The members of the European Committee of the Regions
held a discussion with Herman Van Rompuy, president of
the High Level Group on European Democracy, and Renaud
Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Region, delegated president of the Association of the
Regions of France and co-organiser of the European
Summit of Regions and Cities.
The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique
opportunity to bring the EU closer to its citizens
and to boost their sense of belonging to the
European project. Provided that in its conclusions,
the European Committee of the Regions is given a
coordination and communication role, on behalf of
local and regional authorities, in the future
European decision-making process. This was the view
of former president of the European Council and
president of the CoR High Level Group on European
Democracy, Herman Van Rompuy, and Renaud Muselier,
president of the South Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Region and delegated president of the Regions of
France, during a debate on the future of democracy
in Europe at the European Committee of the Regions
plenary session.
During the debate, there was broad consensus that the
Conference on the Future of Europe must be able to show
the citizens consulted that their voices have been
heard. With 1.17 million locally and regionally elected
representatives in the EU, local and regional
authorities are the largest level of democratic
representation and are closest to citizens.
Collectively, they are responsible for half of public
investments in the EU and for implementing more than
half of EU legislation. If the EU is to increase its
democratic legitimacy, it is essential to involve the
local and regional level more in the EU decision-making
process and to establish a permanent dialogue with
citizens for the upcoming discussions after the
Conference.
The delegation of local and regional elected
representatives to the Conference plenary
promotes these points at the plenary sessions of the
Conference on the Future of Europe. These topics will
also be discussed at the European Summit of Regions and
Cities in Marseille on 3 and 4 March 2022, just before
the closing session of the Conference under the French
Presidency of the EU.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, president of the European Committee of the Regions,
president of the Central Macedonia Region in Greece and
head of the CoR delegation, stated that: "the
Conference on the Future of Europe must commit to
taking this unique opportunity to place regions at the
heart of the European Union's future democratic
architecture. We want to strengthen multi-level
governance in the EU for the implementation of EU
legislation. The million local and regional elected
representatives across Europe we represent can help
restore people's trust in our democracy".
Herman Van Rompuy
presented the first conclusions of the
High Level Group on European Democracy:
"the Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique
opportunity to bring the existing local dimension of
our democracy into the debate. The CoR could play an
important role as coordinator, facilitator and
communicator in our multi-level governance system. It
could also be more involved in the European legislative
process, from its preparation to its evaluation. I
would also envisage a genuine Team Europe, composed of
delegations from all EU parliaments and elected
councils, meeting annually or twice a year to discuss
the EU's strategic political agenda and its
implementation". The full report of the HLG's proposals
to strengthen the CoR's role under the existing Treaty
will be adopted in December. It will be up to the CoR
to take up the recommendations it wishes and to take
them forward at the COFE.
Renaud Muselier, whose region is co-organising the
9th European Summit of Regions and Cities
with the CoR, and who is a member of the delegation of
local and regional elected representatives to the
Conference plenary, said: "at a time when populists are
rising and our citizens are losing interest in the
public debate, there is an urgent need to make the
Conference on the Future of Europe the first act in a
fundamental revision of European democratic software.
It needs to be more concrete, closer to citizens' real
expectations. To achieve this, Europe must trust us.
We, local representatives, are essential for thinking
about and building the European democracy of tomorrow!
This is the message we will deliver at the 9th Summit
of Regions and Cities in Marseille, in the middle of
the French Presidency of the Council of the European
Union. More than ever, Europe’s future must be written
with local and regional authorities".
Igor Senčar, State Secretary for Coordination of International and
EU Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister of
Slovenia, said: "Europe faces important challenges from
the ongoing Covid pandemic to climate change or digital
transformation and it is important that we have the
Conference on the Future of Europe, even if it was
delayed. The Conference is an innovative project that
has to focus on European citizens. The CoR's
contributions in plenaries, during local events and on
the digital platform are valuable and important for
European democracy. I am confident that together we can
strengthen our common understanding of what Europe we
want in the future."
Further information:
The CoR High Level Group on Democracy, which supports
the CoR's contribution to the Conference, will unveil a
number of its recommendations at a
conference on 3 December
onA Europe that empowers, protects and delivers: strengthening European Multi-Level Democracy.
At the
9th European Summit of Regions and Cities
in Marseille on 3-4 March, the CoR will present its
final contribution to the Conference on the Future of
Europe.
A study on
The Conference on the Future of Europe:
putting local and regional authorities at
the heart of European democratic renewal
carried out by the London School of Economics at the
request of the CoR, proposes different scenarios in
which the Conference on the Future of Europe could lead
to an improvement and strengthening of the role of
cities and regions, as well as the CoR itself, as the
institutional representative of cities and regions in
the EU decision-making process.
For other examples illustrating the central role of the
CoR in making the voice of sub-national governments
heard in the development of European democracy and in
particular in the context of the Conference on the
Future of Europe,
see our pages on the Future of Europe –
bringing Europe closer to its citizens.
Contact:
Marie-Pierre Jouglain
mariepierre.jouglain@cor.europa.eu
Mobile: +32 473524115