New Mandate, New Powers: Europe's Strengthened Regional Assembly to Kick Off

Press Release

The EU's Assembly of Regional and Local Representatives COR/10/12 Brussels, 4 February 2010

New mandate, new powers: Europe's strengthened regional assembly to kick off

Europe's regional and local representatives will assert their strengthened position under the new Lisbon treaty rules at the constituent plenary session of the Committee of the Regions' 2010-2015 mandate. 344 regional presidents, parliamentarians, mayors and county councillors from across Europe will meet in Brussels from 9-10 February to elect their new leadership, debate the political priorities of regions and local authorities in Europe for the next five years, and in particular the future of regional policy with Manuel Chaves González, Third Vice- President of the Spanish Government. The assembly will also continue its work in the legislative process and adopt several key reports. Following the renewal of the European Parliament and the European Commission, a strengthened Committee of the Regions (CoR) is set to take up its new term of office. Based on an electoral mandate in their home town or region, and formally nominated by the EU Council of Ministers, the new CoR members will use the next five years to shape EU action in the interest of citizens. In addition to extended consultation requirements during the adoption of European legislation, the CoR now also has the right to challenge new EU laws in court in order to protect local and regional competences. At this constituent meeting, CoR members will elect their new President, First Vice-President and other top jobs for the next 2½ years. The official candidates for the posts of President and First Vice- President are Mercedes Bresso (IT/PES), President of the Piedmont Region (more information here), Flo Clucas (UK/ALDE), Member of Liverpool City Council (more information here), and Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso (ES/EPP), President of the Autonomous Community of Murcia (more information here). The new President, who will direct the work of the Committee and also be its external representative, will outline the political priorities for her/his time at the helm and debate them with a high-level representative from the Spanish EU Presidency. Practical information concerning the plenary session Tue 9 February, from 2.30-3.30 p.m. + Wed 10 February, from 9-11 a.m. and 2.30-9 p.m. European Parliament, Hemicycle, Paul-Henri Spaak building, 43 rue Wiertz, 1049 Brussels Press conference with the new President of the Committee of the Regions and Manuel Chaves González, Third Vice-President of the Spanish Government, Wednesday 10 February, 3.30 p.m. (to be confirmed, please check the CoR website), European Parliament press room (PHS 0A50) The plenary agenda and all meeting documents can be viewed here Spanish EU Presidency debates with CoR members The new assembly will kick off with a discussion with Manuel Chaves González, vice-president of the Spanish government and minister for regional development. He will set out how the Spanish EU presidency intends to build on the commitment of regional and local authorities to meet the challenges it has set itself. This will include requesting the CoR for input regarding the added value of local authorities when it comes to environmental policy. On the agenda: Combat the economic downturn, support entrepreneurship and young people The ability of Europe's local and regional authorities to combat the economic downturn, promote entrepreneurship and support young people will be the over-arching themes of February's Plenary Session of the Committee of the Regions. The role of regions in the economic crisis will be debated in the draft opinion of Flo Clucas (UK/ALDE), member of Liverpool City Council, on the progress made towards economic and social cohesion across the EU, as well as the draft opinion from Jean-Yves Le Drian (FR/PES), president of the Brittany Regional Council, on the response of the regions to the crisis in the automotive industry. The first winners of the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) label, awarding those regions considered to be the best at stimulating entrepreneurship and boosting economic growth, will also be announced during the February plenary. The role of young people in building a sustainable and prosperous future will also be discussed through a variety of opinions. The draft opinion of Anton Rombouts (NL/EPP), mayor of 's-Hertogenbosch, will focus on ways in which Europe can invest in its youth, while Declan McDonnell (IE/ALDE), mayor of Galway, will look at the role of volunteering in developing skills to help young people. The draft opinion of Ursula Männle (DE/EPP), member of the Bavarian State Assembly, will concentrate on promoting mobility of young people, while Mireille Lacombe (FR/PES), member of Puy-de-Dôme general council, tackles the issue of illiteracy, one of many factors which need to be overcome to boost youth entrepreneurship. For summaries of these and all the other opinions on the February agenda, see below. For your files: the CoR opinions in brief The way for regions and cities to emerge stronger from the financial crisis In the light of the Lisbon Treaty, Flo Clucas (deputy leader of Liverpool City Council, UK/ALDE) will present a draft opinion on the European Commission's sixth progress report on economic and social cohesion. Focusing on the untapped potential of the ongoing structural funds programming until 2013, Clucas calls upon the Commission to consider further simplification of implementation rules, which may not always require changes to EU legislation. Acknowledging that territorial cohesion is now a political objective of the EU and a "third dimension" of cohesion policy, Clucas laments "the lack of specific proposals for the future development and application of territorial cohesion during the current and upcoming programming period." Empowering young people in focus of CoR debates In an effort to empower European youth and ameliorate living and working conditions for young people across Europe, the CoR will discuss a number of opinions centred on youth issues. Anton Rombouts (Mayor of 'sHertogenbosch, NL/EPP) is submitting a draft opinion on the new European Strategy for Investing in Youth, stressing that "in many member states, it is local and regional authorities who are primarily competent and responsible for the development, execution and implementation of youth policy." The opinion focuses on the benefits of empowering youth to ensure that "all young people have the possibility to fully develop their talents and potential." Ursula Männle (Member of the Bavarian State Assembly, DE/EPP) will present a draft opinion on promoting the learning mobility of young people, highlighting that study periods spent abroad for learning purposes "is one of the key ways in which young people can achieve personal development, obtain access to new knowledge, broaden their knowledge of languages, acquire intercultural skills and improve their employment chances." In a draft opinion on the "European Year of Volunteering", Declan McDonnell (Mayor of Galway, IE/ALDE) welcomes the European Commission proposal to designate 2011 as the European Year of Volunteering by pointing out that "volunteering is a key dimension of active citizenship and democracy". However, he also underlines that "volunteering must not be used as a substitute or replacement for employed staff in any environment." Based on the expertise of local initiatives that support people who have been to school but never attained the reading and writing skills required in everyday life, Mireille Lacombe (member of Puy-de- Dôme General Council, FR/PES) will put forward a draft own-initiative opinion on combating functional illiteracy in Europe. Facilitating access to the press and fostering media literacy among young people, as well as establishing a register of good practices are among her proposals to reduce illiteracy in society. The CoR's draft opinion on the re-use of public sector information and the "Internet of Things", prepared by Dumitru Enache (Mayor of Stejaru, RO/EPP), points out that these new networks connecting objects such as household appliances, can stimulate regional development and local businesses and enable the provision of more efficient, tailor-made public services to citizens. Agriculture and industry as important employment sectors In a draft opinion on the quality of agricultural products, Pedro Sanz Alonso (President of the autonomous community of La Rioja, ES/EPP) discusses the proposals of the European Commission concerning the designation of quality food and drink products – tags such as "AOC" and "PGI" – and how they can help regional producers to attract consumers. He urges the European Commission to provide information on and promote the European agricultural quality system, with a view to strengthening the system, clarifying its various concepts and promoting the consumption of these products. The Chairman of the Bolzano Autonomous Provincial Executive, Luis Durnwalder (IT/EPP) drafted the CoR opinion on aid to farmers in areas with natural handicaps. As his duties prevent him from attending the February plenary session, Savino Antonio Santarella (Mayor of Candela, IT/EPP) will present the report on his behalf. Durnwalder's report urges EU lawmakers that a change to the rules governing aid to 'handicapped' areas does not leave the vast majority of them without the necessary financial support. The opinion clearly states that "compensation payments should remain an instrument to compensate for disadvantages due to natural handicaps or adverse production conditions and that they are not intended as agri-environmental measures." Jean-Yves Le Drian (President of Brittany Regional Council, FR/PES), will submit his draft opinion on the European automotive sector, the challenges it is facing and how its links with the regions can be strengthened. Le Drian, who also chairs the CoR's interregional group on the automotive sector, calls for a 'New Deal' for the entire European sector, and underlines that due to environmental challenges, the "technological transition towards cleaner vehicles" must become a top priority. In her draft opinion on fair trade assurance schemes, Kerstin Kiessler (Member of the Bremen Senate, DE/PES) emphasises the need for more clarity in sustainability and fair trade labelling. Pointing out that "sustainable development can be served by schemes that link environmental, social and economic elements", Kiessler underlines that fair trade is a growing market segment that requires the support of local and regional authorities to develop coherently. Information updates and press releases on CoR opinions and reports and be found on the CoR website (http://www.cor.europa.eu ). The same evening you can see key moments in the CoR's proceedings via Europe by Satellite by clicking on: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/ebs/schedule.cfm . To find out more about the positions taken by the political groups in the CoR, click here Visit the CoR's website: www.cor.europa.eu The Committee of the Regions The Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives. The mission of its 344 members from all 27 EU Member States is to involve regional and local authorities and the communities they represent in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are obliged to consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. It can appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers. For more information, please contact: Christian Gsodam Tel.: + 32 (0)2 282 2121 [email protected] Athénaïs Cazalis de Fondouce Tel.: + 32 (0)2 282 2447 [email protected] Chris Jones Tel. + 32 (0)2 546 8751 [email protected] Michael Alfons Tel.: +32 (0)2 546 8559 [email protected] To read previous press releases, click here.