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The EU institutions approved the so-called Joint Action Plan, JAP to enhance the role of cities and regions in the European-wide research and innovation, R&I. Under the plan, the Commission and Committee of the Regions, Cor would collaborate in reinforcing the regional dimension of the EU-wide R&Is. The JAP will aim to support the implementation of the Commission’s key actions at local and regional levels in facilitating the exchange of expertise and data among the EU institutions and agencies.
Background
Research and innovations (R&Is) are central drivers of the European Union’s competitiveness, sustainability and strategic autonomy. Delivering on the Union’s priorities – including the green and digital transitions, economic resilience and social cohesion – requires strong coordination across all levels of governance, and the effective mobilisation of regional and local innovation ecosystems.
Source – “new Action Plan” in: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/3ba809ef-3f83-11f1-8095-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
The Joint Action Plan, JAP is structured around four key priority areas (more on the priorities is below) and a flexible set of 11 actions, to be delivered upon by the end of the Commission’s 2024-2029 mandate. The present JAP builds on its first iteration, which ran from 2020 to 2025; the first JAP’s plan enabled the Commission and the Committee of the Regions to collaborate on research and innovation policies, fostering cooperation between EU institutions and regional authorities towards enhanced R&I cooperation.
Regions remain at the heart of the EU’s research and innovation agenda. Through the Joint Action Plan, breakthrough discoveries, cutting-edge technologies, and collaborative R&I ecosystems at local level will drive competitiveness, sustainability, as well as healthy and inclusive growth in the European Union.
This renewed partnership reinforces multilevel governance, ensuring that local and regional authorities are not only implementers, but active co-creators of EU research and innovation policies.
More in: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/689369/EPRS_BRI(2021)689369_EN.pdf
The Commission recognises that in many EU states national budgetary and financial policies are strongly influenced by local and regional political actors. To strengthen their role, the Commission and the CoR actively promote the appropriate involvement of local and regional authorities in the European Semester, reflecting their key competences and responsibilities in the design and implementation of reforms. The CoR may invite the responsible member of the Commission to discuss the European Semester during a plenary session or commission meeting.
More in the “Protocol on cooperation between the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions” (March 2024), in:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/2478/oj
EU-wide regional aspects
Regional aspects in the EU-27 integration represent a multi-level governance approach where subnational, border and macro-regions play a significant role alongside national governments. EU integration is not uniform, featuring differentiated integration where regions (and countries) can participate at different speeds or depths.
There are the following key regional aspects in the EU integration:
= Subnational Empowerment and Cohesion Policy: Regions have gained influence since the Treaty of Lisbon, with structural funds providing resources for regional development. The Cohesion Policy plays a crucial role in reducing economic disparities between regions and enhancing their role in implementing EU policy.
= Border Regions as “Living Labs”: Border regions, which cover over 40% of the EU’s territory and house over 150 million people, are considered testing grounds for integration, though they often face administrative, legal and linguistic barriers.
= Macro-Regional Strategies: The EU utilizes macro-regional strategies (e.g., for the Baltic Sea, Alps, Danube, or Mediterranean) to align policies across national borders for specific territorial needs.
= The Committee of the Regions (CoR): As the official voice of regions and cities, the CoR offers local and regional authorities a platform to influence EU legislation
More in “Making Sense of Macro-Regional Strategies in the EU: Differentiated Integration and the Macro Regions’ External Dimension”; reference to: https://essay.utwente.nl/
There are as well some key regional challenges and strategies:
= Regional Disparities: The EU aims to tackle regional disparities through cohesion policy, as economic integration can sometimes favor central regions at the expense of peripheral ones.
= Cross-Border Barriers: Persistent administrative and legal differences between member states often hinder cross-border public services (e.g., healthcare, transportation, etc.).
= Regional Identity vs. Utilitarianism: Regional actors often have an “instrumental approach” to EU integration, seeking to secure advantages for their region, yet this is often complemented by identity-related aspects.
Source and citations from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Regional+aspects+in+the+EU+integration&oq=Regional+aspects+in+the+EU+integration&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCTEzNDE1ajBqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
The JAP’s priorities
The newly adopted action plan sets out four concrete priorities to boost innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness across European cities and regions:
= Building strong local and regional innovation ecosystems – this includes supporting the implementation of the European Research Area, ERA and ensuring that knowledge gained from frontier research is integrated into innovation output. Attracting and retaining talent is essential for this.
On ERA in: https://european-research-area.ec.europa.eu/
= Facilitating the green and digital transition by supporting sustainable and inclusive innovation at local level.
= Raising awareness of – and promoting access to – funding opportunities and results under Horizon Europe among local governors: creating synergies among funds and exchanging best practices, including on simplification, research and innovation. Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation: following the Multiannual Financial Framework Midterm Review (MTR) decision, the indicative funding amount for Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2027 is about € 93.5 billion.
On Horizon Europe in: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
= Supporting evidence-based policymaking in regions, including territorial foresight and resilience.
Source and citation from: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_873
The Commission and the CoR will work closely together in the field of communication and information and cooperate to implement a strong decentralised communication policy at regional and local level. They acknowledge the role played by local and regional authorities in providing the public with accurate information on the European Union’s different integration policies.