Outdoor classroom, café or info hub: citizens decide on the fate of Helsingborg H22 Expo pavilion
Three proposals were selected, out of many, and they conform to the principles of re-thinking, re-purposing and re-adapting
The Iberian country is having local and regional elections in conjunction with those to the European Parliament
This Sunday, together with the elections to the European Parliament, Spain is having municipal and autonomous elections. As we explained in our earlier analysis, with so many choices to make within one month, things are nothing less than complicated. Here is an overview of the administrative details to take into consideration.
First, Spain is a decentralised unitary state and a Parliamentary monarchy since 1978. Apart from the central level of governance, there are also regional and local levels represented by the autonomous communities, the provinces and the municipalities.
Twelve out of the seventeen Autonomous communities will be electing regional parliaments this week, namely Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile and Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia and Navarre. Up for grabs are 715 out of 1,208 seats. Between 1979 and 1983, the communities have been separately gaining autonomy starting from the Basque country, Catalonia, Galicia and Andalusia. The process of decentralization continuted up until the creation of all the current 17 autonomous regions. Their respective governing bodies have legislative powers and competences in a number of areas, including changes in municipal boundaries, public order, environmental protection and planning and urbanism.
Each community is further divided into provinces which act as a link with the smallest unit of local governance, namely the municipalities. The former will elect seats to provincial deputations as well.
Then, there are 8124 municipalities (as of 2017, according to Eurostat). The municipalities (mostly governed by Ayuntamientos or city councils, presided by a mayor) are responsible for local matters, including public safety, urban policies and civil protection. The number of councillors varies depending on the population from 3 to 25 for municipalities up to 100 000 persons. For each additional 100 000 persons, another councillor is added (or two if the number is even). They serve four year terms and unlike other European countries, the Mayor is not directly elected. On the contrary, he is selected among the leaders of party lists by the councillors elected to the council, provided that he wins an absolute majority.
According to a recent poll by GAD3 for ABC the socialist party PSOE is on the lead with 30% followed with a large distance by Partido Popular with 20%. By the 20th may 2019, the support for Ciudadanos was 12%, 8% for Podemos and only 4% for Vox.
Three proposals were selected, out of many, and they conform to the principles of re-thinking, re-purposing and re-adapting
And big cities are where the effect is the worst despite the more varied offer on the market there
EU border countries and communities are increasingly growing uneasy about tolerating daily visits from the aggressor country
New project developed by the city’s tram operator calls for a mixture of deposit boxes and commuters moving the parcels through the city
Making good use of kids’ love for gaming and of the final days of the summer vacation
Greece is the only country that registered an increase, compared to numbers from July 2022
The same goes for citizens living in other areas classified by the city as suffering from excessive noise pollution
The Belgian capital is home to around 20 species of bats, who mainly feed on insects and help keep local biodiversity
Fuelled by the civic budget, they reflect a growing need for green spaces in the Polish capital
The same goes for citizens living in other areas classified by the city as suffering from excessive noise pollution
Right before the start of the school year, kids in Sofia, Plovdiv and Ruse will be able to clear out their drawers and have a fresh start
The city doesn’t allow water sports activities to take place on its waterways, and it generally frowns upon silly behaviour like that
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy
Interview with Herald Ruijters, Director, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), European Commission
A conversation with the Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal’s first UN Resilience Hub