Appointment of the Swedish delegation
Under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the CoR shall consist of representatives of regional and local bodies who either hold a regional or local authority electoral mandate or are politically accountable to an elected assembly. Members and alternates are nominated by the governments of the Member States and appointed by the Council for a five-year term of office.
In Sweden, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for managing the nomination of the Swedish delegation. The Ministry of Finance asks SALAR's Board of Directors to propose delegation members. The proposal needs to take into account, among other things, gender balance, geographical balance, and balance between municipal and regional representatives.
Members and alternates are nominated and appointed on the basis of an underlying mandate, based on general elections. In the event of resignation from or a change to the underlying mandate, a new appointment will be made, following the same procedure.
Organisation and promoting policy interests
Both members and alternates are entitled to a seat on the CoR's commissions. Alternates are "permanent alternates", which means that they have the same opportunities as members to act as rapporteurs for opinions, to table amendments, and to take part in discussions at commission meetings. Alternates are also able to attend a plenary session once a year as observers, at the SALAR's expense.
Twice a year the whole delegation meets in Sweden to plan its strategic work on the basis of the European Commission's annual work programme. In addition, regular meetings are held between Swedish members and administrators at the SALAR , where they plan Swedish input into the work of the individual CoR commissions.