The Committee of the Regions (CoR) held its 151^st plenary session on the 11^th and 12^th of October. The plenary session coincided with the European Week of Cities and Regions, a key date within the CoR calendar. The plenary session itself had a packed agenda and an array of opinions to be voted upon.

Starting with the formal opening of the European Week of Cities and Regions on Monday the 10^th of October in the European Parliament’s hemicycle. The plenary week placed a spotlight on the power of harnessing local and regional governance.

The power of harnessing local and regional governance was clear in Irish delegation member Cllr. Alison Gilliland’s opinion ‘Towards a structural inclusion of Cities and Regions in UNFCCC COP27’. The opinion, which was approved by plenary, sought to state the importance of incorporating local voices within COP27 in order to ensure long term ‘buy-in’ for any climate policy measures.

The Irish delegation was well represented within the plenary session, with Cllr. Una Power and Cllr. Kieran McCarthy delivering strong addresses for The Greens and the European Alliance respectively. The plenary session also found the head of delegation Cllr. Michael Murphy chairing a debate on the Revised Schengen Area Governance.

Elsewhere, the plenary session also included opinions on protecting industrial and craft geographical indications in the EU, Just and sustainable transition in the context of the coal and energy intensive regions as well as an opinion on the European Chips Act to strengthen the European semiconductor ecosystem.

The final plenary session of the year will take place on the first week in December.