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EC Commissioner Avramopoulos, President of the EU Court of Justice Koen Lenaerts, EC First Vice-President Timmermans, join #CoRplenary

The integration of migrants and the respect of fundamental rights and EU values in all Member States will be the centrepieces of two debates at the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) plenary on 10-11 April. Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, will take part in the launch of the CoR's new " Cities and Regions for Integration " initiative, while Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, will assess current threats to fundamental rights and EU values.

WATCH #CoRplenary LIVE – Plenary documents are available here

10 April, 13:00 "Foyer Pawel Adamowicz": Inauguration ceremony

The plenary will be preceded by a ceremony to honour Paweł Adamowicz , Mayor of Gdańsk and CoR member since 2011, who was murdered in January this year. A space of the Committee's main building will be renamed to commemorate his life and work. Mr Adamowicz's family and his successor as mayor, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, will join President Karl-Heinz Lambertz, for the ceremony. Mr Adamowicz was Mayor of Gdańsk from 1998 and a member of the European Committee of the Regions from 2011 until his death.

10 April, 15:00: Launch of the "Cities And Regions for Integration of Migrants" Initiative #Regions4Integration

Since 2015, the European Committee of the Regions has provided a full set of recommendations across the European Agenda on Migration. The Committee now wants to focus greater attention on a particular aspect of migration in which local and regional authorities are critical – integration – and provide a platform for regions, cities and smaller communities to share their experiences and positive stories.

Commissioner Avramopoulos will be the key speaker at the launch of the initiative. He will be joined by: Valeria Mancinelli, Mayor of Ancona and winner of the World Mayors Prize 2018; and Annika Tännström, leader of the Västra Götaland region in Sweden.

10 April, 17:00: Future EU budget debate

Whilst EU27 leaders meet to discuss the latest developments on Brexit, CoR members will take stock of the negotiations on the EU's budget for 2021-27 and Brexit financial implications with Jean Arthuis, Chair of the Committee on Budgets of the European Parliament.

11 April, 10:30: Fundamental Rights and EU Values

Koen Lenaerts , President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, will set out some of the principal concerns and questions facing the European Union related to the respect of fundamental rights and EU values, and will highlight issues of fundamental rights of particular importance to local and regional leaders. They will be joined by Michael O'Flaherty, Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and a representative of Europe's leading human-rights organisation, the Council of Europe – Domenica Ghidei Biidu, Vice-Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe.

Other opinions to be adopted during the plenary session:

Practical information:

Location: European Parliament - Paul Henri Spaak building, Hemicycle

Date: Wednesday, 10 April, 3pm-6pm; Thursday, 11 April, 9am-1pm.

Background material: The plenary agenda , documents & media programme

The plenary will be streamed live on the CoR website

Contact: PresseCdr@cor.europa.eu