The three Regional Assemblies and the IREO are delighted to have been awarded funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Communicating Europe Initiative (CEI).

The CEI provides funding for projects that communicate European issues, the role of the European Union and Ireland’s place in Europe. The success means that the IREO will now organise a series of seminars across the country to present how engagement with the EU strengthens local communities and explore how local communities can engage with the EU. The events will be entitled: A Duologue for Strength and Resilience – bringing the EU to local communities and local communities to the EU. 

Three events will be organised in each of the Regional Assembly areas during the final months of 2021 with the duologue exploring how the EU helps local communities thrive and grow whilst providing tools for their citizens to engage with the EU from a bottom-up perspective. These events will demonstrate how EU funding programmes and EU policy developments can support that two-way process. Communicating with citizens and local communities and providing them with the tools about how best to engage in EU policy making will be a key feature, particularly in light of the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe.

The series of seminars across Ireland will highlight on the one hand, how EU Cohesion Policy funding (European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) programmes) can benefit local communities and on the other hand, how local communities can participate in a duologue with the EU. The topics of the events will be aligned to the 2021 – 2027 Cohesion Policy priorities.

The events will include panels of speakers around the above themes including Irish Committee of the Regions Members and MEPs as well as providing examples of how local communities across Ireland have already benefitted from EU policies and programmes. Events will also feature experts on citizen engagement from the European Movement Ireland and they will ensure that local communities are equipped to engage in the EU process.

The events will be aimed at local and regional authorities, both elected members and officials, local enterprise offices, civil society and members of the public. Watch out for more information on the event in your area in the coming months.