On 25 July 2001 the Commission adopted the White Paper on European Governance, one of the priorities of the executive led by Romano Prodi. The aim of the White Paper is to promote a reflection on the state of the EU institutions and on (new) forms of European government: “rethinking our way of constructing Europe”, through the definition of decision-making processes that take account at all levels of the relations between citizens and political and administrative institutions, with the fundamental objective of “bringing Europe closer to citizens”. The debate begun by the Commission is aimed at furnishing contributions on two fundamental questions: a) “What policies will be necessary in a Union enlarged to 30 members and what are the best ways of implementing them?”; b) “What institutions will Europe need in the 21st century and what procedures can be adopted to distribute competencies between the EU, member States and civil society?”. The analysis and proposals of the White Paper rest on five pillars: openness, participation, responsibility, effectiveness and coherence. They integrate and reinforce the two fundamental principles of “subsidiarity and proportionality” at the basis of the EU decision-making process. The considerations and proposals that emerge from the White Paper regard six areas of work: 1) widening and enriching the public debate on European issues; 2) guiding the process of formulating and implementing EU regulations; 3) more effectively exercising European responsibilities at the executive level through decentralization; 4) reinforcing coherence and cooperation in a Europe organized in a network; 5) intensifying Europe’s contribution to a system of world government; and 6) reinforcing the integration and strategic dimension of European policies on a continental scale. The document lastly indicates four directions on which “efforts should be concentrated”: 1) greater participation and openness; 2) improving EU policies, regulations and their results; 3) world governance; 4) redefining policies and institutions. In drafting the White Paper, which remains open to contributions and modifications, the Governance Team of the Commission chaired by Jerôme Vignon, member of the European Council, drew on a series of consultations and public audiences to which the European Parliament, the national Parliaments, the Regions, associations and organizations of various type with an interest in the question, as well as individual citizens, all contributed. The Communication “European Governance: a White Paper” was published in the EU official gazette (GUCE C 287 of 12/10/2001). The text can also be consulted on the website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/governance/index_fr.htm
