A call for expressions of interest for urban and regional analysts to act as advisors and experts on EU Cohesion Policy


Dear colleagues

The Regional Studies Association has been approached by DG Regio and been asked to circulate a call for expressions of interest for urban and regional analysts to act as advisors and experts on EU Cohesion Policy. We are pleased to pass on this call to you and if your work is in any of the diverse fields listed below we strongly encourage you to take the short time necessary to register your interest.

The Regional Studies Association has a close relationship with DG Regio as evidenced by our contributions to the DG Regio Open Days University, our management of the DG Regio Early Career Poster Competition and our joint organisation of the first academic debate following publication of the Fifth Cohesion Report in 2011 (the Bled Conference, Slovenia).

This call offers a significant opportunity to make an input to cohesion policy and we ask you to read the short statement below from Professor Philip McCann who is Special Advisor to Commissioner Hahn and to consider registering your interests.

Sally Hardy
Chief Executive
Regional Studies Association


 Calls for Expression of Interest for Urban and Regional Analysts to Support EU Cohesion Policy


The Regional Studies Association is pleased to support the following call for Expression of Interest for Urban and Regional Analysts to Support EU Cohesion Policy.

The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Dr Johannes Hahn gave keynote lectures during the Regional Studies Association Annual European Conference that took place in Newcastle, UK 17th-20th April 2011, as well as during the European Regional Science Congress in Barcelona in September 2011.

Commissioner Hahn announced at both events that the European Commission would be seeking to mobilise the European-wide academic expertise in urban and regional issues  in  order  to  facilitate,  strengthen  and  improve the  new  generation  of  EU  Cohesion  Policy programmes.

The European Commission has now opened a call for urban and regional analysts from all over Europe to offer their skills and knowledge in order to help with the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the new generation of Cohesion Policy programmes over the coming years.
In order for urban and regional analysts to become part of the network of experts which the European Commission can draw on to support EU Cohesion Policy, two Calls for Expression of Interest have been opened in which analysts are requested to register their details and areas of expertise with the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional Policy.

The Regional Studies Association is joining the European Commission in its call and strongly encourages all concerned members of the Association as well as the wider community to register as experts for this extraordinary opportunity.

To register as experts working with the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional Policy for the two calls for urban and regional analysts to register as experts, please click here.

The two calls which experts are specifically requested to respond to are:



 

This is an important moment in the history of EU Cohesion Policy and a unique chance for the European-wide expertise in urban and regional issues to help deliver the well-designed, well-run and well-evaluated policies we want to see. There are a very large number of programmes and projects within EU Cohesion Policy operating in different Member States, in different regions, and which focus on different thematic priorities and with different objectives. A wide range of expertise is required covering issues such as innovation; R&D; energy and resources; entrepreneurship; environment and climate change; human capital; information and communication technologies; transport; real estate and land use; social inclusion; heritage and culture; infrastructure; labour markets; demographic transitions; housing; rural areas; maritime regions and fisheries; governance and institutions; public administration; combating poverty; and experts in all of these fields are needed from all parts of the EU.

It is important that experts start registering now, as many of the issues to be considered are already beginning to arise.

Philip McCann
Special Adviser to the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn
25.05.2012