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