This covers services ranging from representation and promotion of local and regional interests on the European stage to more targeted interventions pinpointing relevant decision-makers in Brussels and the EU Institutions and opening doors to enable direct engagement with them on more specific concerns.
As part of this role, the office designs and delivers a number of bespoke study visits each year – sourcing speakers from the EU Institutions in response to the interests of local authorities.
Upon request, our staff may also be pressed into action to attend specific events and meetings in Brussels on behalf of partner organisations (including to develop project bids) and to report back on developments.
Another aspect of this function is regular engagement with our counterparts in the over 250 other Brussels-based offices representing the EU interests of individual or collective regions, cities and local government associations. This is an important platform in enabling the formation of beneficial linkages and alliances – including potential funding partnerships – and also ties in with our role in relation to the Committee of the Regions.
The office is also active in networking at European level through some of the various associations of interest that exist in Brussels – entirely subject to requests for involvement from their Irish local and regional sector members. These organisations bring together communities of like-minded regions, cities etc. as exchange, learning and dissemination platforms on given themes and as a useful inside-track to work on exercising collective influence on EU policy and to collaborate together, including as a solid basis for project development.
The European Union adopts legislation in a number of areas that have a direct impact on Member States and on local and regional authorities.
Established in 1994, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) is an EU advisory body composed of 350 local and regional elected representatives.
To help achieve its various policy objectives, the European Union provides financial support for activities to be undertaken by organisations, including local and regional authorities.
One of the four key functions of the Irish Regions European Office is to enable local and regional actors to make the most of having their own permanent physical presence at the heart of Europe with all that entails in terms of tapping into useful connections.
