At the event "Cities fostering democracy in the
European Union: Urban perspectives for the
Conference on the Future of Europe", co-organised
by the European Committee of the Regions,
Eurocities and the Council of European
Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), local and
regional leaders set out their expectations for the
Conference on the Future of Europe, and shared
their experiences on strengthening local democracy.
Examples of innovative participative exercises,
green projects, digital services to citizens or
integration of communities were discussed. The
event led to the adoption of
conclusions
which will feed the Conference on the future of
Europe.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas
(EL/EPP), President of the European Committee of the
Regions and Governor of the Greek Region of Central
Macedonia, said:
"When we say "citizen" in English, "citoyen" in
French, "cittadino" in Italian, or "πολίτης" in
Greek, the root word is always the "city". Cities
and democracy are inseparable. That's where
democracy was born, at the grassroots level. Cities
are the closest level to democracy, the place where
the best democratic practices stand out and the
carriers of democracy. Citizens want to engage, and
it is our duty to create the right tools. This is
why I strongly believe that cities are true
laboratories for enriching, modernising and
strengthening democracy.
"
Dario Nardella,
President of
EUROCITIES
and Mayor of Florence said: "As
new Eurocities research
shows, almost all of our cities have established
forms of participatory democracy, and many of us
are experimenting with innovative practices on a
daily basis. As cities, we believe that the
Conference on the Future of Europe should lead to
the creation of a European Participation strategy.
Europe should use the momentum of the Conference to
continue the exercise of participatory democracy.
It should lead to a new way of working with cities
and citizens, bringing Europe closer to people.”
Christoph Schnaudigel,
Co-President of the
Council of European Municipalities and Regions
(CEMR) and President of the County of Karlsruhe, said:
"
The local and regional level, the level of
government closest to citizens, can be the conduit
for ordinary people to speak directly with EU
officials.
Citizens need better representation towards the EU
institutions. This could be done through an EU
permanent mechanism for structured dialogue with
citizens through regional and local authorities’
representatives
."
The CoR, Eurocities and CEMR agreed a number of
conclusions that will feed the Conference on the future
of Europe's digital platform
1. The
Conference on the
Future
of
Europe
offers an opportunity to promote innovative ways of
involving citizens in the functioning of the European
Union and developing a European Participation Strategy.
Deliberative and participatory practices, such as
participative municipal budgeting and the co-management
of public spaces, which are used to strengthen our
values-based European strengthening democracy, should
be further promoted and reflected, including at EU
level. We believe an EU permanent mechanism for structured dialogue with
citizens through regional and local authorities’
representatives should be established. This mechanism
would 1) enable cities to work with citizens on
European issues that impact them directly, 2) enable
European policy makers to design policies adapted to
cities and supported by citizens, 3) allow citizens to
be part of a policy process that ultimately affects
their daily lives. The following policy issues with a
strong urban and territorial relevance and contribution
could fall under such a dialogue:
2. Cities of all sizes are at the heart of the green transition, as
they are responsible for 70-80% of world emissions.
At the same time, local and regional authorities
implement 70% of climate mitigation measures and
90% of climate adaptation policies
. C
ities and municipalities therefore need to be
recognised as protagonists of the green transition
towards climate neutrality, including through
regular exchange of ideas or best practices,
stronger involvement in programme design and
implementation and EU financial support, including
for capacity-building.
3. Cities and municipalities are
pioneers in the digital transformation
by virtue of developing and implementing innovative and
integrated solutions for citizens and communities. An acceleration in the deployment of broadband
infrastructure and capacity-building at the local level
is needed to overcome the "double digital divide" of
unequal access and digital illiteracy. In
addition, many online platforms have a considerable
impact at the local level – such as urban and regional
transport, housing, tourist accommodation and the
delivery of public services, which needs to be
considered in European approaches to tackling issues.
4. Cities and municipalities are facing and have
already overcome many challenges to foster social cohesion, build inclusive
societies and promote diversity. European and national
strategies for social integration, addressing notably
gender equality, demographic change, disabilities and
the integration of migrants, therefore need to fully
involve cities and municipalities in sharing their
experience and suitable policy tools. Ensuring their
direct and timely access to EU funding is key to
enabling them to fulfil their role as social
"integrators".
5. The
New Leipzig Charter
, building on the transformative power
of cities for the common good, the renewed Urban Agenda
for the EU and the
Territorial Agenda 2030
should enable cities and municipalities to participate
in the design of the relevant European policies and act
as a benchmark for the practical implementation of EU
policies in all Member States. They must enable EU
institutions, Member States, cities and municipalities
to connect via a policy platform to support the EU New
Green Deal and its roll-out through the different
policies anchored at the urban and local level.
Contacts:
CoR:
Marie-Pierre Jouglain
Mobile: +32 (0) 473 52 41 15
mariepierre.jouglain@cor.europa.eu
CEMR
: Georgina Mombo
Mobile: + 32 (0) 489 47 16 30
georgina.mombo@ccre-cemr.org
EUROCITIES
: Alex Godson
Mobile: +32 (0) 495 29 85 94
alex.godson@eurocities.eu