French BELC member presented the network at the meeting in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region

Florian Morelle, French BELC member and elected representative of the Cantal Departmental Council was invited by the network of EUROPE DIRECT Centres in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (AURA) region to present BELC at an event held in the city of Massiac on 2 July, 2024. The event brought together the six EUROPE DIRECT Centres in the AURA region, as well as the AURA regional authority (involved in the European Funds management, mainly FSE+ and FEDER), and France Travail, the public administrative body in charge of employment. 

 Mr Morelle explained the objectives of BELC, i.e. creating a pan-European network of locally elected politicians, establishing an alliance between the European Commission and local governments. He pointed out benefits of being part of the network, such as privileged access to official EU communication sources in local languages, the opportunity to visit the European Commission in Brussels and talk with EU officials, as well as first-hand seminars and access to a European platform of peers from across Europe. 

The discussion gave local European experts an opportunity to familiarise themselves with BELC and envisage local synergies and activities between the various structures.