EUROPEAN UNION Committee of the Regions Europe: Our common quest The Committee of the Regions and the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union 01 Foreword by the President of the Committee of the Regions 2 02 Editorial by the Prime Minister of Greece 4 03 Understanding the Committee of the Regions 6 04 The Hellenic Delegation to the Committee of the Regions 10 05 The Hellenic model of decentralisation 20 06 Investing in the regions: EU funding in Greece 22 07 Meetings and events 32 08 Contacts details 34 01 Foreword by the President of the Committee of the Regions The Committee of the Regions will support the work of the Greek Presidency at local and regional level. The Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union starts at a critical time, just a few months ahead of the European Parliament elections and at the beginning of the new regional and investment funds programming period 2014- 2020, during which we hope to witness the end of the crisis in Europe. Reforms undertaken within Member States appear to be bearing fruit and I am convinced that the Greek Presidency will help move Europe further along the path to sustainable recovery. I can only join the Greek Presidency in identifying growth and jobs as key to setting the EU economy on the right track. It is crucial that both fiscal consolidation RamónR ó LLuisi VValcárcell á l SSisoi efforts and productive investments in Member States involve local and regional authorities. At the same time, further steps are needed towards completion of the European Monetary Union. The Greek Presidency has the full support of the Committee of the Regions in making progress on that issue. Recent tragic events in the Mediterranean Sea have prompted EU leaders to rethink the management of migration flows in the European Union, in particular challenges related to the immigration process. As one of the EU’s border countries I am confident that Greece will play a pivotal role in this task. Closely linked to the abovementioned priorities is the development of the EU’s Maritime Policy. It is an innovative cross-cutting policy and the Committee of the Regions welcomes Greece’s recognition of the great potential that its activities have to benefit the EU economy as a whole in a sustainable way. I welcome the fact that, in an effort to ensure continuity and stability in the Council’s activities for next year, some of these priorities, including employment, migration and maritime affairs, will feature prominently in both the Greek and Italian Presidencies in 2014. In addition, 2014 will be a year of key events. European citizens are invited to participate in the eighth European Parliament elections and the Presidency will work hard together with partners and EU Institutions to pursue further EU integration that fully respects the principle of subsidiarity. We share the incoming Greek Presidency’s objective of ensuring democratic legitimacy and accountability at every level of decision-making in Europe. In this respect I look forward to cooperating with you to make the EU Inter-parliamentary Conference on Economic and Financial Governance in Athens next year a success. The Committee of the Regions welcomes the efforts of the Greek Presidency to involve our institution through referrals on the Adriatic-Ionian Macro-region Strategy and on the matter of affordable energy for all. Last but not least, the Committee of the Regions will organise its sixth Summit of Europe’s Regions and Cities in Athens on 7 and 8 March 2014, on the eve of the Spring European Council and a few months ahead of the European Parliament 2 01 Foreword by the President of the Committee of the Regions elections. This Summit will take stock of the economic recovery of regions and cities, put forward proposals on the review of the Europe 2020 strategy, and debate the future of the Union. Substantial support and commitment to the event has been provided by the Greek National Delegation to the Committee of the Regions, as well as the region of Attica. I wish the Greek Presidency a successful term at the helm of the Council of the European Union. I am confident that it will take on board the Committee’s ideas and proposals on fostering a more sustainable, smart and inclusive Europe. Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso President of the Committee of the Regions 3 02 Editorial by the Prime Minister of Greece Local governance as a catalyst for growth Greece is presented with the great responsibility of holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the fi rst semester of 2014, a crucial time for Europe and its citizens. The European Parliament elections and the renewal of the European Commission in 2014, present a new opportunity and thus set the framework for a new era that should be characterized by defi nitive solutions to the crisis. Development, growth and creation of jobs, economic and social cohesion, are the necessary conditions for a viable fi scal consolidation and further integration of the EMU and the Eurozone. Indeed, these two facets, of what AntonisA t i SSamaras constitutes a comprehensive answer to the economic crisis, are among the top priorities of the Greek presidency. Local and regional administration plays an important role in boosting growth and creating jobs. Local tailor-made initiatives and projects constitute a valuable opportunity for growth, both for small countries with particular geographic characteristics, as well as for big countries where decentralization is a traditional way of administrative organization. Greece lies in between these two categories: a medium size, mountainous and at the same time insular country, it has promoted local governance since the fi rst years of its modern history. Since 2010, Greece has put in place a local and regional governance system, aiming at developing municipalities’, communities’ and regions’ capacities and empowering them to capitalize on the closer relationship with its citizens. The purpose is to address citizens’ needs in the most targeted and effi cient way but also to use local expertise as a factor for innovation and entrepreneurship. I am glad that during the Lithuanian Presidency we managed to come to an agreement regarding the very important two and a half years negotiations for the legislative package of the Cohesion Policy. During the Greek Presidency, the European Structural Funds and Programmes along with the respective national funds will mobilize signifi cant amounts of EU funding in support of the Union’s economic recovery and long-term agenda for growth. This reform re-positions Cohesion Policy as the main investment tool to promote the EU economy and improve the quality of life of all EU citizens, especially in the regions lagging behind in terms of development. During the Greek Presidency, we also need to concentrate our eff orts on completing on-time the approval of numerous implementing and delegated acts, which are important elements of the Cohesion legislation, in order to secure smooth implementation, as well as, monitoring and evaluation of our policies. Cohesion Policy fi nances important projects such as waste and energy management, water resources, touristic development coupled with environmental protection. As a result, SMEs are helped to become more extrovert and innovative, enhancing EU research capabilities, better connecting the peripheral regions with the core of Europe etc. These, are only some of the numerous examples where local and regional administration can make a diff erence. The new Cohesion Policy off ers many opportunities to our regions. I am particularly attached to two very important new tools of Cohesion Policy from which local and regional communities can benefi t: Community – Led Local Development (CLLD) and Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs). Both are unique for involving citizens at local level in developing responses to the social, environmental and economic challenges we face today. CLLD is an 4 02 Editorial by the Prime Minister of Greece approach that requires time and eff ort, but can also have a marked impact on people’s lives and generate new ideas as well as the shared commitment to put these into practice. I believe that in this way we will also address better not only the needs of the local communities and regions but also the democratic defi cit of the EU. After all, the multiple challenges confronting Europe – economic, environmental and social – show the need for an integrated and territorial place-based approach to deliver an eff ective response. An integrated and territorial approach is multi-dimensional, tailored to place-specifi c features and outcomes. This may mean going beyond traditional administrative boundaries and may require greater willingness from diff erent levels of government to co-operate and co- ordinate actions in order to achieve shared goals. This is in line with the new territorial cohesion objective introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, which acknowledges that economic and social cohesion cannot be achieved at the European level without a stronger focus on the territorial impact of EU policies. Recent EU experience shows that another way to coordinate our eff orts and foster regional growth lies in the framework of a macro-regional strategy. This framework off ers the possibility of a coordinated response to issues better handled, rather together than separately, while, at the same time, promotes and strengthens the cohesion of a wider functional area. Bearing this in mind, and following the Council Conclusions of December 2012, the Greek Presidency attaches particular importance to the development of the Adriatic and Ionian macro-regional Strategy, (EUSAIR) and has, therefore, referred the issue to the Committee of the Regions for an Opinion. The Greek Presidency will host a large stakeholders’ conference on the Adriatic and Ionian strategy on 6 7 February 2014 in Athens.