Multiple Framework Service Contract for the Committee of the Regions on Cohesion Policy and Urban Policy

Written By Pietro Celotti
Publishing 18 November 2016

Following the Multiple Framework Service Contract of 2015 for the realization of socio-economic studies on behalf of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), t33 is part of two consortia that recently won two new Multiple Framework Service Contracts.
Both aim to collect expertise on the fields relevant for the remits of CoR’s Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER).

Specifically, the contracts refer to two specific lots:

• Lot 1. Cohesion Policy, whose consortium is formed by Spatial Foresight, Mcrit, ÖIR, t33, Sweco, tackles the following issues: Economic, social and territorial cohesion; European Structural and Investment Funds; Spatial Planning
; Macroregions; Territorial cooperation; Regional statistics and indicators.
• Lot 2. Urban Policy, whose consortium is formed by ÖIR, Metropolitan Research Institute, Radboud University, Spatial Foresight, t33, tackles the following issues: Urban policy; Housing.

t33, led by Pietro Celotti, is partner of both Lot 1, which sees Luxemburg-based Spatial Foresight as team leader and Lot 2 led by Austrian ÖIR.

Regarding Cohesion Policy, the study aims to explore the link between Cohesion Policy and emerging challenges (e.g. refugee crisis) and how the latter could be overcome; to illustrate how Cohesion Policy should be reformed after 2020; to elaborate on how to make Cohesion Policy simpler and focused on effective investments in the EU regions and cities.

Concerning Urban Policy, and Housing, the study seeks to clarify the rationale of EU Urban Agenda, its objectives and how it could functions. It will investigate the twelve priority themes of the EU Urban Agenda, namely: jobs and skills in the local economy; urban poverty; housing; inclusion of migrants and refugees; sustainable use of land and nature-based solutions; circular economy; climate adaptation; energy transition; urban mobility; air quality; digital transition; innovative and responsible public procurement.

Overall, for each of the above lots, t33 experts Pietro Celotti, Giovanni Familiari, François Levarlet, Michele Alessandrini, Andrea Gramillano will follow relevant development in the context of the Union’s activities, institutional structure, legal system and from the perspective of local and regional authorities, making reference to possible future developments of strategic meaning in those policy areas.

Since 2011, t33 in cooperation with the partners conducted several studies on behalf of the Committee of the Regions on several issues such as:
• Revision of EU procurement legislation: Matters of concern for Local and Regional Authorities and potential subsidiarity issues
• Assessment of the impact of current state aid rules on local and regional authorities and recommendations for changes
• Implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) and Entrepreneurship Policies at Local and Regional Level
• Assessment of the current legislation and the possible impact of Posting of Workers Directive on local and regional authorities
• Assessment of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund Programme till 2013 at the Local and Regional Level and Recommendations for the New Programming Perspective 2014 – 2020
• Territorial dimension of the Industrial Policy Package
• Transposition of the Public Procurement Directives and its effect on Local and Regional Authorities
• Fostering innovation at regional level: lessons from the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) experience
• ESA 2010 accounting rule. Impact of new ESA 2010 on Local and Regional Authorities
• The impact of demographic change on European regions
• Labour mobility and Local and Regional Authorities: benefits, challenges and solutions

All studies are published on the CoR website.