REGIOFLASH: latest news on Regional and Urban Policy

The Commission has announced the 25 finalists of the 2021 RegioStars awards for the best Cohesion policy projects in five categories: ‘Smart Europe', ‘Green Europe', ‘Fair Europe', ‘Urban Europe', and the specific Topic of the Year ‘Enhancing green mobility in the regions: the European Year of Rail'.

On the 13th September, the Commission has approved two investments of almost €100 million for two major projects in Spain and Cyprus: €77 million from the European Regional Development Fund for the construction of a tram connection between Alcalá de Guadaíra and Seville, in Spain, and more than €22 million from the Cohesion Fund for the construction of sewage collection networks in the Kokkinochoria complex in Cyprus.

Eurostat published the 2021 Regional Yearbook. The publication contains regional statistics on the following topics: population, health, education, labour market, living conditions, digital society, economy, business, research and development, tourism, transport, environment and agriculture. Data covers EU Member States and, where available, EFTA and candidate countries.

On 1 October, the European Commission is launching the “Film4Energy Challenge”, a video competition that invites schools across the European Union (EU) to create a short film about the importance of saving energy. Open to 12-15-year-old schoolchildren across the EU, the competition is not only aimed at stimulating creativity, but also a deeper consideration of the importance of saving energy in the fight against climate change.

The Interreg Europe programme is getting support on a regional and European level as cross-border cooperation has the potential to boost regional economies and help them build long-term competitive advantages. But geographic proximity on its own will not ensure cooperation.

The New European Bauhaus initiative (NEB) – built around beautiful, sustainable and inclusive forms of living – comprises three main phases: design, delivery and dissemination. In April 2021, Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms and Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, launched the first NEB competition.