin has not only invaded Ukraine. In fact, he attacked all of Europe. Every European city, every European region suffers the consequences of Putin's bloody invasion on an independent Ukraine. After two long years when our society and local communities were suffering from COVID-19 pandemic, we are now facing new challenges, racketing energy prices, possible shortages in gas, energy, heat supplies in winter, growing inflation, refuge for our Ukrainian friends escaping from Russian bombs and rockets that are destroying their houses every day, even yesterday and even today. Once again, it is us, the local and regional authorities across Europe, who are on the front line trying to protect vulnerable families and that struggles to make ends meet. And at the same time, we remain on the front line when it comes to addressing the climate change, as well as implementing measures needed to close their digital divide. I must stress that any European or national leader who fails to recognize the crucial role of regions and cities in this complex crisis is lacking political vision, is unaware of the facts on the ground. The EPP Group in the Committee of Regents urged an implementation of European measures to protect the most vulnerable in our societies and economies, particularly those affected by rising costs of energy. However, these measures should be in close coordination with the regional and local level so they really reach the households and businesses that really need support to avoid a danger of accelerating inflation. We also firmly convinced that EU should return to its master's spirit as announced by President of the European Commission. But we need to remember that one of the main principles included to the Maastricht Treaty was cohesion as a fundamental value in the EU. Unfortunately, in recent times, cohesion and founding has been mainly used to response emergencies, such as COVID-19 crisis or welcoming refugees fleeing the war. Therefore, repurposing cohesion funding will not work in favour of EU long-term development. We need cohesion to be reinforced and cohesion policy to be brought back on the track supporting long-term regional development, including the green and digital transition for our regions. In the face of economic hardship, we as regional and local leaders should also stand firm and continue delivering on the democratic commitment of European regions, towns and villages. We should present citizens the right arguments to counter populism and propaganda. We also have a moral duty to continue supporting Ukrainian refugees and to contribute to international and constructional efforts of the country. Ukrainians are fighting for our democracy and freedom, and we have to support them from the ground in every possible way. I fully agree with President Cordero. Rebuilding Ukraine after war is our common responsibility. This is why we see great need for our joint efforts in alliance for cities and regions for reconstruction of Ukraine. And last but not least, we should also sustain our commitment to drive forward the reform of European democracy that delivers EU citizens. It is a commitment which we took with the Conference on the Future of Europe. Many of the measures in the final proposals of the Conference are linked to work of the Committee of Regions. Therefore, any future convention for a treaty change should involve COR delegation. We see a good intention from the European Commission to continue citizens' dialogues as a permanent mechanism of European democracy. However, we need to also ensure that regional and local elected politicians who are accountable for their citizens are genuinely engaged in European decisions. This will be the only way to be rebuilt trust with the European citizens on a large scale. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. our colleague Gianni, you have the floor for five minutes. Microphone. President, colleagues, good afternoon everyone. Thank you very much because in your opening statement, President, we've got a clear picture of the consequences of this extremely difficult period that we're going through, the pandemic, first of all, then the war in Ukraine and what that has meant and our solidarity in Europe. Ukraine is fighting for its freedom against the Russian invasion and oppression and it's fighting for freedom. That's something that involves us all as Europeans. Then there's the energy plan and the territorial level and the social level to think about. All of this has seen inequalities worsen. The European Socialist group has looked at the inequalities and the European Union is doing its utmost and we have the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in Italy which has offered support with the EU, which gives us a sense of how we as European citizens can go beyond our nationality and do something. We're trying to create an equal future as politicians for a more united society where there's solidarity. We have to try and work at the local and regional level in strong partnerships. It's not a Europe of peoples. We have to make sure that there are prospects for work and what we've heard is that we had the pandemic, then the war and energy costs which are creating major situations of inequality at local levels. This is impacting the social and economic level. We need to make incisive responses. The pandemic has not finished. Let's not forget that. That's having an effect on health systems. Public health systems are facing difficulties with a lack of resources and that has to be one of our major concerns. Here we have a situation where energy costs are having an impact on families, on companies, businesses and on work as well which is why cohesion policies to support SMEs are so important. We need to keep looking for renewable energy sources for public transport which can be decarbonised. We need to strive for energy efficiency in buildings. These are the challenges at the territorial level. We local administrators are at the forefront here. We're on the front line. We have to try and work towards zero emissions and decarbonising and that's something we're seeing throughout Europe. Cohesion policy has a fundamental importance here to avoid gaps between regions. Cohesion policy is part of the European Solidarity Project and should continue as such in all European Member States and regions for all the 450 million European citizens. Policies based on solidarity as European socialists, really are our cornerstone, our guiding light. An equal future means that we have to be very firm in terms of European migration policy. We need to harmonise and we need to be tolerant and show solidarity for those that have problems and are going through the situation we're seeing at the moment. The new social contract that we're trying to create, we need an action plan that is based on Europe, a Europe of the people through the different territorial bodies that represent it. We need to make sure that Europe follows an equal policy which guarantees people's freedoms and makes sure that we are more and more united and makes sure that our local and regional bodies are represented too. Thank you. This year's annual report on the state of the regions and cities aims to illustrate with concrete examples the sustainability with data some of the key issues the regions and cities face. But it's up to us, the local and regional politicians to look for adequate solutions for these challenges. Just when we were at the end of the global pandemic and began the recovery, Russia invaded Ukraine. Before the war, Ukraine had a functional health system. The very first day of the invasion, Russia bombed three hospitals and other 600 hospitals in the coming weeks. The invaders have deliberately targeted and destroyed Ukraine's healthcare facilities, inflicted pain and sufferance on people. Such barbarian attacks, and we saw it yesterday too when they send their missiles in children's playgrounds. Rebuilding these hospitals will be a massive endeavor. The Commission's President pledged in the EU support to reconstruct re-Ukrainian schools. I expect the same commitment to extend the medical facilities. The EU has set up solidarity mechanisms for EU medical transfer of refugees and displaced persons from the member states bordering from Ukraine. 10,000 beds have been made available to patients passing through. This offers at least a glimpse of hope to some 1,500 children with cancer who were undergoing treatment before the beginning of the war. But the Russian aggression has not only impacted on the Ukrainian health system. Our own services stretched, kindly in the pandemic, have suddenly been called again to perform miracles. In particular, I'm thinking of Eastern Europe's health system having to cope with the additional demand. Over the course of the last two years, we have painfully learned that health emergency preparedness and response do not work as well as we would hope it would do. In our united Europe, we saw border closed over the night, communities apart, and effectively stopping our cross-border healthcare cooperation. We saw our hospital overflowing. Suddenly, we all discovered just how dependent we are on foreign suppliers. We realized how vulnerable our health systems really are. We understood that health emergency preparedness and response is the key ingredient of strategic sovereignty that cannot be achieved in silence. Until the March 2020, the WHO, Disease X, might have sounded like a bit science fiction. Today, we know it's not a fantasy. It's that what the future holds. We need to prepare for it at local, regional, and national, EU, and global level. It is a high time to rethink our health architecture to make its future proof. Thank you. Thank you. Colleague Natsimi, you have the floor for two minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair, dear colleagues. The inflation rate in the Euro area reached 10% in September 2022, while in some member states hitting 24% and upper inflation. Most importantly, the continuous increase of the electricity prices is putting in pressure and difficulty our citizens, our businesses, and especially those household at risk of poverty and those of vulnerable groups and SMEs. We are welcoming this debate on the state of the regions and cities so that we can discuss on how we can contribute to our citizens and businesses at regional and local level. First of all, as representatives of local authorities, we are the ones feeling the direct pressure from our citizens and businesses and also the need to react swiftly in times of crisis, especially when governments are not able to do so. In the long term, we have to stick to our strategic goals to take measures in line with the Green Deal objectives and to support the EU strategic autonomy. However, in the mid and short term, we have to deal with the current crisis which requires swift and efficient measures. We have to underline that households across all member states face the challenge of lowering purchasing power in particular low-income households because of the skyrocketing food and energy prices. Our citizens should not be put in a situation to choose between purchasing food and heating and our priority should be to ensure that our citizens and businesses benefit from secure and affordable energy. Of course, we are working on energy-saving strategies, however we need more guidance from the Commission on which should be the measures to be applied in practice in order to ensure these savings without creating and disrupting public services. Dear colleagues, the link between the decisions taken at EU and national level and their impact at regional and local level remains very important. For example, the implementation of the recovery and resilience facilities instrument differs from one member state to another because all depends on the efficiency of the decisions taken by the governments. On the issue of the energy crisis, member states should be the main actors responsible for their own energy mix and should be able to take temporary and targeted energy market interventions, for example, applying a reduced rate of tax on energy or applying compensations. However, the main challenges would be how and when, especially before the start of the winter season. As local representatives, we need to prioritize EU initiatives and projects which would have a direct and visible impact at regional and local level, improving the everyday life of our citizens and businesses, especially SMEs. The constructive dialogue with our national but also EU authorities will enhance our European solidarity. By finding solutions, the current crisis, the Union, will prove to be accessible to closer to its citizens. Thank you, Mr Chair. Thank you. Colleague Marsilio, you have the floor for five minutes. Thank you, President. The state of the regions and cities this year and the statement of that gives us an important view of what's happening with digitalization, the climate and so on and so forth. The European Union and for local authorities is still very important, but for our continent there's no bigger challenge than the geopolitical instability due to the energy crisis and due to what's happening with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which has caused thousands of deaths. We've had the biggest refugee crisis since World War II and food shortages at the world level. Putin annexed Ukrainian territories and has threatened to use nuclear weapons and has shown this willingness to go to war and kill innocent people. It's not just soldiers that are being challenged. Normal people have stayed back in Ukraine to defend their country. There's no better show of patriotism than this. Putin, of course, has brought war and misery to Ukraine, but also inflation and high energy costs to the European Union's cities and regions as well. As presidents of regions and trade unions and local authorities, we're seeing spiralling energy costs. The vast majority of Europeans want to keep supporting Ukraine in their fight against Russia, according to the Eurobarometer. Most Europeans support giving aid to Ukraine and hosting Ukrainians fleeing the war and also support supplying military equipment. Europeans know that this is not just a war between Ukraine and Russia, but it's a war between the West and a war of values. We need to encourage the Committee of the Regions to do more to help citizens from Ukraine. Freedom always needs to be defended, whatever the costs. Talking about costs, we need to reflect on our energy policy, which needs particular attention and revision as well. This policy over a number of years has failed. That's a group of European conservatives and reformers in the European Parliament and in the Committee of the Regions. We've tried to sound the alarm bell on a number of occasions. The Nord Stream gas pipeline, for instance. But now everyone sees that these are a Trojan horse, these gas pipelines, which threaten our collective peace and do not make us carbon neutral. Looking at the future, President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address that she wants to increase cooperation on energy with the US and Norway, and she has our full support on this. The position of our group is clear on nuclear energy as well. Without nuclear energy, prices will increase and it will be too costly for poorer citizens to support a green transition. We need to concentrate our efforts on nuclear fusion. We saw this with vaccines and we had extraordinary results. This means investment, but investment in renewables as well, and cities and regions have a role to play here. On cohesion policy, we agree with the conclusion saying that this policy is fundamental for the Union's future, but we need to give it a new burst of life to promote equality in Europe. Otherwise inequalities will increase and this will cause divisions in Europe. We need to promote education and ongoing training as well so that people can find it easier to join the workforce. Without a decent job, young people will drop out and it will be hard for them to get married and have children without a decent job. We need to support young couples and mothers. That's of key importance, particularly in less developed and out of most areas. Thank you very much. Colleague van Looij, you have the floor for five minutes. Thank you, President, dear colleagues. The last few years, the European Union seemed to be in a state of crisis. Thank you. Of course, we've had Brexit. We've been subject to a pandemic, a terrible war in Ukraine. And now we have this energy crisis, which is also weighing heavy as well. And in this context of crisis, local and regional authorities have been asking for help because they are at the very front line. I would say that the text on the states and regions really appealed to me. We want Ukraine back to peace and peace on our continent. Today we are helping our Ukrainian colleagues by expressing our solidarity with them and this is the reason why my group absolutely supports this alliance for the reconstruction of Ukraine. It has never been more important to recognise the place of citizens and recognition is a very important word these days. The President of the Commission with other people has launched a new Europe. We can't be centralists. We need to help local and regional authorities and support them. And as you said, let us be the voice leaving all citizens behind. The European Reconstruction Fund, for example, for us is a bit too centralist. We think a fund like this needs to be more efficient to be able to strengthen the local level. We need a policy which takes this aspect into account, the local and regional aspect, and which shows more who we are and shows unity across the countries. Secondly, then on the amendment on the climate, to strengthen and reinforce our regional and local actions on the climate. The European Alliance, my party, is convinced that the regional action is necessary. We would remind you that drought that we've experienced is only going to make things worse. The Flemish government, my government, has actually announced several measures to stop water, to be able to better manage water, to desalinate water, sea water. And the community of the regions, our committee, sometimes forgets that we represent numerous organs, numerous organizations. And we have representatives from all different types of regions, from some autonomous regions like Flanders. We also have regions like Catalonia and others who are fighting for their right to autonomy. And every region needs to be heard and should be heard in this context. In this committee, our committee, we are the ad hoc committee for this type of thing. We can build a bridge between our citizens and national authorities because we're close to the citizens. We should defend regional and local policy. And this is once again the call that our group would make. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Now I give the floor to our colleague, Yuna Power, for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. President. This discussion and the report on the state of the regions and cities has come at a critical time. We are living in difficult times. The war in the Ukraine, the cost of living in energy crises, and the overhanging and ever-present climate crisis. It's on that last point which impinges on everything that we do that I was glad to hear you, Mr. President, speak of how we should have been reducing our fossil fuel dependency decades ago. We have seen how this dependence has left us vulnerable not only in terms of climate change, but also in social and economic terms. Decarbonizing quickly across our states is of the utmost importance for environmental reasons and to protect our citizens from energy poverty. But we must also be cognizant of the fact that the result of our carbon dependency is unequal distribution of the effects of climate change across our regions and cities. And I'm very glad that this has been recognized within the report. As the report notes, it is us as representatives of the regions and cities that are at the forefront of bringing a just green transition. A transition that not only decarbonizes our energy, but also does so in a way that is socially just and leaves nobody behind. We can do this through sharing information, educating a workforce dedicated to decarbonizing endeavors, and providing support to local and regional authorities. I believe this report provides concrete data and suggestions as to how we can manage this. And the chapters are very relevant and it will be worth disseminating these to relevant partners. I also think it would be good to link the findings of the report to the proposals from the Conference of the Future of York and to use the ladder and highlight local and regional governments actions in already contributing to achieve the proposals. And also to identify where further support is needed from the EU and national governments. I was also very happy to hear you, Mr President, speak about the need for the increase in female participation in society, in the workforce, and in local elections as well. On the request of the Greens, an article on women in local politics was included in Chapter 6 of the report. And this is a very well-drafted article and it contains a lot of useful information, not only on the levels of representation, but also on the barriers that prevent women from finding their place in politics. This is important data to help us deconstruct those barriers, barriers that we have within our own Committee of the Region setup. It shows in this report that women only account for 23% of the members of the Committee of the Regions. And it is important for women to be proportionally represented in political spheres. We make up 50% almost of every population. And our policy decisions that we make at every level and in every policy area can affect women differently and often disproportionately negatively. Our colleague Catatuto yesterday spoke to this in yesterday's session in the Parliament. So having a female perspective heard at every level of policymaking is of the utmost importance to safeguard against disproportionate outcomes from our policymaking. And we have in the Greens put forward an amendment to the resolution on this matter, and we do hope that it will be supported. I will leave it there. I believe I am much more under the time, but thank you so much for hearing me. And I look forward to the rest of the debate. Thank you. Now I would like to give the floor to our first Vice President, Apostolos Chisicostas. Dear Vasco, dear colleagues, our annual report on the state of the regions and cities, our barometer, is once more very rich with interesting findings and of course very important considerations. Now reacting to those, I wish to focus on three main issues. Firstly, on Ukraine. The President of the European Commission spoke extensively on the war in her State of the Union address. I regret that for one more time the important role of local and regional governments, the role that has been recognized several times by the President of the Council and by the Ukrainian President was not reflected in her speech. In Europe it was the mayors and the governors, the regional leaders in general, who were first in the forefront providing shelter to the refugees and channeling humanitarian aid. And in Ukraine, the mayors made the difference in protecting their own citizens, and they will be pivotal in the reconstruction of their cities and villages. Moreover, on the reconstruction of Ukraine, the role of the European cities and regions was omitted, despite the fact that they could make a difference. By sharing their know-how on urban and spatial planning, by helping the mayors of Ukraine in implementing reforms, and by helping them manage the funds that cities and regions of Ukraine will be receiving in order to secure the reconstruction, and of course the future accession to the European Union. Dear colleagues, the second issue that I want to focus on is the implementation of the recommendations of the conference on the future of Europe. The conference has shown a seed of innovation in European democracy, and it is now time to follow on its proposals. I believe citizens' panels should become permanent and that participatory democracy should accompany representative democracy in the EU's deliberations. But again, if we want these tools to be successful and meaningful and become part of the EU democratic life, regional and local authorities must be fully involved as they are ideally positioned to be laboratories and sources of democratic innovation. Our full involvement will help bringing the EU closer to its citizens, something that the European Commission seems to forget. Let me put it bluntly. President von der Leyen needs to finally realize that without regions and cities, the effort to bring Europe closer to its citizens will never become a reality, with great risks for the future of the European Union. Now, my third point is on cohesion. If we welcome the positive role of cohesion in making a difference by tackling on the ground the aftermath of the recent crisis, we must also make it clear today that cohesion policy must not turn into a past part two fund to be used to tackle all sorts of emergencies. It's simply not possible, my dear friends, my dear colleagues, because many regions and cities today in Europe are still lacking behind and need these funds for modernizing their infrastructure, for instance, or for the green and digital transformation. Furthermore, regional and local leaders understand the risk of increased territorial disparities as a consequence of their exclusion from the drafting of the national recovery and resilience plans. Because it is true today that many governments in Europe have chosen to cut regions and cities from these plans. National objectives, we should never forget that, do not always respond to the real needs on the ground. Therefore, it is even more needed to involve regions and cities in the national recovery plans and to strengthen our cohesion alliance so that no one and no place is left behind. So dear friends, let me finish by saying that I certainly welcome our annual report, our barometer and of course the resolution that will be adopted tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you. Now I give the floor for one minute to our colleague Paola Fernández-Viania. Muchísimas gracias. Thank you very much, President. First of all, I wanted to congratulate you for the third regional barometer which shows us the major challenges for the next year. From Cantabria, my region, we do take note of the responses to the questions and the recommendations for policies that would be for member states and regional and local governments. The national levels of government, the principle of subsidiarity is key. Regions and cities need to have more influence in EU policy and in drawing up national policies as well. However, only a minority of regional and local bodies were consulted by member states when recovery plans were being put together. Weíre getting closer and closer to their end and weíre not sure if we are going to achieve everything that we set out to. Thank you. Now I give the floor to our colleague Tobias Gotthard for one minute. Thank you, President. Thank you very much, President. Todayís message is clear that regions and cities are the driving force behind the EU and theyíre the ones who are shouldering. Many of the challenges weíre facing today in EU so there is a lot being demanded of policymakers today in EU. We want to move away from the kind of talk we always hear in Brussels. We need more action at the regional level. So for those of you who have offices here in Brussels, head out into the cities, into the towns, talk to people because youíll hear the answers to the questions that weíre trying to answer. Letís take this seriously. Letís take seriously what weíre hearing from our constituents, from our people and letís make sure that everybody works together in order to drive forward the EU. Thank you. Thank you. Now the floor goes to our colleague Francisco Gonzalez Gonzalez for one minute. Good afternoon. Thank you, President. Thank you very much. Thank you for including the gender equality report from Rioja. I think that this debate is really needed. The differences between Europeís cities and towns are not disappearing. Neither are the differences between citizens within our own areas. The places where weíre born and where we live determine the access to services of very different qualities. The challenges that weíre facing and the instruments that we have to face, them have to be able to create a Europe that doesnít leave anyone behind, people or territories, whether they be big or small. In La Riocca, weíre determined to turn our region into a region of services and personal care through digitalisation and citizen services to guarantee equal opportunities in urban and rural areas. This committee needs to be the champion so that everyone can have the same access to services across the board. With vaccines, if theyíve got to everyone at the same time and weíve managed to do that, we have to make sure that education, transport, medical care, equality and decent housing should do the same. Everyone, wherever they are, needs to have the same opportunities and the same number of services available. Juan Moreno Bonilla for one minute. Thank you very much, Chair. And households, SMEs, local and regional governments throughout the EU are facing like never before the impact of a number of circumstances. Climate change with its serious consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic that weíre still trying to recover from, disruptions to trade with this cruel war by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. This generates enormous pressure on citizens and it increases the territorial divide. In Andalusia we think we need more multi-level governance. We need real, effective governance where citizens and regions can play the role that weíre able to play. In our neighbourhood we need to make sure that we can help Europe and probably the most difficult moment in our contemporary history. Floor goes to our colleague, Patrick Schwarzkiefer, one minute. Thank you very much. Subsidiarity is one of the most important values which were voiced by the Christian Democrat founding fathers and we should always uphold this. However, in words, municipalities seem important but nothing is being done when municipalities are actually effectively dismantled in Hungary and the Russian war makes municipalities situation even more desolate. To this very day there is hardly any funding from the EU for municipalities. Because there is no minimum requirement in the EU about the concept, the notion of European municipality and as long as anything can be done to us all these resolutions will be just symbolic gestures. Thank you. Now the floor goes to Mr Rortil. You have the floor for one minute. Thank you very much, Chair, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that one of the main conclusions in the report about regions and cities is that those regions that neighbour with Ukraine are at risk of the highest GDP losses. The war is outside our borders. However, investments in Central and Eastern Europe came to a halt. We are struggling not only with high energy costs, but we fear the escalation of the conflict in the east of Europe. Well, we have little opportunities to fund our assistance to refugees. We had a fund for COVID and we as local and regional authorities should make a plea. We should use the report and ask to create a new facility to help those regions that accepted the largest number of refugees and those that are at the biggest risk of economic losses. We need true European solidarity and cohesion. Thank you very much. Now the floor goes to colleague Adam Strusek. One minute. Dear ladies and gentlemen, our world is going through the biggest energy crisis since the 1970s. We are faced with soaring energy prices and we can feel it in all sectors. Our consumers can feel it. They have to reduce consumption. Our industry and businesses feel these consequences. Also public administration can feel it. We have to create plans for rationing energy. In Poland we also have very high record inflation levels. On the 30th of September our statistical office gave us new data and inflation was at a level of more than 17% year to year. We are going through an energy crisis and energy prices increased by 40% since last year. Those are price increases unseen since a long time. We believe that we will have to spend additional 6 billion euros. We are cutting expenses and the cuts affect those areas that will not have consequences for the functioning of our local communities. We are turning off lighting in the streets. We struggle with our financial situation. We have very high energy bills that are five-fold compared with last year. We need European action to stop these price hikes. To our colleague Uwe Kondrat for one minute. Mr President, dear colleagues, the annual report on the state of the regions and cities shows Europe is facing severe crisis. All cities and regions respond to these crisis and, overall, they are successful. Even in times of crisis, Europe is grown together, shaping the future and, last but not least, working together to overcome the crisis. Since crisis cohesion and future policies are implemented above all municipalities, therefore the municipalities must be even more involved in the EU legislation. Strong Europe is a Europe with strong regions and cities. Thank you. Thank you. Now the floor goes to our colleague Wupp for one minute. Thank you, President. Cities and regions are very important actors when it comes to dealing with the climate change crisis, with the energy crisis as well. This is something that the largest cities repeated during the recent meeting with the Commission in Prague, so we're continuing to implement these measures and we're trying to step up our action as well. Now the energy crisis requires a solution in cities which need to provide solutions. Solutions when it comes to energy saving measures and also alleviating the burden because of rising energy costs. So we need to invest in social infrastructure in our cities. We're currently looking at what financial support we can provide to our communities and cities, and with that in mind, I think it's going to be important that we take a look at debt rules at the national level and the EU level and whether flexibility is required there in order to be able to react to future crises. Thank you. Thank you. Now the floor goes out to our colleague Mr. Turk for one minute. Turk. It's clear from the introductory remarks that the development of cities and regions is of utmost importance related to the situation in Ukraine and also the major economic crisis in the global level and the plans also related to this global crisis as well as all the other segments related to the social vulnerabilities which is directly linked with our cities and municipalities. It is clear then that when we speak of the cities, towns, as well as regions that there is no alternative and their development is the precondition for all other development and also the state of any nation and the state of any union is better. The better they have the local and regional development. Now this concludes point number five. I don't have any other requests for the floor. I think the report on the state of unions and of regions and the cities provides us and this has been mentioned here several times, provides us with a lot of useful data that can be useful for our action in the near future and I invite you all to build on that and to work to that possibility. The situation we have requires of course a lot of action to address the challenges that we have at hand. Now I would like to invite or ask our first Vice President, Apostolos, to chair this part of our meeting. Apostolos, you have the chair. Thank you very much Vasco. We will move now to the presentation of...