CHIEF EDITOR: Renata Jasiołek
CONTACT WITH THE EDITORIAL OFFICE: Małopolska Region Brussels Office rue de la Sience 41, 1040 Brussels, Belgium e-mail : bruxelles@umwm.malopolska.pl
GRAPHIC DESIGN: www.aplanmedia.pl
Closer to Brussels #28
CLOSER TO BRUSSELS
EU VS. COVID
1. Preface Witold KOZŁOWSKI, Marshal of the Małopolska Region 2. Europe during and after COVID-19, Interview with Mr. Alberto CIRIO, the president of Piedmont Region 3. The importance of social services in face of pandemic Thomas BIGNAL, Policy manager, EASPD 4. Relaunching the economy during the pandemic – example of the Lombardy Region Alan Christian RIZZI, Undersecretary to the Presidency – Lombardy Regional Government 5. Małopolska conquers Brussels: European funds in the fight against the pandemic in Malopolskie Interview with Mr. Witold KOZŁOWSKI, Marshal of the Małopolska Region 6. Preparing for post-COVID world – role of foresight and resilience Maciej KRZYSZTOFOWICZ, Joint Research Centre, European Commission 7. Questio Iuris
Closer to Brussels #28
Ladies and Gentlemen! The passing year 2020 will go down in history as a special year. The year of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken over the world. This situation prompts each of us to reflect on the future of Europe as a continent, the European Union as a structure, and the functioning of individual Member States and EU regions. I believe that Europe will continue to develop and that care for the well-being of its people will remain its priority. It is our common responsibility to join forces and face challenges. Rebuilding the economy and strengthening its resilience to such unforeseen situations requires a well-thought-out plan. Therefore, I would like to invite you to reflect individually on what will happen next – in what direction will the European Union go? Will the coronavirus affect our Europeans’ everyday life? And if so, then to what extent? Or maybe thanks to this experience something will change for the better? It is with great pleasure that I present to you another issue of the magazine „Closer to Brussels”, in which we present the experiences and visions of the EU regions most affected by the pandemic: Lombardy and Piedmont. The difficult period of the pandemic highlighted the role of social services as claimed by an EASPD representative in our magazine. I especially recommend the article of an analyst from the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission on preparations for the post-COVID world. On the other hand, in the „Lesser Poland conquering Brussels” section, I share with you our Lesser Poland experience in the fight against the pandemic.
I wish you good health and interesting reading!
Witold Kozłowski Marshal of the Małopolska Region 4
Preface
Closer to Brussels #28
Europe during and after COVID-19
Europe during and after COVID-19 Interview with Mr. Alberto Cirio, the president of Piedmont Region
 Piedmont was one of the first Italian and European regions to be affected by the first wave of Covid-19, in early Spring. What were the first actions your region took to face the emergency? Alberto Cirio, President of Piedmont: Since the end of February, I have always opted for the utmost caution. 24 hours after the first Italian Covid-19 case in Lombardy, a neighbouring region, we had already activated the Task Force that has coordinated and managed the emergency in the last 8 months. In Piedmont we introduced containment measures even earlier than the Italian government, by - for example - halting a football match at the beginning of March, an event that would have brought 40 000 people to Turin. Strengthening our healthcare system has been our greatest task, because, just like the rest of the world, it was not ready to face a pandemic of this scale. In the last few months, we increased our testing labs from 2 to 30, we hired more than 2 500 healthcare professionals, and we strengthened intensive care units in the whole region.
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Alberto Cirio Alberto Cirio is the President of Piedmont, a region in the north-west Alpine area of Italy with around 4.3 million inhabitants. In 2014 he was elected at the European Parliament, where he worked for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Elected president of Piedmont Region in May 2019, he is now also part of the Committee of the Regions.
Strengthening our healthcare system has been our greatest task, because, just like the rest of the world, it was not ready to face a pandemic of this scale.
Closer to Brussels #28
Europe during and after COVID-19
As the crisis got worse and worse, we could not wait for national or European resources, so at the end of May I presented “Riparti Piemonte”, a sort of “regional recovery plan” for a total amount of € 800 million, a mix of regional, European, and national resources. I am really proud of this plan, because we managed to add new resources without wasting the old ones, which we simply allocated in a better way. Let’s talk about Europe and European cooperation. How would you describe the role of cooperation among regions at European level since the spreading of the Covid-19 pandemic? A. C.: I believe it is of the utmost importance for regions to cooperate and fight together this enemy, because it knows no borders. And I’ll give a clear example from Piedmont: B-LIFE project from mid-June to August. Together with the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), and the European Space Agency, we tested approximately 20 000 essential workers and volunteers, people who were potentially more exposed during lock-down. This action shows how crucial cooperation is and that Piedmont is very well anchored to the European level. You are a member of the Committee of the Regions. At the last CoR plenary you have presented your opinion on a reinforced Union civil protection mechanism. Why is it important to reinforce this instrument, during and after this pandemic? A. C.: The EU civil protection mechanism is about solidarity, helping each other in difficult moments. Solidarity is fundamental to overcome crisis like the one we are going through right now, and we need local and regional authorities to be concretely involved in the definition of our common resilience objectives. We need the EU response capacities to be much stronger, and to reach this aim, regions’ voices are of the utmost importance for planning and implementing these response emergency interventions. This is what I explained at the CoR plenary.
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Solidarity is fundamental to overcome crisis like the one we are going through right now, and we need local and regional authorities to be concretely involved in the definition of our common resilience objectives.
Closer to Brussels #28
Europe during and after COVID-19
You talk about solidarity in the EU, can you say your region saw examples of solidarity during the most difficult days in Spring? A. C.: Yes, luckily we did not have to wait to see acts of solidarity and generosity. Some of the companies in our territory donated important amounts to my region already in March, and private citizens as well. Just to give an example: when the Regional Council organized a “Webathon”, in late March, citizens donated about € 500 000 in one day, showing that generosity is much more contagious than a virus! Solidarity actions arrived also from afar: I could never thank enough that team of 38 doctors and nurses that came from Cuba to Piedmont, to help our hospitals in a moment of great emergency. These are just a few examples of how important the concept of solidarity is for Piedmont and for all the European regions. Mr president, solidarity and cooperation are great, but they’re not enough. European Institutions are working on the recovery plan, “Next Generation EU”: what is your opinion on this huge program? Do you think your region will benefit from this new and unprecedented instrument? A. C.: I find it very positive that EU resources are on their way to our territories, to sustain our economies, in such a difficult moment. I believe the Recovery Plan is a huge challenge for our future, but also an incredible opportunity we cannot miss. Piedmont could receive around € 8-10 billion, in addition to € 3 billion from the MFF; it is an amount of money my region has never seen before, so we need to make sure we know how to use it and deploy it in the best possible way, rapidly.
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Recovery Plan is a huge challenge for our future, but also an incredible opportunity we cannot miss.
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Europe is currently going through a second wave of Covid-19, what changed in Piedmont since the first wave and what do you think will happen now? Â A. C.: Many things have changed; not just the huge amount of work we put in the strengthening of our healthcare system, but most of all what we did for our fragile territorial healthcare, namely the necessity to treat as many people as possible in their own homes, in order to reduce hospitalisations. Of course this second wave is hitting us hard, just like the rest of Europe, but we are doing all we can to sustain every single sector. It will not be a normal Christmas, as we all know, but Piedmont is at the forefront in the fight against Covid-19. We are among the first Italian regions to administrate 2,4 million rapid tests for hospitals, schools, and elderly homes. Not only, but we are also increasingly adding beds in the intensive care units, thanks to a collaboration with the Civil Protection and with the Army. We are doing all that is in our power to protect the most vulnerable ones, until we can finally distribute a safe vaccine to all our citizens, hopefully in the early months of 2021.
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Europe during and after COVID-19
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The importance of social services in face of pandemic
The importance of social services in face of pandemic Social Services provide essential care and support to millions of people in Poland and across Europe, helping older persons, persons with disabilities, children and young people at risk, people at risk of poverty, homeless persons, migrants, people suffering from domestic violence, and many others to live better, healthier, longer and more active lives. Most importantly, they help people to enjoy their human rights. The sector also has other advantages too. For instance, they provide help to family or other informal carers, contributing to their employment and work-life balance opportunities. This is particularly beneficial to tackling gender inequalities too. And of course, what impacts the social also impacts the economic; with the social services sector contributing significantly to the economy by providing opportunities for disadvantaged or excluded individuals. The sector is also one of Europe’s biggest job creators, with an increase of nearly 25% in the last decade. Social Services are also essential to Europe’s social market economy. They help to create meaningful employment for 11 million workers, 5% of the total EU workforce, and with an increase of 25% in the last ten years.
Federation of Social Employers (2019) Withfinancial support fromthe European Union,The Social Services Workforce in Europe: Current State of Play and Challenges, Avalible here 1
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Thomas Bignal Thomas is Policy Manager for the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities. His specific expertise is on the social services eco-system, with a focus on its EU dimension. This includes knowledge on legal frameworks, EU funds, social dialogue and workforce development, social innovation and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Closer to Brussels #28
The importance of social services in face of pandemic
In short, social services are essential services for every person, business and government. So when a global pandemic impacts our societies, it also impacts the provision of care and support to the millions who need it. EASPD’s April 2020 Snapshot report shows the extent of the challenges that came to fore earlier this year. Much of Europe’s homecare, respite and day care services were very often closed or done online, which meant that 100.000s of persons with disabilities were either not getting the usual day-to-day support they require or that the responsibility of this support was shifted onto family members and friends, with the consequences on the quality of support, the independence of beneficiaries and the quality of life of the carers. Residential care services were generally continued yet required major changes: no visitations leaving service beneficiaries often lonely and without moral support, longer and harder working hours for staff and higher costs for service providers. Many providers also had huge issues with accessing masks, testing and training, a consequence of the prioritisation of healthcare over social care in our response to the crisis. It is also impossible to ignore the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in elderly care homes with 1,000s of deaths across the continent. Whilst not criticising the individual workers in these large institutional settings, one should question if the prevalence of these large settings, rather than small community-based services, made the COVID-19 pandemic even more dangerous than should be for those living in such facilities. This is the experience from the disability sector, but it is also a shared experience from the broader social services sector, as was highlighted in the European Social Summit which took place on 25th June. Since April, the situation has general improved; primarily because of the ability of many social services to rapidly transform their support models, in particular with the use of technology. Another advantage is their traditional experience -especially the not-for-profit sector- in finding solutions to complex and evolving social challenges. Yet challenges remain, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic evolving so rapidly week on week.
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Social services are essential services for every person, business and government.
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The importance of social services in face of pandemic
One significant issue is the political – or perhaps even societal wish to protect those who are most at risk from the pandemic. Whilst this is understandable to a certain extent, it should not go against the human rights of people to have choice and control over their own lives and -for people with support needs- over the services they receive. Another challenge in the provision of social services is who covers the additional costs that service providers have made to ensure that the care and support is provided. This includes payments such as masks, testing, digital adaptations, extra staff cost hours; expenditure which are not included in the pre-COVID contracts they (often) have with public authorities. Public authorities must take ownership over these costs and ensure that the service providers finances are healthy and sustainable, especially because many of them have experienced a decrease in income, at the same time as increased costs. The continuity of day-to-day support is at risk. Last but not least, there are considerable concerns over the long-term impact of this health, economic and social crisis over the future of social services. Will it result in devastating austerity measures? Will it lead to an overmedicalisation (or remedicalisation) of social services? How will it impact the attractiveness of the sector and the pre-existing staff shortages? These are all cross-European challenges. In this context, what will be the role of the European Union? It’s remains clear that social and health policies remain primarily a national or regional competence; depending on the country. This can in part explain why the EU’s response was -unfairlyseen as slow and weak, as many people are unaware of the limited competence of the EU in the relevant policies. This being said, the European Union was quick to relax its fiscal and state aid rules, provide flexibility for the use of existing EU funds, help Member States procure protective equipment for cheaper and providing guidance to Member States on dealing with the health pandemic.
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It’s remains clear that social and health policies remain primarily a national or regional competence; depending on the country.
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The importance of social services in face of pandemic
The most remarkable measure taken will be the new EU Recovery Plan, a huge €1.8 trillion investment plan to help Member States recover from the crisis. This will provide sufficient funding to allow ALL Member States to invest in needed policy reforms and public investment to help Europe recover and be more resilient than in the past. The Plan includes updates to existing programmes such as the European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund, which already fund many social projects. The new REACT-EU programme will provide €50 billion to top-up ESF and ERDF and help Member States fund projects directly related to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the social field. The new Recovery and Resilience Facility is even larger: €672.5 billion to help Member States invest in the recovery and resilience in Europe. The social sectors are highlighted as a target group for the R&R Facility. All in all, these programmes represent huge opportunities to invest in social services. And the crucial word here is opportunity, as it is now up to the national and regional governments in Europe to decide how these EU funds will be used (within EU overarching but flexible rules) at local level. Will the national or regional governments decide to use part of the huge €1.8 trillion package on social services to ensure all people have access to the care and support they need in the very near future? If you think this should be the case, make sure you let your authorities know!
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Closer to Brussels #28
Relaunching the economy during the pandemic
Relaunching the economy during the pandemic – example of the Lombardy Region Lombardy had the fate of being the first western territory to be hard hit by the Coronavirus epidemic, and of having to be the forerunner without any precedent or reference - in applying countermeasures for which nobody, at that time, was ready. The reasons why it was Lombardy in Italy that was most affected are mainly economic and demographic: the region is the centre of economy and international trading, where about one third of all Italian imports and exports occur. Lombardy’s airports are Italy’s primary business hub and the whole region, after Expo Milano 2015, has experienced an exceptional growth in tourism, achieving the highest levels in terms of visitors, particularly foreigners, driven by one of the strongest trade fair systems worldwide. This centrality of Lombardy in international trade was certainly decisive in the fast and severe outbreak of the Pandemia by COVID-19. Currently the infections are much lower than at the beginning of the Pandemia and now Lombardy is performing better than other territories. Today Lombardy has a great challenge to tackle: to contain the epidemic while trying to relaunch the economy. The situation in Lombardy is not easy: during the lockdown the import-export sector fell by 25.7% in the second quarter of 2020, the worst ever. The tourism sector also suffered as well as most businesses and service sector activities.
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Alan Christian Rizzi Born in London on 30th April 1973. Married. Father of a 2-year-old girl. After obtaining his high school diploma, he joined the Order of Journalists of Lombardy, became a publisher and even held the position of Editor-in-chief for numerous trade journals. Given his love for politics, he soon decided to follow in footsteps of his father, Senator Enrico Rizzi. November 1992 saw him take part in the founding of the Forza Italia political party, where his political career began. It is with Forza Italia that, in 1997, he was elected as Municipal Councillor in Milan at the age of 24. He remained in office until 2016. He held the position of Councillor for Sport and Recreation for Letizia Moratti’s council from March 2009 to June 2011, whereas he assumed the role of Forza Italia’s party whip in Palazzo Marino from 2012 to 2015. January 2014 saw him become Forza Italia’s Deputy Regional Coordinator for Lombardy, whereas July 2017 saw his appointment as Councillor for Sport of the municipality of Legnano. He has been the Undersecretary for Relations with International Delegations of the Lombardy Region since March 2018.
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Relaunching the economy during the pandemic
While waiting for national and European measures, the Lombardy Regional Government immediately acted to take economic, financial and social countermeasures and to channel resources into the regional economy. These measures involve the support of workers affected by the downturn in employment, credit to companies to promote their investments, initiatives to finance research and the medical industry. Other measures offer support for families and tax relief, particularly for the most vulnerable parts of the population, such as the elderly and the disabled. Another strand of intervention has been dedicated to tourism and commerce through funds to re-qualify structures and to promote e-commerce. But the most important recovery programme, particularly in terms of financial commitment, is the „Lombardy Plan�. It is a large-scale three-year plan of actions, mainly infrastructural, of approximately 3.5 billion euros, from 2020 to 2022, with an economic leverage of 5.5 billion euros. Almost two billion are for extensive mobility measures: railway works, public transport, intermodality, navigation, roads, cycling. This also includes the works planned for the 2026 Olympic Games, and further works that will promote connectivity between the Olympic sites. The other resources are allocated to urban and environmental interventions: soil protection, urban regeneration, recovery of historic villages, renovation of public buildings in order to adapt them to the new standards of environmental and energy sustainability, de-pollution of water, development of the mountain areas, strengthening of the agricultural irrigation system, forestry protection. Finally, the last strand of the Lombardy Plan is concerned with school buildings, public housing and sports facilities.
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The reasons why it was Lombardy in Italy that was most affected are mainly economic and demographic: the region is the centre of economy and international trading
Today Lombardy has a great challenge to tackle: to contain the epidemic while trying to relaunch the economy.
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Relaunching the economy during the pandemic
The first worksites are already underway and we expect 3,000 worksites to start up before the end of the year, all of which will be opened in coordination with local bodies in order to gather their projects and needs. This is an approach that aims more to promote long-term investment than subsidiary measures. The aim is to generate work and economic flow, but to do so by building the Lombardy of the future, more modern, greener, even more liveable. The Regions’ expectation with regard to European funds. What role could the Regions play. Many of Europe’s most economically developed regions have been among the most affected by sanitary and economic emergencies due to the current pandemic. After some delays and not a few initial difficulties, the necessary initiatives and resources are being put in place to deal with them. The agreement reached at the European Council on 21 July represents a turning point and an important challenge in this respect. Awaiting the final approval of the agreement by the European Parliament, the next step should be a real involvement of the European territories, Regions and Cities, including in the setting up of the Recovery and Resilience Plans on which the Member States have started negotiations with the European Commission. Many of the priorities identified at European level, including through the “Country Report recommendations”, are marked as having a strong impact on the European Union. Lombardy, within the framework of the possibilities offered by the European structural and investment funds, has been working for some time on its own lines of intervention, adapting them to the current situation in order to promote the recovery and growth of the territory’s competitiveness, promoting equality and equity for citizens, fostering the transition towards a model of sustainable growth development, consolidating competitiveness and attractiveness of the regional system within the European scenario.
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While waiting for national and European measures, the Lombardy Regional Government immediately acted to take economic, financial and social countermeasures and to channel resources into the regional economy.
Many of Europe’s most economically developed regions have been among the most affected by sanitary and economic emergencies due to the current pandemic.
Closer to Brussels #28
Relaunching the economy during the pandemic
In this context, the expectation with respect to European initiatives such as REACT-EU, Structural Funds and Recovery Plan, is that of a prompt adoption of the regulatory acts, including the available financial resources, in order to facilitate the ongoing dialogue with the European Commission and the Government. We would like the flexibility and simplification attained during the emergency to be made structural, as well as a timely deployment of resources, so as to facilitate a fast, solid and bureaucracy-free recovery. We also consider it an important added value to continue a direct and structured dialogue at all levels with the Commission and the other European institutions. The Olympics in Lombardy’s relaunching policies The Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games were already central to regional policies before the pandemic and are even more so today. Since last year, both the Region and the Government has already invested strongly in supporting the initiative. Now the Lombardy Regional Government has further increased the commitments already made to seize the opportunity for development. In the Lombardy Plan, additional resources have been provided for the infrastructures that will have to promote connections between the Olympic territories and between the rest of the region. There is almost 600 million euros, in addition to the almost 500 million euros that the Italian Government will invest in Lombardy. Just as Expo Milano 2015 boosted a lasting and a concrete economy and tourism in Lombardy in the aftermath of the world economic crisis of 2007-2009, we also believe that the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games will be able to make a key contribution to overcoming this crisis as well.
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Malopolska conquers Brussels
Małopolska conquers Brussels: European funds in the fight against the pandemic in Małopolska - Interview with Mr. Witold KOZŁOWSKI, Marshal of the Małopolska Region
Mr. Marshal, due to the epidemic the most important activities of the Board of the Małopolska Region is focused on increasing the safety of our residents. Health and social, but also economic safety. What challenges the provincial government had to face in the beginning of the pandemic? Witold Kozlowski, Marshal of Małopolska Region: Our new, completely different reality required authorities at all levels to take immediate steps to stop the spread of the epidemic, introduction of changes in work and education organization, support for health services and protection of businesses and employees. Although the epidemic is still going, and Małopolska has been in the front line for the last several weeks, today, looking from the perspective of the last few months, our approach to the threat is calmer. From the very beginning of the crisis, the local government of Małopolska Region has been actively organizing support in the most sensitive areas. How?
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Witold Kozłowski Polish politician and self-governmental politician. Chairman of the Council of the Małopolska Region (2005-2006). Secretary of the Nowy Sącz District Authority (19982018). Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Kraków (2018). Marshal of the Małopolska Region.
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Malopolska conquers Brussels
W.K.: The situation required us to quickly and efficiently make decisions and to flexibly and effectively cooperate with our partners. We set up appropriate task forces, re-organized work in the office and regional institutions, cooperated closely with medical communities, especially with the director of the University Hospital, Małopolska Region Sanitary Inspector, government administration, Ministry of the Funds and Regional Policy and the European Commission. The most important initiative is the Małopolska Anticrisis Shield (MAS), thanks to which billions of zlotys have been transferred to support, among others, hospitals, entrepreneurs, schools and care institutions. Where does this huge financial support come from? W.K.: In the beginning of the pandemic, it was very important to quickly verify expenses under the budget of the region and European Funds – all in order to save as much as possible without giving up the previously planned pro-investment expenses. I am lucky that I work with professional staff and their commitment and continuous cooperation with the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy and the European Commission allowed us to quickly and efficiently use the money from European Funds to combat the pandemic. European Funds also proved to be the foundation on which the Małopolska Anti-crisis Shield was built. MAS is a package of various measures to combat the coronavirus in Małopolska Region. How does it work? W.K.: Małopolska Anti-crisis Shield involves real help directed to a few sensitive sectors, which needed immediate and concrete support due to the pandemic. MAS consists of 6 relief packages carried out in three stages. The medical package (190 million PLN) has been used by medical facilities to buy equipment and devices necessary to effectively fight the pandemic.
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In the beginning of the pandemic, it was very important to quickly verify expenses under the budget of the region and European Funds
Małopolska Anti-crisis Shield involves real help directed to a few sensitive sectors, which needed immediate and concrete support due to the pandemic.
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Malopolska conquers Brussels
The entrepreneurship package (336.5 million PLN) has been dedicated to our local entrepreneurs in order to maintain jobs in companies facing financial difficulties and to support the labour market. It is also help for the self-employed. The liquidity package (111 million PLN) are funds for liquidity loans for entrepreneurs who have suffered financial losses due to the pandemic. More millions are devoted to the social package (55.2 million PLN) and the educational package (35 million PLN) – funds have been given to support care institutions, purchase technology and equipment for remote teaching. The last one, the development package (279 million PLN), is directed to our cities and villages, which will be an important element in reviving the economy. What were the first aided areas? W.K.: The health of our residents has always been our main goal, which is why, at the beginning of the pandemic, the local government directed its activities toward our healthcare. We efficiently made the necessary purchases to equip our hospitals and healthcare workers with the necessary devices and personal protective equipment. These purchases were significant, but not made by the local government. Why? W.K.: We entrusted them to our partners. We assumed that no one knows better what it takes to fight the epidemic than our front-line workers. By cooperating with the University Hospital, we ordered the necessary personal protective equipment. We have also created the Małopolska Material Reserve to secure regional hospitals. With European Funds, we purchased, apart from the necessary equipment, 50 special tents for firefighters to quickly set up a field hospital, as well as 50 modern, fully equipped ambulances. All of them have been actively supporting our residents since September.
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With European Funds, we purchased, apart from the necessary equipment, 50 special tents for fire-fighters to quickly set up a field hospital, as well as 50 modern, fully equipped ambulances.
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Malopolska conquers Brussels
How did the local government handle the difficult situation related to care facilities and education? W.K.: The social package and the educational package turned out to be important when it comes to protecting the weakest. As part of the social package, we try to help public and private care establishments from Małopolska Region, including social welfare homes and shelters. We care about both the staff and the residents of these facilities. We subsidize the purchase of equipment to fight COVID-19 and the remuneration of staff in connection with more intensive work in difficult conditions. On the other hand, the educational package will facilitate modern remote teaching via, among others, Małopolska Digital Education Laboratory HUMINE. It is worth nothing that this the first such project in Poland. The offer is directed to municipalities and counties, as bodies that maintain public and private primary and secondary schools, who will submit a request for a grant for the purchase of computer equipment for remote teaching. The perception of education has changed forever, and we are responsible to meet these new challenges.
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We subsidize the purchase of equipment to fight COVID-19 and the remuneration of staff in connection with more intensive work in difficult conditions.
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Malopolska conquers Brussels
The pandemic did not spare local companies? W.K.: It is estimated that up to 95 percent entrepreneurs feel the impact of coronavirus in their business areas. In the beginning of the pandemic, we were aware that its effects would be most severe for Małopolska entrepreneurs, which is why part of the funds went to the so-called Compensation Vouchers, Vouchers for Self-Employed and attractive EU loans for ongoing activities, such as covering the costs of employment. These are significant amounts. You can borrow up to 500 thousand PLN for up to 7 years and repay only the initial capital. How do you assess the activities of the Regional Government in the recent months? W.K.: With funds from the EU, state and regional budgets, we provided real help to our residents in a short time. Given the epidemic situation, we, as Małopolska, did not stop any investment. As the host of the region I can confidently say that we walked out of this crisis unscathed. On the other hand, the effectiveness of our actions was assessed by the residents during the special edition of Małopolska Opinion Survey, carried out by the analytical and research unit at UWMW – Małopolska Regional Development Observatory. The scale of our operations is evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of our residents (75%) heard about our initiatives, including as many as 61% heard about the Małopolska Anti-crisis Shield. The same number of responders believes that these measures will contribute to the development of the regional economy in the next year.
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The scale of our operations is evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of our residents (75%) heard about our initiatives
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Preparing for post-COVID world
Preparing for post-COVID world – role of foresight and resilience The COVID-19 crisis has shocked the world. The pandemic has already claimed the lives of well over a million people globally and has led to economic, social and psychological hardship.
Beyond its direct effects, its long-term impact will be felt through its effects on the megatrends, or long-term driving forces with significant influence on the future, accelerating some and slowing down others. We can already see how it deepened inequalities, as well as accelerated hyperconnectivity and demographic imbalances. A post-COVID world requires better understanding of these impacts and increased awareness of existential risks and ‘grey rhinos’ – highly probable, high impact but neglected risks.
Maciej Krzysztofowicz Maciej Krzysztofowicz is a policy analyst at the Joint Research Centre’s EU Policy Lab. The Joint Research Centre is the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent an official position of the European Commission.
Beyond its direct effects, its long-term impact will be felt through its effects on the megatrends, or long-term driving forces with significant influence on the future
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Closer to Brussels #28 Figure: Potential impact of COVID-19 on megatrends
Source: 2020 Strategic Foresight Report
The European Commission 2020 Strategic Foresight Report1 puts together a comprehensive overview of the vulnerabilities that the COVID-19 crisis exposed, matching them with the capacities the EU has to address them. Three of the areas it addresses - wellbeing, climate change and multilateralism are particularly useful for long-term thinking about the social, environmental and geopolitical future of the EU. Wellbeing and life satisfaction dropped to their lowest levels in over 40 years. In the first six months of 2020, the feeling of loneliness in Europe almost tripled, especially among young and older people, and mental health challenges increased. Economic, gender, skills, regional, and ethnic inequalities have all worsened. Disruption of established lifestyles has intensified the debate on how we measure progress and conceive ‘wellbeing’.
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https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/new-push-european-democracy/
strategic-foresight/2020-strategic-foresight-report_en
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Preparing for post-COVID world
Closer to Brussels #28
Preparing for post-COVID world
The crisis has reignited the debate on what kind of economic growth is desirable, what actually matters for human wellbeing in a world of finite resources and on the need for new metrics to measure progress beyond GDP growth. For children and teenagers, the COVID-19 crisis will be a traumatic experience increasing stress, mistrust (avoiding physical contact, social distancing), feeling of lack of control or fear for the health of the family – in some cases reinforced by increased domestic violence, economic pressures on their families and prolonged uncertainty. These experiences will, to some extent, shape their risk perceptions, their values and their attitudes towards politics, society, and work. And these changes will be passed on to future generations. All this will be happening in the context of the ‘other crisis’ – climate change, which is making extreme weather events more frequent and more intense. Our current production and consumption model is increasingly exposing people and the environment to the impact of hazardous substances. The increasing exploitation of renewable and non-renewable natural resources cannot be sustained, as it is jeopardising prospects for future sustainable development. The current pandemic illustrates the connection between human development and the environment. Finally, just as the problems we are facing are increasingly global, multilateralism is under increasing pressure from narrow national interests. Preserving a space for consensusbuilding and joint action to address global challenges and protect common public goods is central to geopolitical resilience. In mobilising strategic resources for humanitarian and development aid and striving to make a COVID-19 vaccine and medicines available worldwide, the EU found such a role through its ‘Team Europe’ approach.
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For children and teenagers, the COVID19 crisis will be a traumatic experience increasing stress, mistrust, feeling of lack of control or fear for the health of the family
Closer to Brussels #28
The world post-COVID is not the world shaped by the pandemic itself, but a world where uncertainties and risks associated with the megatrends are rapidly growing – the resilience of our societies will therefore be crucial to face them. Resilience refers to the ability not only to withstand and cope with challenges but also to transform in a sustainable, fair, and democratic manner2 . In light of the COVID-19 crisis and of the transition-led political agenda, it is clear that Europe needs to further strengthen its resilience and bounce forward, i.e. not only recover but also emerge stronger by intensifying these transitions. The EU needs to draw lessons from the pandemic, anticipate future developments, and strike the right balance between the wellbeing of current and future generations3 .
Manca, A.R., Benczur, P., and Giovannini, E., 2017, Building a scientific narrative towards a more resilient EU society. 2
Giovannini, E., Benczur, P., Campolongo, F., Cariboni, J., Manca, A.R, 2020. Time for transformative resilience: the COVID-19 emergency, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 3
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Preparing for post-COVID world
Closer to Brussels #28
Foresight – the discipline of exploring, anticipating and shaping the future – helps build and use collective intelligence in a structured and systematic way to anticipate developments and better prepare for change . Over the coming years, establishing a forward-looking culture in policymaking will be crucial for the EU to strengthen its capacity to deal with an increasingly volatile and complex world and to implement its forward-looking political agenda. It will ensure that short-term actions are grounded in long-term objectives and will allow the EU to lead the way in charting its own course and shaping the world around it. The 2020 Strategic Report establishes a strategic foresight agenda for the Commission, which details how to monitor resilience and embed foresight in policymaking.
Strategic foresight draws useful insights for strategic planning, policymaking and preparedness, (European Commission, 2017, Strategic Foresight Primer). It is not about predicting the future but about exploring different plausible futures that could arise and the opportunities and challenges they could present. It involves identifying trends and emerging issues, using them to create visions and associated pathways to make better decisions and act in the present in order to shape the future we want. 4
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Preparing for post-COVID world
Over the coming years, establishing a forward-looking culture in policymaking will be crucial for the EU to strengthen its capacity to deal with an increasingly volatile and complex world and to implement its forwardlooking political agenda.
Questo luris
Closer to Brussels #28
Brussels, 27.05.2020 COM(2020) 442 FINAL
Questio luris
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
THE EU BUDGET POWERING THE RECOVERY PLAN FOR EUROPE 1. An ambitious and innovative EU budget for European recovery (…) The Commission is proposing to harness the full potential of the EU budget to mobilise investment and frontload financial support in the crucial first years of recovery. These proposals are based on: • an emergency European Recovery Instrument (‘Next Generation EU’) amounting to EUR 750 billion. This will temporarily boost the EU budget with new financing raised on the financial markets. The funds raised will be channelled through EU programmes to underpin the immediate measures needed to protect livelihoods, get the economy back on its feet and foster sustainable and resilient growth. • a reinforced multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027. The Commission is proposing to create new tools and strengthen key programmes using Next Generation EU to direct investment quickly to where it is most needed, reinforce the single market, step up cooperation in areas such as health and crisis management, and equip the Union with a long-term budget to drive the green and digital transitions and build a fairer and more resilient economy. (…)
A budget for European recovery and resilience SURE/ ESM Pandemic Crisis Support / EIB Guarantee Fund for Workers and Businesses
EUR 540 billion
Next Generation EU
Temporary reinforcement EUR 750 billion
Multiannual Financial Framework
EUR 1 100 billion
Unless indicated otherwise, amounts are expressed in constant 2018 prices.
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Closer to Brussels #28
Questo luris
Next Generation EU will give the EU budget the additional firepower necessary to respond decisively to the most urgent challenges. This will be a one-off emergency instrument, put in place for a temporary period and used exclusively for crisis response and recovery measures. The funds will be channelled through the EU budget to Member States to support investment and reform priorities, and will be used to reinforce financial programmes key to recovery with an end date by 31 December 2024. Raising funding on the financial markets will help to spread the financing costs over time, so that Member States will not have to make significant additional contributions to the EU budget during the 2021-2027 period. The Commission will also propose new own resources that could help finance the repayment of the market finance raised under Next Generation EU. (‌)
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Closer to Brussels #28
Questo luris
2. How will Next Generation EU be used? 1. Supporting Member States to recover, repair and emerge stronger from the crisis 2. Kick-starting the economy and helping private investment to get moving again 3. Learning the lessons of the crisis and addressing Europe’s strategic challenges These include: • Boosting the Union’s cyberdefences and supporting the digital transition by equipping the Digital Europe Programme with a total budget of EUR 8.2 billion. • Investing in an up-to-date, high-performance transport infrastructure to facilitate cross-border connections, such as Rail Baltica, through an additional EUR 1.5 billion for the Connecting Europe Facility. • Creating the conditions for a well-functioning single market driving recovery by maintaining the proposed budgets for the Single Market Programme and for programmes supporting cooperation in the fields of taxation and customs at a level of EUR 3.7 billion, EUR 239 million and EUR 843 million respectively. • Investing in young people through an additional EUR 3.4 billion for Erasmus Plus, bringing the total to EUR 24.6 billion, as well as in the cultural and creative sectors through an increase of Creative Europe to a level of EUR 1.5 billion • Strengthening the resilience of the agri-food and fisheries sectors and providing the necessary scope for crisis management through an additional EUR 4 billion for the Common Agricultural Policy and of EUR 500 million for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. • Stepping up cooperation on external border protection and migration and asylum policy by reinforcing the Asylum and Migration Fund and Integrated Border Management Fund to reach a level of EUR 22 billion. • Ensuring strong support for European strategic autonomy and security by increasing the Internal Security Fund to EUR 2.2 billion and strengthening the European Defence Fund to a level of EUR 8 billion. • Supporting our partners in the Western Balkans by bringing the Union’s pre-accession assistance to a level of EUR 12.9 billion.
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