Students sponsored by EMRA and the EU Just Transition Fund recently joined students from across Ireland at the European Parliament representing their school and county.

As part of the communication and visibility strategy of EMRA and the EU Just Transition Fund, EMRA teamed up with Graduate.ie to sponsor 4 students from the Eastern and Midland Region to win a student trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. To be eligible for this prize, students must participate in a 20-week online student awareness competition, answering questions related to EMRA’s work and the EU Just Transition Fund.

In December 2025 the winners from the 2024 – 2025 competition went on their 3-day visit, during which they took part in a youth parliament (Euroscola) with students from across EU member states, had an opportunity to meet Irish MEPs and visited other places of educational interest.

Euroscola offers an immersive experience in the Chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, allowing secondary school students to experience European parliamentary democracy. Students debate on topics such as Cyber Security and its impact on their daily lives, negotiate, amend, vote and adopt resolutions on current European issues, just like the MEPs. They also got to use the translation facilities which MEPs use to hear different speakers from various countries.

Since the launch of the project in 1990, hundreds of thousands of students have spent one day in the premises of the European Parliament, debating, discussing and exchanging views with colleagues in the form of a multilingual European Youth Parliament.

This is a very prestigious and much sought after prize and is hugely educational, giving students once in a lifetime experience, which they will never forget.

Students reported that the trip was an exceptional educational experience. MJ Finn, one of the participating students, noted that the trip deepened their “understanding of European democracy, enhanced [their] confidence in debate and discussion, and fostered greater cultural awareness. The combination of structured learning, cultural exploration and international interaction made the trip both educational and memorable” for all involved. 

Martin Heneghan, Programme Coordinator with Graduate.ie stated that “We greatly acknowledge sponsorship by the Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly for their financial contribution to enable us to give students this unforgettable experience.”

The Interreg Europe event “Policies for People and Places” took place in Amsterdam on the 12^th and 13^th of November 2025. This event featured three workshops on the themes of enhanced value chains, social economy, and urban renewal and was attended by over 160 policy-makers, researchers, industry representatives and civil society actors from across Europe. Ireland was well-represented by delegates from national, regional, and local government and civil society.

As part of the ORIGINN project, EMRA has helped promote Ireland’s Food Vision 2030 strategy as a good practice in food systems governance across Europe. Ian Fox of the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine was invited to present this strategy in the workshop on enhanced value chains. Participants were impressed by the mission-oriented approach of Food Vision 2030, which seeks to balance economic, social, and environmental sustainability to ensure a robust food system and a nourishing food supply in Ireland. The bottom-up, stakeholder-led approach of the Food Vision strategy also stood out as an excellent way of ensuring inclusivity of stakeholders and ownership of the missions and targets of the strategy by the actors most affected by them.

The workshop participants visited the NoordOogst community-supported agriculture initiative, an urban farm in Amsterdam that is a partner in the FoodCLIC project. FoodCLIC brings together actors from politics, science and civil society to support the development of integrated urban food policies, i.e. policies that facilitate the accessibility and availability of healthy and sustainably produced food for all people and, in particular, for vulnerable communities. The NoordOogst community farm adopts a self-harvesting model in which its 120+ members come and harvest food from the gardens according to their needs. A solidarity payment scheme ensures that members pay what they can afford, with larger contributions making up for smaller ones from those who can’t afford to pay more. Fresh fruit and vegetables are still provided to the members at below-market prices, ensuring fresh, healthy produce for the community at a more affordable rate than a supermarket can offer. The farm also supports local food and drink enterprises based on-site. This model offers food for thought for policy-makers seeking to support a diversified and sustainable food supply through a community-led approach.

Throughout the workshop, presentations on good practices in enhancing value chains in food and energy systems sparked plenty of discussion about the challenges and opportunities of coordinating actors to add value and improve sustainability and resilience. Smart specialisation and clustering are key to this.

This Interreg event brought together expertise and experience from a broad range of actors across Europe, which is a rich resource for EMRA and other regions to draw on as we work to strengthen innovation and resilience for the benefit of the communities of our region.

From the 13^th-15^th October, members of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) Planning Team attended the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025 in Brussels, the EU’s largest annual gathering on regional and urban policy. The event brought together policymakers, practitioners, researchers and local leaders from across Europe under the theme “Shaping Tomorrow, Together”, focusing on cohesion, growth, inclusion and the future of Europe’s cities and regions.

Participation in this year’s programme provided valuable insights as EMRA looks ahead to the forthcoming review of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES), particularly in strengthening the alignment of national, regional and local policy with European priorities, and in deepening stakeholder engagement.

Over the course of the event, EMRA attended and participated a series of sessions that reflected key regional development themes including:

EU Agenda for Cities – Shaping Europe’s Urban Future. With 75% of the EU’s population living in cities and a projected growth to 78% by 2050, the EU Agenda for Cities is being prepared to identify challenges and opportunities. Affordable housing is a critical issue across the EU and its first Affordable Housing Plan is being developed. The panel comprised of City Majors representing large and small city regions. All cities are seeking sustainable urban development and to address a range of interconnected challenges and support place-based approaches to addressing the challenges. The mayors highlighted the importance of direct dialogue between these dynamic cities and national governments to understand regional needs, shape the policies which affect cities and support regional Smart Specialisation Strategies. A simplified approach/ framework to European funding was supported by the Mayors.

Housing for the Common Good: Sustainable Housing Governance in European Cities and Regions. This session focused on innovative governance models to deliver affordable and inclusive housing. Cllr. Dermot Lacey of EMRA participated as a panel member, highlighting the critical role of local democracy in achieving housing for the common good. He reflected on the importance of political will at all levels (EU, National, Regional and Local), effective multi-level governance, appropriate resourcing and adequate skills to address the housing crisis.

Cities Leveraging Data for Impact – Showcasing Real-Life Success Stories. This session delved into how municipalities are harnessing open data and analytics to deliver better services and measurable urban outcomes and drive sustainable urban transformation. The workshop focused on practical use-cases from Dublin and Warsaw to illustrate how data-driven insights can shape services, mobility and resilience.

Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS) Information Session – Shaping Europe’s Future: Measuring and Comparing Regional Innovation. This information session discussed the indicators for the 2025 EU RIS which is an interactive tool. Ireland and EMRA are strong innovators or innovation leaders. While a lot of regions have shown strong performance over the last 20+ years, there are different levels of innovation capacity and city regions perform better in terms of innovation across Europe. Tailored strategies are required to optimise spillover potential from neighbouring regions. Some innovation ecosystems enable strong performance even in regions distant from major cities. This connects rural, declining, ageing areas with innovation hubs. The RIS indicators inform the strengths and areas for improvement within the EU.

Bankable Public Green Infrastructure and Services: A Practical Approach. This session examined innovative models for financing nature positive actions and interventions in cities in order to deliver sustainable public infrastructure and services. The use of data to demonstrate Return on Investment from investment in nature, cross-sectoral partnerships and practical indicators for monitoring were identified as key for bankable projects which are feasible, just, and attractive to investors.

How much Nature do we need in our Cities? Turning Data into Urban Greening Action. This session considered the requirements of Art. 8 of the EU Nature Restoration Regulations and how data tools can increase green infrastructure (GI). GI is required to support climate resilience, health, climate neutrality, heat, flooding and biodiversity loss. The ESPON-GILL project is seeking to quantify the current and future demand for green infrastructure at local level to better inform urban planning and investment decisions. In Roeselare (Belgium), a data-driven policy which is human focused is being developed. It considers the impacts of climate change and funding needed in GI to maintain the status quo or improve resilience and this approach is informing investment. ICLEI (a network of local governments) highlights that funding is needed in the EU Budget for implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulations. Both public and private funding will be required to deliver green infrastructure for mutual benefits.

A Dialogue for Enhanced Cross-Border Cooperation to Shape the BRIDGEforEU Regulation. This session addressed emerging EU policy frameworks to support stronger cross-border collaboration. The BRIDGEforEU Regulation supports development and growth in border regions with a core objective to address legal, administrative and political challenges. Sharing of experiences, health, quality of life of residents and public transport are key areas of focus, providing insights for cross-border collaboration on this island of Ireland.

Cities and Regions shaping Global climate action ahead of COP30. The next UN Climate Conference will take place in Brazil on 10^th November 2025. The decisions at the conference will influence EU and national policies which will be implemented at regional and City level. Current policies put the world on track for a 3.1°C rise above pre-industrial levels over the course of the century. Europe must send a clear, ambitious message which signals its action to the rest of the World. Citizen engagement is critical to climate resilience measures and need to be engaged in a Just Transition. A new Social Climate Fund commences in 2026 and consultation on National Social Climate Plans is ongoing. Townhall COPs are being held around Europe seeking widespread citizen representation, to consider measures, support education and training, identify the challenges of vulnerable groups and to engage participation.

Let’s build the future in cities together accelerating the climate transition through impactful U!REKA European university collaboration. Helsinki is developing its energy resilience with the aim of becoming a Climate Smart City. The City Council owns 63% of the land with every 6^th person living in a city-owned apartment so they have moved to cleaner district heating. Carbon Neutrality Guidance has been published require all new buildings to have strict energy efficiency measures. An Energy Renovation Team supports private homeowners to retrofit their homes. The City of Ghent is seeking to re-wild, increasing green infrastructure and the permeability of surfaces. 75% of land is in private ownership so communities must be involved in supporting long-term strategies. To deliver climate action and Smart Cities, a collaborative approach between Cities and universities is needed, with local government having access to research to inform its policies.

From strategy to action: practical training on land suitability analysis (LSA) for sustainable development in functional urban areas. The World Bank considered how the application of a multi-criteria land suitability analysis of a spatial development strategy for an area in Poland, could support decision-making, determining whether proposed areas for development were the best location, having regard to a range of Geographical Information System data. It involved plot level data gathering analysis (e.g. soil quality, development restrictions such as Protected Areas, landslide susceptibility, ownership structure, flooding, etc.) and technical feasibility (access to water and wastewater, transport infrastructure, etc.). The multiplicity of potential map outputs needed to be combined into a single map which could rank plot suitability for development associated with a specific land function (e.g. residential and mixed uses, industry, logistics and warehousing, tourism and recreation). This approach is applicable in large and small regions for both strategic planning, regeneration sites, housing, etc. The LSA is a valuable communication tool and particularly important for guiding an investment strategy and enabling strategic development areas.

Together with our Irish National Contact Point, the Planning Team also visited the European Urban Initiative (EUI), URBACT and EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change exhibition stands to explore current European urban programmes, funding opportunities and available research.

Finally, the team visited the Irish Regions European Office (IREO) at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU, and met with members of the Irish Delegation to the Committee of the Regions (CoR). EMRA extends sincere thanks to the IREO and the CoR Delegation for their warm hospitality and for driving regional engagement at EU level.

 

EMRA was honoured to be invited to the inaugural OECD-NB Conference on Place-Based Economic Development, held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada on 2^nd-3^rd  October, 2025.

This landmark event brought together regional, national and international thought leaders and practitioners from across the public, private and civil sectors. The conference provided a platform to exchange ideas, policies and practices that address the challenges and opportunities posed by major global trends, including trade uncertainty, climate change, demographic shifts, well-being, productivity headwinds and attractiveness policies.

EMRA contributed to the session titled ‘Pathways to Net-Zero: an Economic Opportunity and Climate Imperative’, where Anne-Marie Wood Wolfe, Assistant Director/Senior Planner, presented on EMRA’s role in the EU Just Transition Fund (EUJTF). Her presentation highlighted EMRA’s work in supporting the shift away from carbon-intensive industries, with a focus on resilience and regional development. The session concluded with a panel discussion exploring actionable strategies for achieving net-zero goals.

Throughout the two-day event, attendees shared best practices, engaged in meaningful dialogue, and worked towards concrete actions, including strengthening linkages across regions and networks.

 

Coinciding with the European Week of Regions and Cities, representatives from Ireland’s three Regional Assemblies appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs to discuss key priorities for Ireland’s regions and their relationship with the European Union.

The discussion focused on:

• Management and oversight of EU funding and its impact
• The importance and future of Cohesion funding for regional and local development
• Empowering Regional Assemblies to unlock greater opportunities and value from the EU

The Assemblies play a vital role in connecting EU policy and funding with communities on the ground, ensuring that European investment delivers tangible benefits for regions across Ireland.

Representing the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) were Acting Director Clare Bannon, Cathaoirleach Cllr David Healy and Cllr Rob Power, who highlighted the positive work of the Assemblies in linking European investment to local action and opportunities. They were joined by colleagues from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and the Southern Regional Assembly.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Committee Cathaoirleach Barry Ward said:

“We welcome the opportunity to meet with the regional assemblies. The meeting will also focus on the European Regional Development Fund, which is an important cornerstone of cohesion funding provided by the EU. The meeting allows us to build upon the Committee’s engagement with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, who the Committee met last Wednesday, the 1st of October.
The Committee will explore the current experience of regional assemblies in delivering EU funding for cohesion projects which will also help inform the delivery of regional development funding under the next EU budget.”

The engagement underlines the importance of collaboration between national and regional bodies to ensure Ireland continues to benefit from EU cohesion policy and funding.

To watch back the full debate visit https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_european_union_affairs/2025-10-15/