Regions and cities are at the center of European Union policies and actions. But how much and how can Local Authorities – and small municipalities in particular – benefit from European funds?
Local governments: how much they matter in Europe
Local and regional authorities are an important pillar of European construction. Dedicated to them is one of the cornerstone principles of the European Union, namely the Principle of Subsidiarity, which places the level of decision-making and action on policies and the use of funds as close as possible to citizens. Dedicated to territorial and local authorities is one of the EU institutions, the Committee of the Regions, which moreover has just published its annual report on the state of regions and cities in Europe. And again, dedicated to the territorial and regional dimension is one of the best known and most important EU policies, the Cohesion Policy, which results in a major regulatory work and a substantial amount of dedicated funds ( most European funds are managed at the regional level). Regions and other agencies and Local Authorities are also implementers and beneficiaries of specific interventions under the NRP. Regions and cities are also dedicated four days and a series of European-wide events and initiatives.
European Week of Regions and Cities.
In fact, the European Week of Regions and Cities recently concluded (Oct. 7-10). The event gathered more than 7,000 participants in attendance (in addition to those connected via streaming) around the common challenges of European regions and cities and their ability to create growth, jobs, cohesion and positive governance at the European level. As part of the Week, 194 debates, activities and seminars and 50 parallel sessions were organized in the various countries of the Union, animated by EU institutions and national, regional and local organizations from across Europe. A recording of the main sessions is available on the event website. As part of the event (highlights of which are summarized here ), some of this year’s most important reports were analyzed and discussed: the Ninth EU Report on Cohesion Policy, Mario Draghi’s Report on Competitiveness in Europe, Enrico Letta’s Report on the Benefits of the Single Market, and the European Commission’s Report on the Future of Cohesion Policy. These are important in-depth and inspiring documents for those involved in Europe, European projects and local development.
Local governments and European projects: can it be done?
As much as regions and cities are central to the European debate and the organization of EU funds, their real access to European project development opportunities remains limited, particularly for small municipalities, which have difficulty structuring offices and training dedicated staff. The provision of substantial additional resources under the NRP has led Italian municipalities to approach the topic of community-sourced funding more closely. Difficulties remain widespread in terms of training, human resources and internal organization to be able to approach a European project with confidence. However, successful examples and good practices are spreading, even within small municipalities, which we will try to give visibility to in forthcoming insights. Some grassroots organizations ofANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities), such as ANCI Piemonte, offer support, training and moments of confrontation and visibility for mayors, aldermen, councilors and officials interested in learning more about European projects.
Small municipalities and European projects: some tips
The advice we have already provided in a dedicated article, and (within various interviews) through the voices of people and organizations that have taken this path, applies to the path of approaching “small” people to European projects. Thinking about the specific situation of small municipalities wishing to approach European projects, we provide below some more targeted advice, which we will elaborate on shortly with further articles and interviews with “insiders.”
- Research, including through dedicated organizations such as ANCI and UNCEM, other municipalities that have active relationships in Europe, such as active twinning with other European cities, awarded or ongoing European or cooperation projects, dedicated offices or staff dedicated to European projects;
- To turn to the most suitable funding lines, such as (obviously) the Structural Funds, which are financed and managed at the regional level and are very well suited to the infrastructural and social development needs peculiar to small municipalities; but also to directly managed European programs particularly designed for municipalities, such as the calls dedicated to Networks of Cities and Twinning under the CERV program (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values, which also has an effective national Contact Point, CervItalia. info); territorial cooperation programs, including in particular Urbact, specifically dedicated to urban policies; or the various tools for strengthening, exchange and experimentation offered by the EUI ( European Urban Initiative);
- Use guides and tools specifically dedicated to those involved in European projects at the urban and small-scale level. Among those we can suggest: the publication “The Europe of Local Authorities – Food for thought for working well with the European Union,” prepared by the Municipality of Modena, but also a recent Guide to European Funding prepared by various actors in the Veneto region (with various interesting insights) and the “Next Generation EuroPA Municipality” platform that supports Local Authorities (and others) in approaching the opportunities offered by the PNRR (NextGenerationEU).
An event dedicated to Italian municipalities
Analysis of these issues and opportunities will be explored in depth with a dedicated session as part of theANCI Annual Meeting, to be held in Turin, Nov. 20-22. Here is all the information about the event, which is entitled “Let’s Make Italy, Day by Day.” The participation of small municipalities in European programs is a topic of great relevance for our country. It is a great opportunity for local organisations, public administration and those involved in European projects.
