COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS EUROPEAN SECTION OF UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Electronic Consultation Summer 2011

ACTIVITY REPORT AT 30 JUNE 2011, BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL

I. CEMR – LIFE OF THE ORGANISATION

In December 2010, the Mayor of Stuttgart and President of CEMR’s German section, Wolfgang Schuster, was elected President of CEMR. His presidency priorities include strengthening local democracy and the political voice of local and regional authorities and their representative associations, giving Europe a human face, and promoting international solidarity.

During this same meeting in Mondorf-les-Bains, CEMR saw the renewal of its statutory bodies: the complete list of newly elected executive presidents and vice-presidents is available on the CEMR website (www.ccre.org).

CEMR’s Policy Committee underlined the need to render the European partnership principle mandatory and have it included the local level. They also highlighted CEMR's hope to see the phrasing of European texts evolve and to see growth replaced by development and quantity by quality, so as not to limit EU priorities.

The renewal of the statutory bodies was the occasion to implement the new rules on the minimum representation of both genders in the Committee delegations, therefore, CEMR’s Policy Committee is now composed of 41% of women and 59% of men.

In 2011, CEMR celebrates 60 years of local and regional Europe.

CEMR kicked-off its 60th anniversary year with an event in its founding city, Geneva, hosted on 28 January by the City of Geneva and its Mayor, Ms Sandrine Salerno, in cooperation with CEMR's Swiss section and founding member, the ASCCRE.

Throughout the course of this milestone year in European local and regional history, CEMR and its member associations are undertaking a number of initiatives, such as its Citizenship and Twinning Congress to be held in Rybnik, Poland, in September 2011, so as to further develop its progressive strategy. This strategy aims at reinforcing the voice of decentralised levels of government at the European level, notably with regard to the Europe 2020 strategy and the strengthening of local democracy across the continent.

CEMR will conclude its 60th anniversary year with an open event to be held in Brussels on 12 December - 2011 during its Policy Committee meeting. The event will be hosted by CEMR's Belgian member associations (VVSG, UVCW, and AVCB). At this occasion, CEMR will notably unveil its strategy for the coming decade and present projects concerning the 2020 strategy in a debate between representatives of CEMR, partners and European Union Leaders.

I. PROMOTE AN INNOVATIVE, SUSTAINABLE AND COHESIVE EUROPE FROM THE GROUND UP

The European Union has many relevant initiatives on its political agenda and the CEMR planned to concentrate its 2011 activities on influencing the debates and the decision making processes.

The Europe 2020 Strategy (Smart Growth, Sustainable Growth, and Inclusive Growth) and its flagship initiatives constitute the overarching political framework for the above- mentioned policy areas. In January 2011, CEMR President, Dc Wolfgang Schuster, proposed to back the Europe 2020 strategy through the mobilisation of cities, regions and local actors. This proposal was made during an exchange with the President of the , José Manuel Barroso, who announced his full support for this commitment. This first exchange was followed by others at the highest level with Commissioner in charge of Regional Policy, Dc Hahn and representatives of the Cabinet and Secretariat General of the European Commission. Those contacts, established to ensure the support of the European level to our projects on “Governing in Partnership” will lead to the definition of a program to support the implementation of the EU2020 Strategy at local level. (see document 2 in the dossier) 3

As announced by President Schuster in his inaugural presentation, CEMR and the President have worked also on the future creation of a Local and Regional Academy to answer the need to train local elected representatives and their administrations in European issues and expertise in local and regional policies by a practical approach. The creation of the Academy was also a subject of exchange with President of the Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso and Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

In the past 6 months, CEMR played a pro-active role in major debates notably organised in the frame of the Hungarian Presidency, Secretary General Frédéric Vallier represented CEMR in high level meeting on Multi-level Governance, in the informal Inter-ministerial meeting on Local Development, in the closing conference of the Structured Dialogue on Cooperation Development and was the Key note speaker of the closing session of the Civil Society Forum.

To support CEMR’s work lobbying the European Institutions, CEMR formulated ambitious, innovative, sustainable and cohesive positions and solutions, based on expertise and experience at local and regional level and the contributions from CEMR's members. (see policy positions under point 3 of the dossier)

II. PROMOTE A EUROPE OF DIALOGUE AND EXCHANGE

2011 will be remembered as a difficult year for Europe, facing major challenges with difficulties and lacking both solidarity and vision at the level of those numerous challenge. National Governments are less and less able to face alone challenges which know no borders - the economic crisis, climate change, migration, demographic change, etc. They must work together and respond to the concerns of the citizens. The Treaty of Lisbon indeed provides for strengthened institutions reinforcing its democratic legitimacy in full respect of fundamental rights that are accorded to all European citizens.

Local and regional authorities which CEMR and its national associations represent have a key role to play. In Europe, they constitute the most pertinent and effective level of government to fully involve the citizens in this process. In the world, they can be essential actors for ensuring dialogue between peoples.

In the European Union, CEMR aims to develop the feeling of sharing common values and belonging to an active and participative citizenship. In candidate countries, CEMR aims to support and accompany the accession process. In EEA and EFTA countries, CEMR wants to contribute to creating the conditions for an ever closer cooperation.

Promoting European citizenship and contributing to dialogue and cooperation by participating in the modernisation of the twinning concept in today's society is one of the priorities of CEMR. In this context, CEMR undertook to organise a broad and open consultation so as to draw up, with the contributions of its members and partners, a “White Paper on Citizenship” that will be the contribution of CEMR on the future of the Citizenship policy of the European Union. This consultation is underway until the 20 July 2011.

The Citizenship and Twinning Congress, « Citizens of Europe », will be held in Rybnik (Poland), 29 September-1 October 2011. This Congress constitutes the main European event on citizenship; as a major event organised under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the European Union. In May 2011, CEMR and its Polish partners launched a dedicated website to promote the Congress, providing dynamic information and online registration possibilites. The Congress website is available in English, French and Polish (www.rybnik2011.eu).

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On the world stage, CEMR and its members contribute to dialogue and exchange in two main ways: within our world organisation UCLG, and in PLATFORMA for which CEMR hosts the secretariat for the years 2011 and 2012.

In March 2011, celebrating its two years action, PLATFORMA organised a Conference to which was invited the for Development, . At this occasion, the Commissioner ensured that local and regional authorities will be well represented in the European Commission communication on development cooperation due out for 2011 autumn.

At the same time, PLATFORMA released a publication on “Decentralised Development Cooperation - European Perspectives”, which showcases a number of actions led by European local and regional governments in partnership with their counterparts in EU partner countries. The publication also presents PLATFORMA’s work over the last two years.

Concluding one year of Structured Dialogue with the Commission, a conference, in which PLATFORMA participated, was hosted by the Hungarian Presidency in Budapest on the 17-19 May 2011. Following the structured dialogue on EU development cooperation and a year of thorough debates and exchanges, PLATFORMA welcomed the success of the dialogue and the importance that the Commission now recognises in decentralisation processes in partner countries (outside Europe). The recognition gained by PLATFORMA led the Commission to announce its intention to pursue this dialogue with associations representing local and regional government.

At world level, CEMR continued to actively participate in the political and statutory life of our World Organisation, UCLG. President Schuster as European Vice-President of UCLG, chairs the coordination of the European members of UCLG set up by CEMR. The European section of UCLG has actively participated in the new life of the organisation after the Mexico Congress, including the procedure of selection of the new Secretary General of UCLG.

CEMR is also engaged as challenges and hopes also arise in Europe’s neighbourhood, indeed the Arab-spring is bringing both great opportunities and expectations to the people around the Mediterranean. In this context, CEMR participated in the organisation of the 2nd Euro-Arab Cities Forum, together with the City of Malaga, the Congress/Council of Europe, the Arab Towns Organisation (ATO) and Coppem (in Malaga, 25-26 February 2011). The participants in the Forum adopted a Declaration which is of key importance regarding solidarity between European and Arab cities: « The Forum pays tribute to the courage of the women and men, the cities and communities who are embarking on the path of democracy and the securing of basic freedoms, including the right to protest and freedom of expression. The Forum demands the immediate cessation of all crimes against humanity perpetrated against the civilian population. In this context we commit ourselves to pursuing our action in order to guarantee peace in our countries”.

Contacts have been established with the European Commission and the European External Action Service of the European Union to exchange on future possibilities of action to support the new democracies. And CEMR has written a specific position on this matter. (see document 3.1)

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III. STRENGTHEN LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES IN EUROPE

At the first General Assembly in 1953, in Versailles, the founding members of CEM(R) launched the European Charter of Local Liberties; this later served as inspiration to the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which was signed by the member states of the Council of Europe in 1985, and ratified by 44 countries to date.

The Council of Europe's Charter defines local democracy as a fundamental element of democracy.

The Treaty of Lisbon recognises for the first time explicitly the principle of local and regional autonomy. Article 4 of the Treaty stipulates that “the Union shall respect the equality of Member States before the Treaties as well as their national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government.”

CEMR has played a driving role in achieving progress in local and regional self- government in Europe.

The EU already took an important first step in this direction with the Treaty of Maastricht which set up the Committee of the Regions (which CEMR had strongly lobbied for) and established the principle of subsidiarity. Today, the Treaty strengthens the reach of subsidiarity, giving greater place to local and regional authorities and conferring greater strength to the Committee of the Regions.

However, has local democracy now been truly achieved in Europe? Trends which we can see in different countries are not reassuring. The impact of the economic crisis creates new challenges to local and regional authorities in terms of resources in relation to competences. Reforms currently underway in some countries are creating further concerns in this respect.

CEMR is also facilitating the exchange of good practices and case studies among national associations and their members on key issues related to local finances in the context of the financial and economic crisis and the recovery thanks to a seminar for members' financial and economic experts and coordinate the constitution by a core group of partners of a European observatory on the crisis and recovery plans at local and regional levels in partnership with relevant partners.

For 2011, CEMR is supporting local and regional authorities and their associations in the process of transition or reforms towards democracy and good governance, advocating of, and supporting local and regional authorities in becoming equal partners with other spheres of government or administration within a wide framework of multi-level (horizontal and vertical) governance at domestic, international and global levels.

On this subject, the Co-President of CEMR, Annemarie Jorritsma met the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, in June 2011. European local and regional leaders called on European Commission President Barroso to put forward “ambitious EU budget proposals” in order to stimulate the economy and asked that municipalities and regions be given.an active role in the design and implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.

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IV. ADAPTING OUR ORGANISATION TO THESE OBJECTIVES

By developing new work methods and implementing this agenda, CEMR intends to become an all-the-more effective organisation at the service of its members and to reinforce its visibility. CEMR also wishes to adapt its organisation to the changing world in accordance with its goals and take a further step in the sphere of local and regional representative organisations.

1. To translate the first objective of « promoting an innovative, sustainable and cohesive Europe from the ground up » into practical achievements, CEMR is not only developing a new visual identity but is also adopting a new approach in the organisation of its work with a special focus on sustainability, notably through the adoption of a paperless and e- driven strategy.

For example, CEMR is using “e-cards” instead of paper publications; adopting a more sustainable organisation of the two offices and of meetings, notably using e-tools to limit travel (Skype, video-conferences...);promoting the internal use of open source software; and adapting CEMR communication tools to new technologies.

2. To respond to the second objective, « Promote a Europe of dialogue and exchange », CEMR is centring its 2011 strategy on participation, interaction and dialogue, notably through the use of web 2.0 technologies.

CEMR works at improving exchanges and cooperation with members by integrating web 2.0 tools to the future website , so as to adopt a more participative, dynamic and interactive approach with multimedia content; updating the existing monthly newsletter; reinforcing active cooperation between CEMR press and communication officers and their member association counterparts.

3. The third objective, « Strengthen local democracy and local and regional authorities in Europe », is supported through the strengthening of CEMR's visibility as well as that of its member associations in the media (directed to local elected officials) and through the adoption of a more result-oriented approach, putting the emphasis on outcomes rather than activities.

CEMR is moreover pursuing the ‘reflection' work undertaken in 2010 so as to define a strategic plan for our organisation's priorities in the longer-term, i.e. 2020 horizon.

For further information on any of the above, and to follow related developments in CEMR’s work, please consult our website www.ccre.org.