The seven spheres of action

A housing policy “that will allow all citizens to have a home”; more job opportunities and training; efficient health services “and greater solidarity between generations”. Luc Van Den Brande, elected President of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union depicted Europe in concrete terms. The Belgian politician will hold office for two years replacing former President Michel Delebarre, mayor of Dunkerque (France).EU’s consultative institution. The Committee of the Regions is a consultative body of the EU established in 1994 to allow representatives of territorial autonomies to intervene on the content of Community regulations, two thirds of which are in fact applied by Member States local bodies and regions. The opinion of this organism is binding in the elaboration of Community legislation in different spheres of action, such as employment and social issues, transportation and infrastructures, environmental protection. The Committee convened in Brussels on February 6-7; its 344 members adopted different “views” in response to the same number of “draft-laws”. A large array of topics were addressed: support to research in EU regions; the revision of life science and biotechnology strategies; water shortage in adhering States; the contribution of volunteer work to economic and social cohesion; the fight against youth obesity. Different guests took the floor, like Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Vice-president Gunter Verheugen and the Commissioner for Agriculture Mariann Fischer Boel. A bottom-up Europe. In his first address, Luc Van den Brande, lawyer, member of the Flemish community, vouched “the need for European institutions to work in closer contact with Member States and with regional and local authorities”, with “a multi-level approach, indispensable to better respond to citizens’ most urgent requests”. He then drew attention upon Europeans’ daily problems. “We ought to relinquish the view of a hierarchical Europe – he explained – seen as a pyramid with the EU on its summit and Member States, regions and the various local bodies beneath”. According to Van den Brande “in the era of globalization, regional and local identity isn’t weakening, in fact it is acquiring growing importance”. “Citizens expect security and solutions from government representatives whom they identify with, who are closer to them and easier to reach. That Europe which had been created as an economic project must become the Europe of citizens”. Budget, social cohesion, subsidiarity. The new president listed seven “primary spheres of action” where the CoR “could have an extremely fruitful role” in the integration process; the reform of the European Budget, energy policy and climate changes, Lisbon objectives for economic competitiveness and territorial cohesion, cultural diversity, neighbourhood policy, “multi-level governance and subsidiarity”. A proposal of the Committee on European budget was announced. It will be communicated during April’s Plenary. As relates to the objectives of the Lisbon strategy, the Plenary issued a report on “partnership for development and employment”, which will be submitted to the attention of the European Council in program in Brussels next 13-14 March, shedding light “on the role that local and regional bodies can play for its attainment”. But to this regard, the new President affirmed, “a large number of regional and local bodies aren’t happy with their degree of involvement in national reform programs”. CoR, towards a revision of its role. Representatives sitting in the CoR discussed at length over the issue of subsidiarity, while an inter-institutional Conference has been scheduled for June 19 on the promotion of trans-boundary Community project management involving numerous regions and States. Van den Brande recalled that next year the CoR will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its foundation: “It will be a good opportunity to seriously reconsider finalities and major tasks that the Committee intends to implement. On this I intend to promote a fruitful debate, based on the analysis of our weak and strong points and on the way in which we are perceived by the outside world”. Lastly, the President affirmed that the CoR ought to find a symbolic expression for European integration”: “I wish to bring the Committee in those places where Europe has been created (Strasbourg), wounded (Dresda), where it transformed (Danzica), where it was questioned (Praga), where it is requested (Croatia) or where it’s being renewed”. At the end of the plenary, the CoR inaugurated the new website, (www.cor.europa.eu), available in the 23 official languages of the Union.