Meaisínaistriúchán
 
Cliceáil anseo chun leagan meaisínaistrithe den téacs a fháil.
Future of Europe: regions and cities will write the next chapter of European democracy  

​​​​In the presence of Vice President of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica, CoR members welcome the European Commission's support for a Convention to revise EU Treaties and commit to play their part to implement the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe

In a debate with EC Vice President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica, local and regional representatives welcomed the European Commission's support for a Convention to revise the EU Treaties expressed by the EC President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech, as well as the confirmation that citizens panels will become a permanent feature in the EU's policy-making process. At the same time, as the 2022 EU annual report on the state of regions and cities shows, Europe is facing multiple challenges from the war against Ukraine to the climate and energy crisis, which is putting democracies as well as solidarity in the EU under greatest pressure In this context, local and regional representatives insist that a concrete follow-up of the conclusions resulting from the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFE) is needed and that regions and cities will play their part be it, with or without Convention.

CoR President Vasco Alves Cordeiro (PT/PES) said: “ We, local and regional representatives, are part of the solution and we work to find solutions every day. As stated by the Regional and Local Barometer, 89% of local and regional representatives want regions and cities to have more influence on the future of the European Union. We call for an efficient cooperation between the EU institutions in the follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe, with the full involvement of local and regional authorities, including in a future Convention."

Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President for Democracy and Demography of the European Commission stated: “Current geopolitical events remind us that we must not lose time to build democratic resilience from within. The European Committee of the Regions has been a fundamental partner in the Conference on the Future of Europe. Now it is time to turn the vision into concrete actions, starting from going deeper with citizens’ engagement. The Commission is setting the direction: Citizens’ panels will become part of policy-making and our online tools are being revamped. Next year we will put forward a “Defence of Democracy” package, responding directly to citizens’ proposals. Local and regional authorities are crucial for a healthy and strong democracy. The Building Europe with Local Councillors initiative is an unprecedented alliance with local and regional authorities. I invite all Members of the Committee to make it flourish."

Local and regional representatives also welcomed the endorsement by EC President Ursula von der Leyen of the call by the European Parliament for a Convention to revise the Treaties, which was reiterated by Vice-President Šuica. The CoR, in its resolution of June 2022 on the outcome of the COFE , had already supported this call. A future Convention should fully involve members of the CoR to represent the voices of the over one million regionally and locally elected representatives in Europe. This should be reflected in its composition, also taking into consideration the fact that some of these representatives represent regions with legislative powers.

Communication and outreach being fundamental components of the follow-up on the COFE, CoR members fully support the European Commission's confirmation that citizen panels, as introduced in the COFE, will become a permanent tool for future EU policy-making. In this respect, The CoR European network of regional and local EU councillors is fully operational and it works in synergy with the Building Europe with Local Councillors (BELC) network of the European Commission. Local events and citizens' dialogues are being and will be held throughout the EU, notably in view of the next European elections.

Background:

- 2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities .

- 2022 Local and Regional Barometer

- CoR resolution on The outcome and follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe , with reactions and proposals, including on Treaty revision and COFE proposals relevant for the CoR and for cities and regions.

- CoR resolution on The European Committee of the Regions' proposals in view of the European Commission Work Programme for 2023

Contact:

Monica Tiberi – Spokesperson of the President

Tel. +32 479 51 74 43

monica.tiberi@cor.europa.eu

Marie-Pierre Jouglain – Press Officer

Tel. +32 473 52 41 15

mariepierre.jouglain@cor.europa.eu

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