Službena putovanja

17-09-2018 08:30
REGI mission to La Réunion

07-05-2018 17:00
REGI mission to USA

An image of the US flag and EU flag
USA and the EU © European Union

This ad-hoc fact finding mission of the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament to Boston and Washington D.C took place from 7 to 11 May 2018. The mission focused on smart specialisation strategies, financing innovation, R&D and SMEs development in the area of Boston, and on meeting Members of the US Congress and innovation experts in Washington where the best practices in financing and supporting innovation and SME development were discussed.

In 2018, REGI will begin negotiations for the European Structural and Investment Funds regulations after post 2020. The aim of this delegation was to give MEPs an opportunity to see best practices in developing smart specialisation strategies, financing innovation, R&D and SMEs development through public and private support as well as financial instruments, outside the EU - in the Boston area, which is one of the most innovative regions in the world. The Boston area hosts top universities like MIT and Harvard, which are drivers of innovation in the area and worldwide. Roughly, 40% of employees in the Boston area work in the innovation economy and financial instruments investments grew faster here than in Silicon Valley. The programme also included meetings with the members of the US Congress in Washington where the best practices at federal level in financing and public support to innovation and SME development were discussed.


03-04-2018 13:00
REGI mission to SLOVENIA

Ljubljana, Brestanica, Olimje, Podcetrtek, Slovenska Bistrica
REGI mission to Slovenia - common photo MEPs
REGI mission to Slovenia - participating Members, common photo.JPG © European Parliament

The mission of the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament to Slovenia took place from 3 to 5 April 2018.

The mission of the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament to Slovenia took place from 3 to 5 April 2018. The purpose of the mission was to gain a general overview of the operation of cohesion policy in a relatively disadvantaged region of the EU as a way of preparing for the new, post-2020 cohesion policy.

A full programme included meetings with

(i) the Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion, and with the Minister for Economic Development and Technology;

(ii) the Committee of Economy and the Committee on EU Affairs of the National Assembly;

(iii) the Mayors of Ljubljana, the Posavje region, and Podčetrtek, and representatives of local and regional government associations;

as well as (iv) visits to projects supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds.

21-03-2018 09:00
REGI mission to NORTHERN IRELAND

Belfast, Derry/Londonderry
REGI MEPs visiting Science Park in Derry, Northern Ireland
REGI mission to Northern Ireland © European Parliament

The fact-finding mission of the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament to Northern Ireland took place from 21 to 23 March 2018.

The purpose of the fact-finding mission was twofold: firstly, to gather information for the committee's implementation report on the impact of cohesion policy in Northern Ireland; and secondly, to gain a general overview of the operation of cohesion policy in a relatively disadvantaged region of the EU as a way of preparing for the new, post-2020 cohesion policy. During the mission, the Members visited a series of EU-funded projects across Northern Ireland.

These included urban projects funded as 'shared spaces' in Belfast under the Peace Programme and cross-border projects in the Derry/Londonderry area under the Interreg Programmes. MEPs also visited the EU-funded Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre, where they heard about some local projects funded under the ERDF, ESF and EARDF. Meetings were also held with the government departments responsible for cohesion policy, and with the Special EU Programmes Body.

30-10-2017 09:00
REGI Delegation to BULGARIA

Sofia, Bulgaria
REGI Delegation to Bulgaria - October 2017
REGI Delegation to Bulgaria.jpg © European Parliament

The Committee on Regional Development sent a delegation to Sofia, Bulgaria between 30 and 31 October 2017.

Bulgaria was one of the first Member States to develop a comprehensive concept on integrated urban development in line with the Territorial Agenda 2020 and the European Urban Agenda. The Urban Agenda with Pact of Amsterdam is one of the key topics in regional policy at the moment.

During the delegation, the REGI Members had a chance to learn about integrated urban development planning in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and to see examples of the synergies and complementarities between different EU funding sources supporting urban development.

The programme included both political meetings and project visits. The Sofia Integrated Plan of Urban Development and best practices from the completed projects were presented to the participating Members.

The projects visited included, for example:
  • Sofia Metro
  • Sofia Largo Open Air Museum
  • Educational sports complex and deployment of high-tech medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment
  • Sofia Tech Park

18-09-2017 19:30
REGI Delegation to ROMANIA

Cluj-Napoca, Romania
REGI Delegation to Romania - Cluj-Napoca
REGI Delegation to Romania - Cluj-Napoca.JPG © European Parliament

The Committee on Regional Development sent a delegation to Cluj-Napoca, Romania between 18 and 20 September 2017.

One of the biggest cities in Romania, Cluj-Napoca, is a regional innovation hub situated in the north-western part of the country. It has several universities and a large student population. One of the aims of the ESI funds in Romania is to help to improve the country's competitiveness by strengthening the links between research, innovation, smart specialisation areas and competitive sectors. Bringing benefit to the IT sector is also one of the priorities.

The delegation gave the REGI Members an opportunity to find out more about the innovation environment and IT sector in Romania and about how the EU regional development funds have benefitted the city and the region.

23-05-2017 09:00
REGI Delegation to AZORES

Sao Miguel & Terceira islands, Azores, Portugal
Photo of REGI delegation to Azores
REGI delegation to Azores - May 2017.jpg © European Parliament

The Committee on Regional Development sent a delegation to Azores between 23 and 25 May 2017.

Azores is the Portuguese autonomous region laying almost 1360 kilometres from the continental Portugal. Outermost regions have to deal with a number of challenges related to their geographical characteristics (remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate) and typical economic dependence on a few products (often agricultural products or natural resources) which constrain their future development. To compensate for these difficulties, during the 2014-2020 generation of cohesion policy, outermost regions have access to an additional allocation of EUR 1,387 billion. This delegation examined the implementation of cohesion policy in an outermost region, meeting with managing authorities and beneficiaries.

19-09-2016 08:00
REGI Delegation to GREECE

Thessaloniki, Athens
Photo of REGI delegation to Greece
REGI delegation to Greece - September 2016.JPG © European Parliament

The Committee on Regional Development sent a delegation to Greece between 19 and 20 September 2016.

the aim of this delegation was to examine the implementation of cohesion policy on the ground, paying particular attention to the consequences of the recent amendment of the Common Provisions Regulation in respect of special measures for Greece. The programme consisted of meetings with ministers and civil servants responsible for the implementation of the policy, but also included meetings with beneficiaries and other stakeholders based in Thessaloniki and Athens.

17-05-2016 13:00
REGI Delegation to CROATIA

Zagreb, Sibenik, Karlovac
Photo of REGI delegation to Croatia
REGI delegation to Croatia - May 2016.jpg © European Parliament

The Committee on Regional Development sent a delegation to Croatia between 17 and 19 May 2016.

The aim of this delegation was to give REGI Members the opportunity to look at implementation of the Structural Funds on the ground, to examine best practices in territorial cooperation, and to discuss with regional stakeholders the recently-announced EU strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian region. Croatia is the newest EU Member State and receives substantial support from the Structural Funds.

29-03-2016 08:00
REGI Delegation to MARTINIQUE

Martinique
Photo of REGI delegation to Martinique
REGI delegation to Martinique - March 2016.jpg © European Parliament

The Committee on Regional Development sent a delegation to Martinique during the period between 29 and 31 March 2016.

Martinique is a French overseas department and, lying almost 7,000 kilometres from Paris, is one of the outermost regions of the EU. Outermost regions have to deal with a number of challenges related to their geographical characteristics (remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate) and typical economic dependence on a few products (often agricultural products or natural resources) which constrain their future development. To compensate for these difficulties, during the 2014-2020 generation of cohesion policy, outermost regions have access to an additional allocation of EUR 1,387 billion. This delegation will examine the implementation of cohesion policy in an outermost region, meeting with managing authorities and beneficiaries.