The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) will next week hold its fourth annual Localism Summit in the Abruzzo region in Italy. ECR CoR President and President of the Abruzzo Region Marco Marsilio will be the host for this year's edition.

The event will bring together conservative and reformist politicians from all over Europe as well as experts and specialists to discuss two important challenges facing local and regional politicians: demographic decline and disaster risk reduction. 

The highlight of the conference will be the signature of a political declaration between local and regional leaders of the ECR Group to confirm their willingness to strengthen bilateral relations to solve common challenges.

In the first panel, politicians and experts will discuss the assistance that local and regional authorities expect from the European Union when it comes to tackling and preventing natural disasters. Politicians will look retrospectively at the L'Aquila tragedy of 2009 earthquake, as well as other disasters that occurred in the EU in the last years to share the lessons learnt. 

The second panel will focus on tackling demographic decline and the depopulation of inland areas. Panellists will exchange best practices related to the promotion of family-friendly policies on the ground aimed at ensuring a bright future for those young couples who do not wish to leave their local community.

Young conservative politicians from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, and Sweden are also invited to give an insight into their perspective on regional development.

The event will take place on 10 November in the Sala Ipogea of the Regional council of the Abruzzo region (Via Michele Jacobucci 4, L'Aquila).