Committee of the Komitet Regionw PL Comit das Regies PT Regions - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Welcome to the

Committee of the Regions

European Union

LT HU MT NL PL PT SK SL FI SV BG RO

Regionsudvalget

CS DA DE ET EL EN FR IT LV ES Comité de las Regiones

Výbor regionů Ausschuss der Regionen Regioonide Komitee Επιτροπή των Περιφερειών Committee of the Regions Comité des Régions Comitato delle regioni Reģionu komiteja Regionų komitetas Régiók Bizottsága Kumitat tar-Reġjuni Comité van de Regio's Komitet Regionów Comité das Regiões Výbor regiónov Odbor regij Alueiden komitea Regionkommittén Comitetul Regiunilor Комитет на регионите

The Committee of the Regions

A political assembly of the European Union, representing local and regional government.

 To give local and regional government a say over the drafting of EU legislation (70% of EU laws are implemented at local/regional level).  To bring Europe closer to its citizens and to encourage a culture

• f subsidiarity.

 To provide a meeting place where regions and cities can share best practice and take part in a dialogue with the European institutions.

Why a Committee of the Regions ?

 Created by Maastricht Treaty (1992), first Plenary Session March 1994.  344 members representing local and regional government plus 344 alternates.  27 national delegations.  6 thematic commissions (sub-committees).  4 political groups

The CoR in brief

344 members plus 344 alternates Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom………….………….. Poland, Spain…...………………………………………………..... Romania...………………………………………………………...... Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden…………………….. Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania…..…………. Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia……………………..…………………. Cyprus, Luxembourg…….………………….…………………… Malta………………………………………….…………...………...

CoR members

24 21 15 12 9 7 6 5

 Local and regional representatives proposed by Member States.  Formally appointed by the Council of the EU.  Four-year renewable term of office

Appointment of CoR members

 The President is the head of the Committee. He chairs plenary sessions and represents the Committee in relations towards the outside.  President (2008-2010) Luc Van den Brande (EPP/BE) Member of Belgian Senate and Member of Flemish Parliament.  First Vice-President (2008-2010) Michel Delebarre (PES/FR) Mayor of Dunkerque and Member of French Parliament.  The President and the First Vice-President are elected by the Committee members for a two-year term.  There is also one Vice-President per Member State.

Michel Delebarre Luc Van den Brande

The President

 60 members, whose number per Member State reflects national and political balances: ‒ The President and First Vice-President; ‒ 1 Vice-President per Member State; ‒ 4 chairs of the political groups; ‒ 27 other members.  Organisation of CoR work: ‒ Meets 7 times a year; ‒ Manages plenary session agenda; ‒ Draws up the Committee’s policy programme; ‒ Allocates opinions to commissions; ‒ Decides when to draft own-initiative opinions.

The Bureau

 Meeting of all CoR members.  5 times per year.  Adoption of opinions and political debates

Plenary sessions

 COTER - Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy  ECOS - Commission for Economic and Social Policy  DEVE - Commission for Sustainable Development  EDUC - Commission for Culture, Education and Research  CONST - Commission for Constitutional Affairs, European Governance and the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice  RELEX - Commission for External Relations and Decentralised Cooperation  CFAA – Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs

The Commissions

ALDE ALDE

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

EPP EPP

European People’s Party

UEN-EA UEN-EA

Union for Europe of the Nations - European Alliance

PES PES

Party of European Socialists

The political groups

PROPOSAL CODECISION CONSULTATION CONSULTATION

The CoR and EU decision-making

European Commission European Parliament Council of the EU

DECISION

European Economic & Social Committee

 Economic and social cohesion  Education and youth  Culture  Public health  Trans-European networks  Transport  Employment  Social affairs  Environment  Vocational training Mandatory consultation in the following policy areas :

Mandatory consultation

 The Council, the Commission and the Parliament may request an

• pinion from the CoR, where they consider it appropriate.

 The CoR may draw up an opinion on its own initiative, where it considers such action appropriate.  The CoR may decide to draw up an opinion, where the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has been consulted, and where it considers that specific regional or local interests are involved.

Optional consultation

1. Consultation by the European Commission, the Council of Ministers or the European Parliament. 2. Proposal allocated by the Bureau to a CoR commission. 3. Appointment of CoR commission rapporteur, who starts work on the opinion. 4. First draft presented to the CoR commission. 5. Continuation of work by the rapporteur. 6. Discussion, amendments and adoption of opinion by the CoR commission. 7. Adoption of the opinion in plenary session, before publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Drawing up opinions

• 1. LISBON MONITORING PLATFORM (LMP)

 Lisbon Strategy for Growth & Jobs re-launched by Member States in March 2005.  Lisbon Monitoring Platform launched by CoR in March 2006. Purpose: to ensure involvement of all levels of government in the implementation

• f the Lisbon Strategy.

 Provides a platform for regional and local authorities to discuss and exchange best practice on how to create growth & jobs.  Reports annually on progress at sub-national level to Spring European Council.

Networks and Activities of the CoR

• 2. SUBSIDIARITY MONITORING NETWORK

 Subsidiarity: Decisions to be taken as close to citizens as possible.  Proximity to citizens central concern for regional and local representatives  CoR established Subsidiarity Monitoring Network in June 2007 in

• rder to examine European Commission legislative documents for

compliance.  Single on-line inter-active point of entry for regional and local authorities to access information on EU legislative process, exchange best practice and make their voice heard.

Networks and Activities of the CoR

• 3. EUROPEAN GROUPING FOR TERRITORIAL COOPERATION

(EGTC ) EXPERT GROUP  New (Aug 2007) legal instrument to facilitate cooperation between regional and local authorities (cross-border, interregional, transnational).  to give legal status to such groupings: possibility to set up secretariat, own assets.  CoR informs, promotes and tracks establishment of EGTC, expert group provides platform for exchange of experience and best practice.  First EGTC (January 2008): Eurometropole Lille- Kortrijk- Tournai (Franco-Belgian regional development).

Networks and Activities of the CoR

• 4. OPEN DAYS European week of cities and regions

 Co-organised annually in the second week of October by CoR and Commission Directorate General for Regional Policy.  Over 200 regions and cities represented, in addition to representatives from banking, business and civil society, some 5000 individual participants.  Around 130 seminars and networking events in Brussels, a further 230 in the regions and cities.  Investors' Café: special exhibition and networking opportunity for representatives from private sector and regions/cities.

Networks and Activities of the CoR

 The Court of Justice to have jurisdiction in actions brought by the Committee of the Regions for the purpose of protecting its rights.  Possibility for the CoR to bring actions on grounds of infringement

• f the principle of subsidiarity by a legislative act.

 Increase in members’ term of office from 4 to 5 years.

The CoR and the Lisbon Treaty

Key dates

  1992 1992 Maastricht Treaty creates the CoR   1994 1994 First plenary session held in Brussels   1995 1995 The number of CoR members increases from 189 to 222 as the EU-12 expands to EU-15   1997 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam strengthens the CoR by increasing its field of mandatory consultation and allows referrals from the European Parliament   2003 2003 Treaty of Nice states CoR members must hold an electoral mandate or be politically accountable   2004 2004 The number of CoR members increases from 222 to 317 in the EU-25   2004 2004 Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe boosts the institutional status and political role of the CoR   2007 2007 The number of of CoR members increases from 317 to 344 members in the EU-27   2007 2007 Lisbon Treaty enhances the status and political role of the CoR

Joint Services (shared with EESC) Directorate for Administration

PRESIDENT and private office

Directorate for Communication, Press and Protocol

Secretary-General Political group secretariats

Directorate for Registry and Legal Affairs Directorate for Consultative Work

Structural Organisation Chart