"Between the EU institutions, the community directives and policies and the European citizens, there are the local authorities. They are actually responsible for 60/70% of the provisions that are decided in Brussels: this is why the role of the local authorities in the building of Europe must be promoted". Michel Delebarre, president of the Committee of the Regions, a EU advisory body, at the symposium which is under way at the University Institute of Fiesole, spoke on behalf of the Regions, Provinces and Municipalities, "the political institutions that are closest to the voters". Delebarre recalled that we must aim at "gaining grass-root consensus" to strengthen the Union, and to this end he spoke of "the important role that the mass media can play to explain to the citizens" the EU policies and their "impact on the citizens’ life". René van der Linden, president of the Parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, recalled that "the politicians, instead, often use the EU as an excuse, offloading on Europe those domestic problems that they do not intend to solve or to reap electoral advantages". In addition, according to the Dutch politician, "society must be involved more, along with those intermediate players that can boost the European integration process in their areas of expertise: I am thinking of the environment or inter-religious dialogue". (to be continued)
