INSULEUR

European Committee of the Regions Press Release

European Committee of the Regions and EUROCHAMBRES join forces to deliver jobs and growth across the EU

The EU's Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry - EUROCHAMBRES - agreed a new Action Plan for renewed cooperation in key areas for improving business conditions and regional economic development.

The Action Plan, co-signed in Brussels by Presidents Karl-Heinz Lambertz (European Committee of the Regions) and Christoph Leitl (EUROCHAMBRES), sets out fields of cooperation for 2019-2022 with the aim of tackling youth unemployment and skills mismatch, stimulating entrepreneurship, strengthening cohesion and increasing industrial competitiveness.

On signing the Action Plan, Christoph Leitl, President of EUROCHAMBRES, commented: "EUROCHAMBRES and the European Committee of the Regions are only as strong as their networks. Local Chambers of Commerce & Industry and regional authorities play a pivotal role in delivering Europe's socio-economic progress at grass roots level. This will be strengthened if our networks work together. Our joint Action Plan provides a valuable framework to reinforce such cooperation and thus drive regional and European growth."

CoR President Karl-Heinz Lambertz added: "It is only through cooperation, partnership and working locally across borders that the EU can create jobs, drive growth, tackle inequality and ensure that no citizen is left behind. Our renewed partnership with EUROCHAMBRES brings businesses together with local and regional authorities from across the EU so we can share knowledge, experience and skills to improve the effectiveness of the EU and stimulate regional investment."

The CoR and EUROCHAMBRES 2019-22 Action Plan foresees the following fields of cooperation, which will be reviewed regularly throughout the implementation period:

Enhanced cooperation on EU legislative work through the exchange of position papers and studies;
Tackling youth unemployment and the "skills mismatch" through exchanging innovative and best practices;
Stimulating entrepreneurship and SME policy through the promotion of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme and network of European Entrepreneurial Regions (EER);
Advocating for better EU regulation and subsidiarity through Territorial Impact Assessments and the Regional Hubs initiative;
Support of cooperation in neighbourhood countries through an initiative on young entrepreneurship in Mediterranean partner countries and the dissemination of information on access to finance for local and regional authorities;
Strengthening the EU's cohesion policy through the #CohesionAlliance;
Enhancing territorial resilience through joint analytical work on the impact of the future EU27-UK trade relations, on regional industrial competitiveness and on the islands' economic, social and territorial development through the INSULEUR network of Chambers.