Assembly of European Regions
Encyclopedia
The Assembly of European Regions (AER), the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe
. Bringing together more than 270 regions from 33 countries and 16 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.
(Walloon Brabant
), 47 Regions and 9 interregional organisations founded the Council of the Regions of Europe (CRE), which would later become the Assembly of European Regions in November 1987 at the second General meeting of the Regions of Europe in Brussels.
region), two Vice Presidents, the Vice-President Treasurer and the Presidents of each of the AER’s committees. In the interim period between Bureau meetings, and by delegation, the Presidium can meet and take decisions that are then submitted to the following Bureau.
, employment
and knowledge society, cohesion policy, environment
, energy
, rural development
/agriculture
and infrastructure, tourism
.
, equal opportunities, demographics
, public health
and emergency planning
, education and training
, youth
, media, and information technologies, international and interregional co-operation
and the development of regional democracy
- Institutional capacity building: AER Training Academies
- Communicating Europe: Connecting the European institutions
with the citizens
Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities
Standing Committee Monitoring and Evaluation
across Europe.
.
's influential spell-checker. The movement has already secured the word's inclusion in numerous dictionaries across Europe, although a notable obstacle to the word's recognition has been the Microsoft Corporation, which continues to ignore AER's demands.
A YouTube channel and a "Subsidiarity is a word" group on Facebook feature the movement's spokesman, Subsidiarity Man. To date, the "superhero" has attempted to free-climb a building in Brussels, been jailed without charge, set a new world record for the most people (several thousand) chanting the word "subsidiarity", and been hospitalised after competing in the Mostar Old Bridge high-diving competition.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Bringing together more than 270 regions from 33 countries and 16 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.
Historical background
On 15 June 1985, at Louvain-la-NeuveLouvain-la-Neuve
Louvain-la-Neuve is a planned city in the municipality of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, situated 30 km southeast of Brussels, in the French-speaking part of the country...
(Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia in Belgium. It borders on the province of Flemish Brabant and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut . Its capital is Wavre...
), 47 Regions and 9 interregional organisations founded the Council of the Regions of Europe (CRE), which would later become the Assembly of European Regions in November 1987 at the second General meeting of the Regions of Europe in Brussels.
Definition of "Region"
According to the AER statutes, in principle the term "region" refers to a territorial authority existing at the level immediately below that of the central government, with its own political representation in the form of an elected regional assembly.AER Priorities for 2007-2012
- Promoting the modernisation and internationalisation of regional governance
- Promoting innovation, growth and employment in Europe’s regions
- Addressing the challenges of demographic change, migration, health and social exclusion
- Ensuring sustainable development and combating environmental degradationEnvironmental degradationEnvironmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
- Developing democracy through diversity, and promoting diversity in culture, media and education
- Creating a secure environment for citizens
The General Assembly
The General Assembly consists of the political representatives of the AER member regions. It decides upon the AER’s political strategy, votes on the budget, decides on the creation of committees or specific assignments, ratifies the acceptance of members, etc. It elects the AER President, the members of the Bureau and the Secretary General.The Bureau
The Bureau makes all the decisions necessary for the smooth running of affairs between General Assemblies and co-ordinates the work of the different committees. It meets at least twice a year. Its members are elected for two years by the General Assembly, at the proposal of member Regions. It includes at least one regional representative per country represented within the AER. Two standing committees report directly to this body:- The standing committee for "Institutional Affairs" which focuses on upholding the core principles of subsidiarity, good governance and regional democracy;
- The standing committee for "Monitoring and Evaluation" which focuses on upholding the priorities defined in the strategic plan.
The Presidium
The Presidium consists of the AER President (currently Michèle Sabban, vice-president of the Île-de-FranceÎle-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region), two Vice Presidents, the Vice-President Treasurer and the Presidents of each of the AER’s committees. In the interim period between Bureau meetings, and by delegation, the Presidium can meet and take decisions that are then submitted to the following Bureau.
Committee 1: Economy and Regional Development
Regional economic developmentEconomic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
, employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
and knowledge society, cohesion policy, environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
, energy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
, rural development
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
/agriculture
Agricultural policy
Agricultural policy describes a set of laws relating to domestic agriculture and imports of foreign agricultural products. Governments usually implement agricultural policies with the goal of achieving a specific outcome in the domestic agricultural product markets...
and infrastructure, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
Committee 2: Social Policy and Public Health
Social policySocial policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
, equal opportunities, demographics
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
, public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
and emergency planning
Committee 3: Culture, Education and Youth
CultureCulture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, education and training
Education policy
Education policy refers to the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems.Education occurs in many forms for many purposes through many institutions. Examples include early childhood education, kindergarten through to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or...
, youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
, media, and information technologies, international and interregional co-operation
Standing Committees
Presidents of Committees/standing committees are responsible for establishing the sub-committees deemed necessary to deliver the committee’s work throughout his/her term of office and for a minimum of two years.Standing Committee on Institutional Affairs
- Promotion of the principle of subsidiaritySubsidiarity
Subsidiarity is an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which...
and the development of regional democracy
- Institutional capacity building: AER Training Academies
- Communicating Europe: Connecting the European institutions
Institutions of the European Union
The European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European...
with the citizens
Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities
Standing Committee Monitoring and Evaluation
Working groups
These are temporary bodies, formed on an ad-hoc basis for new issues arising in the context of the activities of the committees.Eurodyssey
Eurodyssey is an interregional programme promoting vocational training and the mobility of young peopleApprentices mobility
Apprentices mobility is the movement of students and teachers in Vocational education or training to another institution inside or outside their own country to study or teach for a limited time...
across Europe.
Summer School
Annual forum devoted to relevant issues in the area of regional developmentRegional development
Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed. Regional development may be domestic or international in nature...
.
Youth Summer School
Annual forum aimed at empowering young people and supporting their involvement in regional policies and public life.AER's "Subsidiarity is a word" movement
For AER, respect for the principle starts with recognition of the word, and recognition of the word starts with the "Subsidiarity is a word" movement. Launched in May 2008, AER's worldwide movement is demanding recognition of the word in dictionaries and in Microsoft WordMicrosoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
's influential spell-checker. The movement has already secured the word's inclusion in numerous dictionaries across Europe, although a notable obstacle to the word's recognition has been the Microsoft Corporation, which continues to ignore AER's demands.
A YouTube channel and a "Subsidiarity is a word" group on Facebook feature the movement's spokesman, Subsidiarity Man. To date, the "superhero" has attempted to free-climb a building in Brussels, been jailed without charge, set a new world record for the most people (several thousand) chanting the word "subsidiarity", and been hospitalised after competing in the Mostar Old Bridge high-diving competition.