Run for it | Your PES Group newsletter

💪 Next week the first plenary session of the year is on!

From 8-9 February, we will fight for regulating low-carbon farming, a comprehensive EU care strategy, an ambitious EU nature restoration law and a binding European framework for an adequate minimum income. Stay tuned on our social media for all important #CoRPlenary updates!

In the meantime, scroll down to see what kept us busy this month and have a look at the #ProgressiveLocalStories to brighten up your day 👇👇👇

🏘️ Homes are for people, not for profit.

#HousingForAll remains also this year one of our key political priorities. Our member Peter Florianschütz, member of ​ Vienna city council, took part in this week’s debate on short-term rentals moderated by Politico to call for better and more transparent regulations of short-term rentals via platforms such as Airbnb. “The proposed EU regulation needs to ensure a decent, fair legal solution to the exchange of data on short-term rentals in the interest of the municipalities and their citizens. Cities must be able to efficiently enforce short-term rentals", he stated. 

♀️ ⏰ It's women's time: Ending gender inequality and violence in every place

Our next external PES Group meeting will take place on Friday 3 March 2023 in Valencia at the invitation of our member Ximo Puig, President of the Regional Government of Valencia. This event will bring together PES Group members, socialist and democratic leaders, young progressive local and regional politicians, activists, experts and citizens to discuss women's economic and social empowerment and on the elimination of gender-based violence. The full programme will be revealed soon! Stay tuned

Socialist local and regional leaders are very committed to tackling this issue and making concrete changes on the ground. As an example, La Rioja region in Spain, led by our member Concha Andreu, has launched many initiatives to eradicate gender-based violence in its communities. Get inspired by their political actions! 👇

✈️ 🇪🇸 #ProgressivesSpeakUp: off to Valencia!

We are happy to announce that our next school of Young Elected Politicians will take place in Valencia from 2 to 3 March, ahead of our extraordinary meeting! This year’s School will focus on a key battle of the progressives: ending gender inequality and violence against women. More info coming soon

🇪🇺 #CohesionPolicy: cities and regions make Europe happen in each community!

The President of the European Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro and Minister-President of Wallonia, Elio Di Rupo, visited two projects in Mons and Charleroi co-financed by European structural funds in order to showcase the impact of European cohesion policy on the daily lives of citizens. These visits showcased that European funds allow the creation of concrete projects that meet local needs, while at the same time being in line with the major objectives of the European Union. Learn more 

❤️ ​ #ProgressiveLocalStories ❤️

Making decent housing for all a reality is a top priority for Budapest 

We love sharing what progressive cities and regions do, as they can inspire many others with their stories. This month, we bring you the example of Kata Tüttő, Deputy-Mayor of Budapest with the new housing strategy adopted in Budapest that reframes the issue of homelessness into call for more affordable housing to prevent the problem. Have a read of the whole piece

Saarland has a strong voice in child and youth policy, which champions the interests of young people.

Saarbrücken and Saarland support youth engagement at many levels. Support is given to projects that promote young people's involvement and address the topic of "participation" as open educational opportunities. In seven youth centres across , rooms are made available for young people for meetings, activities and projects. In this interview, Christine Jung, Saarbrücken City Councillor in Germany, explains how her region Saarland is promoting youth engagement in politics with a series of initiatives that even go beyond borders.

What’s coming next?

12-15 June 2023 | Brussels Urban Summit

Save the date for the Brussels Urban Summit 2023 organised by our member Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, and Pascal Smet, Secretary of State of the Brussels-Capital Region, that will gather many Progressive leaders from all around the world to debate on the major challenges faced by cities today and in the future. It promises to be a unique encounter and one to put in your diary!

🙏 For the header photo, we thank: Joshua Sortino on Unsplash