October 2013 en

ISSN 1681-3235

EUROPEAN UNION

Committee of the Regions

REGIONS CITIES OF EUROPE

NEWSLET TER OF THE COMMIT TEE OF THE REGIONS

Special feature: Europe’s regions and cities taking off for 2020

Also in this issue: Mercedes Bresso: “A decisive year for making the people of Europe feel part of the European project” ●● Othmar Karas: “Local authorities bring Europe closer to our regions and cities” ●● René Souchon: “Regions concerned about future of rural areas” ●● Gordon Keymer: “It is imperative that the EU institutions are spending responsibly and efficiently” ●●

Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso: “The preparation of the Structural Fund programmes requires a territorial approach” ●● Johannes Hahn: “Better spending is one of the top priorities for the next programming period” ●● Michel Delebarre: “A new programming period at a time of uncertainty” ●●

N° 84 October 2013

The EU’s assembly of regional and local representatives

Editorial

Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, President of the CoR, offers the European Passport to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission

The preparation of the Structural Fund programmes requires a territorial approach Negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission have resulted in an agreement on the future Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 and on most chapters of the future regional policy legislative package. The regions of the Member States must not fall behind on preparations for the programming phase of the new cohesion policy for 2014-2020.

Cohesion policy is one of the main instruments for promoting growth and creating jobs, and hence for contributing to recovery from the crisis.

Due to the current economic and financial crisis, economic growth is still low and unemployment rates have reached unprecedented levels.

Youth unemployment, which in some countries has reached unparalleled levels, is something that must concern us deeply. Moreover, this crisis is a serious threat to territorial cohesion in the EU. The Committee of the Regions supports the view that resources should focus on a small number of key areas such as employment and fighting youth unemployment in particular; training, education and social inclusion; the promotion of SME innovation and competitiveness, not to mention energy efficiency and infrastructure for the information society.

Nevertheless, the intensity of the problems varies significantly throughout Europe and it will be necessary to create enough flexibility during the programming phase to ensure that regions can adapt the design of the future cohesion programmes to the intensity of the concrete problems they have to face and to maximise the impact of the EU budget.

I am convinced that the effort we are putting into budgetary stability will increase the leverage effect of cohesion policy as an important source of public investment during 2014-2020. In fact, in certain less developed regions and Member States, the EU budget represents more than half of public investment. Furthermore, local and regional budgets take up 34% of the EU’s total public expenditure. This means that regional policy funds must be understood as real investments in boosting growth and creating jobs.

Two key aspects of this programming process are, on the one hand, the Common Strategic Framework (CSF), which sets the overarching

strategic direction for 2014-2020 and the partnership agreements at the national level. These aspects set the framework for the operational programmes, which each Member State will prepare for each fund or, where appropriate, for various funds, and which will present the priorities chosen by the national and regional authorities for the programme period. These operational programmes will then be approved by the European Commission.

The Committee of the Regions is convinced that territorial cohesion and the Europe 2020 goals can only be achieved if the different levels of government work in partnership, adopting multilevel governance tools. For this reason, we consider it to be a step forward that the Common Provisions Regulation includes a new Article 5 on the principle of partnership and multilevel governance, which provides for, inter alia, a European code of conduct to be drawn up concerning partnership.

For its own part, the Committee of the Regions is closely monitoring whether local and regional authorities are participating in the preparation of partnership agreements at the national level and the forms this partnership takes.

The preparation of the Structural Funds programmes must be governed by a territorial approach in order to improve the effectiveness of cohesion policy on the ground. This is why the Committee supports in particular the use of multifund operational programmes and integrated instruments. Integrated Territorial Investments in cohesion policy allow for the cross-cutting implementation of parts of programmes and can provide flexibility after the development of the programmes for the purposes of implementing integrated actions. Community-led Local Development, in its turn, offers an integrated bottom-up approach, through the involvement of local communities, as a response to complex territorial and local challenges.

Finally, I am convinced that simply by involving local and regional ­authorities from the outset, we will turn cohesion policy into the key EU instrument for tackling the challenges of delivering economic recovery from the ground up.

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Committee of the Regions

OPEN DAYS 2013

On the occasion of OPEN DAYS 2013 – currently the biggest event in the world focusing on regional and urban development – we met with Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, to discuss the challenges that are now facing Europe’s regions and cities.

Commissioner Hahn stressed: “We need an in-depth political debate with our regional partners to better target the European Structural and Investment Funds in the future”.

We have to find out how to better spend European funds, as “better spending is one of the top priorities for the next programming period; citizens will be able to then see what is done with their money”.

Interview with Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy

Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy

Better spending is one of the top priorities for the next programming period Commissioner, this year, the OPEN DAYS are focusing on how Europe’s regions and cities could take off for 2020. Could you tell us more about the key messages and objectives of OPEN DAYS 2013?

OPEN DAYS is currently the biggest event in the world that focuses on regional and urban development. In the past 11 years, it has grown from 1200 to the current impressive number of over 6000 participants. The number of OPEN DAYS’ local events organised in the Member States is also increasing (350 last year), as well as the number of elected politicians attending the event, every year. The success of the event is due to the excellent ongoing cooperation between the main organisers, that is to say the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, the Committee of the Regions and regional partners.

OPEN DAYS 2013 comes at a particularly important time for EU Regional Policy. On the one hand, we have visible results from 2007-2013 investments, reviving innovative businesses and creating sustainable jobs for the future.

On the other hand we are in the process of finalising the fundamental reform of our policy for 2014-2020, taking the economic realities of Europe into account. We need an in-depth political debate with our regional partners to better target the European Structural and Investment

REGIONS & CITIES OF EUROPE ➔ OCTOBER 2013

Funds (ESIF) in the future. We are demanding more focus on how we use these investments: concentration on a limited number of sectors, better spending and more emphasis on results. OPEN DAYS 2013 is an invaluable platform to share knowledge and experience in getting the expected results.

What do you believe are the new most important challenges both from a Brussels’ perspective and from the point of view of European citizens?

The social and economic crisis has an impact on the whole of Europe but the severity of the effects differs throughout. We need concrete actions to lift Europe out of the crisis and boost the economy. Availability of employment, affordability of health care services, quality of education and adequate infrastructure are important concerns for European citizens. As around 70% of the EU population are living in urban areas, key urban challenges such as social exclusion, poverty, pollution and traffic jams, have to be tackled too.

Cohesion policy is one of Europe’s main investment tools to do this. Member States are relying on regional funds to encourage research and innovation, support the creation of a business-friendly environment for SMEs, create sustainable jobs for the future in particular

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OPEN DAYS 2013

for young people, build vital transport links and realise environmental goals. Thanks to the cohesion policy, we can make the Europe 2020 Growth Agenda priorities of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth a reality. However, there is still much to be done to get Europe back on its feet. Overall, the use of regional funds should be reformed and the policy should be strengthened to be more flexible to better support where and when it is needed most.

of regional representatives at every level is the only way to anchor the policy locally and to create an essential feeling of ownership.

The economic crisis has affected people not only financially, but also in terms of confidence in their political institutions and representatives. How do you believe this trust could be regained in light of the future European elections?

How do you see the future of regional policy after 2014 and its role in supporting economic recovery, growth and jobs?

There are very few countries and regions in Europe that have not been affected by the crisis in one way or another. I believe that EU regional funds have played an important role in both cushioning the impact of this and in helping those Member States most in need to get back on their feet and also in helping others to improve their competiveness.

Crisis-hit countries – such as

We are currently finalising the negotiations on plans to reform the cohesion policy for 2014-2020 with the European Parliament and the EU governments.

One key objective is to aim Greece, Ireland and Portugal for a more effective policy Crisis-hit countries – such as – have been encouraged to use directed at the creation of Greece, Ireland and Portugal EU investment funds to build up jobs and growth in Europe.

– have been encouraged to their economies. We have redirected Better spending is one of use EU investment funds to the top priorities for the regional investments to re-establish build up their economies. next programming period We have redirected regionmacroeconomic stability and address and citizens will be able to al investments to re-estabsocio-economic needs in see what is done with their lish macroeconomic stability those countries. money. The next period reand address socio-economic quires Member States to conneeds in those countries. We centrate funds on a few key straare investing regional funds in tegic priorities taking into account key strategic sectors, for instance in Europe 2020 goals. But within this innovation, new technologies, renewframework, it also asks Member States and able energy, SMEs and the green economy. regions to look closely at what their particular These investments are achieving results; they are strengths and assets are to build on – through what we an example of the added value that European policy call a smart specialisation strategy. can bring to the well-being of communities. One of the major challenges in the future is to overcome the growing citizens’ euro-scepticism. The European elections in Clear targets and indicators are being applied to en2014 will play a significant part in campaigning for Eusure that investments generate credible, visible and rope. It is a time to reinforce the debate with the public. sustainable results. In certain areas conditions have to It is time to increase the transparency of where, how and be put in place to ensure the successful implementawhy the EU is placing investments and to communicate tion and maximum impact of funds. The new reforms on the benefits they bring to communities. will also aim for a closer link between cohesion policy and economic governance to optimise the impact of investments. A key theme also running through these Interview by Branislav Stanicek, reforms is the element of partnership: the involvement Committee of the ­Regions

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Committee of the Regions

Elections to the European Parliament

The Committee of the Regions is committed to supporting the European Parliament in its efforts to develop a successful pan-European communication campaign for the European election in 2014, “ACT.REACT.IMPACT”, launched in September by its Vice-Presidents Othmar Karas and Anni Podimata. Our aim is to involve the Committee’s members at local and regional level in decentralised communication regarding Europe, with new tools such as the “Europe in my Region” website. Key events during the European election campaign will be OPEN DAYS, the EuroPCom conference and the 6th European Summit of Regions and Cities in March 2014 in Athens. The European Summit in Athens is hoped to include a high-level political debate with candidates from major European parties presenting their political views on Europe’s future. We have invited the European Parliament’s Vice-President Othmar Karas and the CoR Vice-President Mercedes Bresso to present this new communication campaign and local authorities’ contribution to a better understanding of the European project.

Local authorities bring Europe closer to our regions and cities According to Hermann Schmitt-Vockenhausen (1923– 1979), local authorities are the place of truth because they are the place of reality. Today, too, local authorities are true partners and allies for European policies, because Europe is not just omnipresent in Brussels and Strasbourg, but is alive on the doorstep in every single local authority. The 89 746 local authorities in the 28 Member States of the European Union play an important role in presenting and explaining to the public what is being achieved in Europe.

Every local authority has at least one EU-funded project or has young people taking part in an EU education programme. 90% of the EU budget goes directly back – at a 1:1 ratio – to the local authorities and regions.

This multiplies investment many times over. Let us make the successful cooperation between our citizens, local authorities and regions and the European Union more visible and tangible.

From 22 to 25 May 2014, elections to the European Parliament will be held which will decide who will be the new people’s representatives for the next five years. As the campaign slogan of the European Parliament – Europe’s citizens’ assembly – itself states, these elections will be different and pivotal and so it calls on the public to “Act.React.Impact.”

The European Union is going through difficult times.

Much has already been achieved and undertaken to overcome the crisis and create growth and jobs. But there is still much to be done. Many decisions taken at EU level concern the public directly, because 70% of EU legislation has to be transposed – respecting the subsidiarity principle – at national, regional and local level.

This is why it is all the more important to enter into direct contact with the public and communicate with them.

For this we need partners who can convince people of

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the work being done at European level. These partners are committed and pro-European politicians at regional and local level.

The European Parliament and its representatives are well aware of this. This is why the communications strategy in preparation for the European elections is based on a devolved approach and involves measures that address people’s real concerns. They must be carried out where the people concerned live and where regionally specific interests are tackled. Particular attention will be given to regions where euroscepticism is on the rise.

The steps taken by the European Parliament’s information office include citizens’ and discussion fora beyond capital cities and publications and meetings looking at the European Parliament’s priorities and agenda. Visuals, posters, brochures, websites, video clips and social media will be produced in all EU official languages. A proactive press policy and close cooperation with national and regional authorities will also be crucial to the success of the campaign.

One thing is clear: European politics is domestic politics – and local authorities bring Europe closer to our regions and cities. Let us therefore work together in the interests of the citizens of Europe and inspire them to help create and promote Europe’s values, ideals and goals. This should get things moving in local authorities and give people better and safer lives in which their concerns are better addressed.

The official run-up to the 2014 European elections started on 10 September, when the European Parliament’s Vice-President Othmar Karas and VicePresident Anni Podimata launched the awareness and information campaign “ACT.REACT.IMPACT”. This campaign will continue beyond the elections themselves, until the newlyelected Parliament in turn elects the next European Commission President. © European Union 2013 European Parliament

Othmar Karas (AT/EPP), Vice-President of the European Parliament

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Elections to the European Parliament

A decisive year for making the people of Europe feel part of the European project Mercedes Bresso (IT/PES), first Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions

For almost twenty years now, the Committee of the Regions has been striving to bring the values and opportunities of the European project to the heart of local communities. Through its regional and local dimension, the EU impacts and transforms the daily lives of millions of citizens and workers. Unfortunately, this has often been happening without triggering those mechanisms of ownership and identification that are increasingly necessary to the success of any policy. This problem has spurred hundreds of mayors, regional presidents and administrators to make their own contribution so as to reduce, through dialogue, the distance between the regions and the places in which decisions that are crucial to our future are taken. This is an exciting and difficult challenge, made even steeper by years of recession, in which the EU – even in areas in which it has managed to deliver major results – has failed to act as an attentive, timely and effective ally. The risk here is that, in terms of communication, the victories and advances notched up are attributed to individual players – national governments – while defeats and inadequacies are put down to Europe.

The populist wave of euro-scepticism of recent years is both a cause and effect of this dynamic.

Faced with these worsening phenomena, we, as local administrators, have for some years now felt it our duty to rebuild a more truthful image of Europe and its policies, placing alongside the critical analysis of the obstacles to be overcome a clear picture of the successes and tangible achievements that, thanks to the EU, have improved the quality of life in our communities. In the coming months, these efforts will be stepped up further, as the 2014 European elections constitute a critical juncture for us all.

The outcome of those elections will determine the composition of a European Parliament that is called upon to find an effective

response to the crossroads we face: either courageously return to the path of integration or allow the further spread of an intergovernmental wave that at certain times over the last few years has brought the EU back to a time when national governments – mainly the strongest ones – determined policies, choices and above all “non-choices”, side-lining the EU institutions. Moreover, the election results will have a significant bearing in terms of strengthening or weakening the pro-European forces which – at times working on a cross-party basis – have been trying to mend the fences of the crisis and restore the pride and hope necessary to the growth of a project like the EU, which only a few decades ago, was considered improbable and idealistic by every sensible analyst.

It is with this in mind that we will embark on the months leading up to the elections, investing all our energy into ensuring – through the channel of our members and their daily work – that Europe goes back to being an area of opportunity for so many Europeans, and a future to be built, renewed and continuously improved. The OPEN DAYS and EuropCom will be decisive moments in our strategy as they will provide opportunities for the networks of knowledge and experience that revolve around regional policy to share methods and ideas in the run-up to a crucial event – the launch of the investment programmes for the period 2014-2020.

The information drive, dialogue and planning required to launch the new programmes will also provide an important opportunity to nurture a focused, but forward-looking public debate on Europe, that can both lay the foundations for a seven-year period of effective policies and, at the same time, inform and raise awareness among citizens, associations and businesses of what is at stake when they go to the polls in May.

EuroPCom 2013: [S]electing Europe 16-17 October 2013, European Parliament and Committee of the Regions The fourth edition of EuroPCom will bring together communication managers and senior experts from local, regional, national and European authorities. Over 700 colleagues from all EU member states are expected at this networking event. Lectures, debates and interactive workshops will focus on major challenges in EU communication and public communication.

The focus of this year’s conference will be on the upcoming European elections in 2014, and more in general on the role and position of public communicators in a period of elections.

More than 50 expert speakers will share their insights and experiences in various workshops and debates. Among the confirmed key note speakers are Matthew McGregor (director of rapid response on Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign), Dietmar Dahmen (advertising expert), Anthony ­Zacharzewski (of the Democratic Society) and Simon Anholt (independent government adviser). During the conference opening session CoR President Ramón Luis Valcárcel will grant the first European Public Communication Award to a region with outstanding merits in communicating Europe.

The conference is organised by the Committee of the Regions, in partnership with the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Lithuanian EU Presidency 2013, the Council of the EU and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Info and registration: www.cor.europa.eu/europcom

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Committee of the Regions

Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Eastern Partnership – key component of a safe, secure and prosperous Europe The world does not end at the EU’s eastern border. Nor does Europe. This is very clear for a country like Lithuania, which, despite being at the geographical centre of Europe, is at the same time an EU border state. The border can be perceived in two ways: as a dividing line or as a uniting element. The European Union has to decide how it wishes to see its Eastern border. So far, the EU has invested more in the first direction – we have seen the Schengen system getting stronger with improved management of the external EU border, although this is not curbing illegal immigration or diminishing other soft security threats. On the other hand, any doctor would agree that it is better to deal with the cause of the problem rather than with its consequences.

This is particularly true in the case of EU external action.

Almost a decade ago, the EU set the priority of building a ring of friends from the Arctic to the Sahara, focusing more on investing in genuine friendship with the people on the ground and helping to resolve the day-to-day and sometimes small-scale challenges they are facing.

This is where local and regional authorities – the tier of governance closest to each and every citizen – start to matter the most. Pursuing the aim of a stable neighbourhood, the local level, usually highly trusted by people, cannot be ignored. Despite not-so-rare accusations that they are not always purely democratic in nature, such institutions provide a stable and viable platform for cooperation and are often run by people who are highly committed to building strong and friendly relations.

In this context, the CoR initiated Conference of the Local and Regional Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) is a unique platform for dialogue between the EU and Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian local and regional elected officials. Over the last few years it has been actively developing two out of its four thematic platforms – democracy,

good governance and stability; and contacts between people. The recent CORLEAP meeting in Chisinau began to focus more on one of the remaining fields – economic integration and convergence with EU sectoral policies. For its part, Lithuania, facing serious foreign policy challenges in the field of energy, is likely to step up the importance of the remaining issue – energy security and efficiency. Taking practical steps in this direction, if given due attention, could make a huge contribution to meeting some of the EU’s goals – from global warming (reduced emissions due to increased energy efficiency), to improvements in foreign trade balances (use of local biofuels instead of expensive imported fossil fuels) and boosting research and innovation in the field of energy.

Gediminas Paviržis (LT/PES), Member of the Council of Vilnius district municipality

Lithuania has declared the Eastern Partnership to be its Presidency’s priority. This is a natural decision given its geographical location and immense experience in building relations with the EU’s eastern neighbours. We are happy that a considerable number of practical decisions were taken at the CORLEAP annual forum that took place in Vilnius on 3 September. We are looking forward to supporting the Lithuanian Presidency also during the Eastern Partnership Summit, taking place in Vilnius at the end of November. The Committee of the Regions has become an active and innovative actor in EU external relations and we are confident in further developing our result-oriented initiatives also in the future. An ancient Lithuanian proverb says that «even the longest road starts from the first step», and so the main goals of the EU should start to be addressed firstly by carrying out practical steps at local and regional levels. The enhanced cooperation, transfer of good governance and stability promoted by CORLEAP are the key elements which contribute to the Lithuanian ambition of shifting from the border of the European Union into the geographical centre of a free, safe and prosperous Europe.

ECR Group and the Lithuanian Presidency Currently, we in Lithuania hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is a great pleasure to be involved in the first Baltic presidency and the first bureau of the ECR group here in the CoR. Both the ECR group and the presidency are prioritising the need to boost the EU’s credibility and growth. We can better achieve these goals if the two institutions work on them together.

crisis, we had one of the fastest recoveries. Lithuania has shown one of the highest GDP growth rates in the EU in recent years. But the EU as a whole also needs to achieve economic growth. The ECR group will be pushing for a focus on measures that can bring sustainable economic growth, as will the Council under my country’s presidency.

The Committee of the Regions and the Council can work together to ensure that within the EU decisions are taken as close to the public as possible. The EU should not be removed from its citizens. We are not here despite our citizens. As local and regional authorities, we have experience in the actual implementation of the legislation produced at EU level. We can feed in our experiences and interests to boost the EU’s democratic credibility. We can work on this together.

I play a twin role on the environment, climate change and energyrelated matters. I am both Lithuania’s deputy Minister for the Environment and the coordinator on this subject area for the ECR group in the Committee of the Regions. The Baltic Sea region, energy security and energy efficiency measures are among the key priorities of the Lithuanian presidency during the next six months. It will be my pleasure to follow this both as a deputy minister and as coordinator for my political group. Sustainability again is the watchword in this area both for the ECR group and the Lithuanian Presidency.

We need realistic goals and we need to ensure that our policies are solving the problems at hand.

The EU’s economic growth and its sustainability is again an area in which the CoR and the Council can work together. The Lithuanian experience of economic growth is something that we hope to bring to the table to help the EU to overcome the challenges facing us. Despite being among the hardest hit by the 2008-2009 financial

REGIONS & CITIES OF EUROPE ➔ OCTOBER 2013

Daiva Matoniene (LT/ECR), Member of the Committee of the Regions

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New programming period 2014-2020

Ioannis Sgouros (EL/PES), Head of the Region of Attica and President of the Association of the Regions of Greece

The European Commission has been working very closely with the EU Member States and their local and ­regional authorities to organise the new Structural Funds programming period 2014-2020. In relation to ­Regional Policy, it has helped to put in place the necessary arrangements to allow its continued implementation. As a result, key projects contributing to competitiveness, generating growth and creating jobs are being implemented in the countries most affected by the crisis. The President of the Association of the Regions of Greece, Ionnis Sgouros, presents some of these projects and his experiences during the crisis. The CoR Coordinator of the Europe 2020 Platform, Michel Delebarre, outlines the new aspects of the programming period.

As stressed by Stanislaw Szwabski and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the design of the new programming period gives us the opportunity to continue our efforts within a more strategic framework. It is now time to establish objectives for the next decade and establish an action plan for achieving them.

Greek regions act as a buffer against the crisis We are going through a critical period for the future of Europe and our single currency. The downturn now threatens the whole of Europe. For Greece in particular, the prolonged recession calls for direct, targeted growth and structural measures. In this context, preparations for the new programming period (2014-2020) and the dialogue that the CoR has launched on the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are both political priorities of the highest order.

The 13 Greek regions have acquired a new legal status. In what is just two and half years since the system came into operation, the new entities have made an important contribution to regional development. Despite the difficulties we are facing due to the drastic cuts in our resources, to the tune of 60% of our statutory funding, and despite red tape, we have demonstrated that we are the right level of government for managing EU structural policies, which are now the sole source of financing for our development efforts.

This is borne out by the fact that take-up rates under the regional operational programmes are much higher than for all the sectoral operational programmes being implemented in Greece.

The new programming period presents the biggest challenge to the regions in addressing the impact of the social and economic crisis and boosting activity in the real economy. With youth unemployment at over 60%, the proposals and policies of the 13 regions make a definite contribution to our concerted efforts to promote growth. In particular, we are calling for the multisectoral and multifund approach to be consolidated, by integrating agricultural sector funding, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund into the regional operational programmes. The new programming period represents Attica’s main opportunity to address the now glaring manifestations of poverty and social exclusion among ever widening social groups, and to complete important infrastructure projects for improving the environment and quality of life.

The European Summit of Regions and Cities to be held in Athens in March 2014 will be a unique opportunity to strengthen dialogue and take decisions on the new growth-oriented approach that we need to adopt as a buffer against the crisis.

A new programming period at a time of uncertainty

Michel Delebarre (FR/PES), French senator and mayor of Dunkirk, coordinator of the CoR’s Europe 2020 Platform

As business resumes after the summer break, attention will turn to the qualitative stage, finalising the Partnership Agreement (PA) for mid-November 2013. Commissioner Hahn has said that France has no time to lose, because the sooner each country finalises its Partnership Agreement the sooner projects can be approved and money disbursed. But this urgent process will be taking place against a background of uncertainty. The crisis is the first element of uncertainty. True, borrowing costs have returned to sustainable levels for most Member States, and the vicious circle of recession seems to have been broken, with EU GDP up 0.3% in the second quarter of 2013. Nevertheless, these macroeconomic green shoots have not yet been reflected in new jobs. This situation also creates much uncertainty about the choice of operational priorities.

Another question mark, which is no less important, concerns the final content of the Common Strategic Framework, since the European Parliament and the CoR are still continuing to oppose macroeconomic conditionality and a performance reserve that would amount to ex-ante freezing of 5-10% of total funding. In France it remains to be seen, following the seminar concluding the national debate on the Partnership Agreement held on 9 July, how account will be taken of calls for adjustments relating for example to managing the development of paperless administrative procedures, reducing payment times and using automated down payments, focusing surveillance on qualitative factors rather than accounting checks, and taking into consideration public policy issues such as sport, culture and tourism, basic research and housing for disadvantaged or marginalised population groups.

The second element of uncertainty is the next phase of decentralisation, whereby regions will be given responsibility for strategy and management in relation to all spheres of activity covered by the ERDF, vocational training under the ESF and certain EAFRD measures. The main issue will be to ensure that, as far as skills and human resources are concerned, “nothing is lost ... but everything is transformed”, as Lavoisier put it. One particular challenge will be to incorporate an ERDF-ESF urban policy dimension into the operational programmes, amounting to at least 10% of total funding.

Nor will finalisation of the Partnership Agreements in November 2013 be the last word on the matter before 2020, since the midterm review of the Europe 2020 strategy is already approaching in 2014-2015. Indeed, experience during the current programming period shows that adjustments are possible during a period, as happened for example in 2008, when energy efficiency in public housing became eligible for co-financing from the ERDF. Thus nothing is set in stone, which is just as well in view of the current uncertainty. But it makes the ability of French local and regional authorities to evaluate and adapt all the more important.

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New programming period 2014-2020

Cohesion policy this decade is laying down the policy’s foundations for the decade ahead There has been a record level of interest in cohesion policy and regional policy during the period after 2013. This is not only due to the fact that there is greater general acceptance of their social and economic objectives - development and employment growth - which are so important for Europe today. After all, these objectives are also part of the current cohesion policy, which was adopted in 2005. The EP’s package of regulations, which governs how cohesion policy is implemented, is significant because it covers the policy’s new beneficiaries for the first time. Our cities are among its most important beneficiaries.

It is worth recalling the words of Commissioner Johannes Hahn at the First Urban Forum of Cities last year, who noted that, “the future will be urban”. I consider this to be the most important improvement in cohesion policy this decade. The participation of the regions and of cities in the implementation of cohesion policy - particularly as part of territorial partnerships - is a vital pre-condition for getting the public involved in achieving the objectives of European integration.

It could be argued that the 2013 European Year of Citizenship, has helped to ensure a healthy atmosphere during the negotiations on the legislative package on cohesion policy.

We should continue to develop the role of local and regional authorities within multilevel governance structures - this will

simply pay off. Only local and regional authorities are capable of ensuring an appropriate level of social support for integrated strategies that are specifically targeted towards the economic, environmental, climate and social challenges in their local areas, provided that such measures are taken in the form of a partnership. Investments in civil society organisations are even more promising by helping to shape cultural codes and stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation.

The European Centre of Citizens’ Partnership in Poznan is a good example of just how creative and innovative such organisations can be. It is ordinary educated, innovative and enterprising citizens who are the primary architects of the smart specialisation of our cities and regions. As a citizen of Gdynia, the Pomerania region and Poland, I firmly believe that the Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia metropolitan region will be part of the urban development platform. I am confident that cohesion policy will help guarantee its status as a European metropolis - one of the most important cities in the Baltic Sea region. And, lastly, I believe that it will be accessible and innovative – in terms of the development of smart specialisation – in line with the European „Blue Growth” initiative (opportunities for marine and maritime sustainable growth”).

Stanisław Szwabski (PL/EA), Chairman of Gdynia City Council

Financial perspective 2014-2020: regional and local authorities call for better spending After months of tough negotiations, the leaders of Parliament, the Council and the Commission are very close to reaching a political deal on the EU’s next long-term budget for 2014–2020. However, efficient spending of public money will continue to dominate discussions in the run-up to the European Parliament elections because of the need to make sound and forward thinking investments, especially during difficult economic times. The MFF directly affects local and regional authorities’ legal competences when setting up and financing projects related to the Europe 2020 goals. Local and regional budgets also represent a high proportion of public spending in the European Union. It is for this reason that Lithuanian Presidency of the European Union has asked for the opinion of the Committee of the Regions.

moters of wealth creation, and authorities and managers of various activities.

Better spending is a broad and complex concept which does not automatically mean less spending. Positive developments within regions, as well as the attainment of cohesion objectives, should be taken into account as should the diverse specificities. This opinion aims to cover simplification and the reduction of administrative burden as well as the creation of positive incentives for growth. I also propose a stronger focus on knowledge, education, research and innovation.

Decentralised implementation is much more efficient, in terms of both costs and quality of local public services. It offers major advantages in terms of being able to identify the local needs and demands as well as allowing for sustainable and competitive development and strengthening autonomy and local democracy. A bottom-up approach to planning is critical and will improve countries’ investment programmes and national Development plans.

Firstly, we need to concentrate on real simplification and the reduction of administrative burden for the beneficiaries. This would allow for a greater focus on programme management.

Indeed, requirements and financial control provisions have already been tightened up, but profound simplifications have not yet materialised. In this sense, the CoR’s opinion proposes some concrete solutions: the standardisation of procedures and documents, the use of common IT tools and the effective establishment of one-stop shops. In particular, e-administration has proven to play a positive role in the deployment of resources and relations between beneficiaries, the real pro-

Let us not forget that we are facing the most difficult economic situation in decades. Spending of public finances needs to be better and more responsible and this must be done together with all levels of public budgets: local, regional, national and EU while attracting private co-financing.

As rapporteur on this important topic, I reject any attempt to overburden cohesion policy through links to macro-economic governance objectives that do not correspond to the legal responsibilities of Europe’s regions and cities. Ex anteconditionality must be restricted to areas directly related to the implementation of cohesion policy.

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Turning to the reduction of red tape, I propose that reports and checks on progress could be simplified whilst still maintaining the appropriate monitoring, supervision and auditing procedures. In this regard, I strongly believe that single-fund programmes are very useful. Multi-fund operational programmes also make it possible to maximise the positive impact of EU support. The integrated approach of the Common Strategic Framework should be welcome in this regard. However, it goes without saying that this needs to be balanced with coordination between the various administrative levels, the different policy activities and development programmes.

Alberto Nuñez Feijóo (ES/EPP), President of the Autonomous Community of Galicia

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Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy

Dacian Cioloş, E uropean Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development

On 26 June, the European Parliament, the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission reached an agreement on reforming the common agricultural policy (CAP) post-2013. “This agreement will lead to farreaching changes: making direct payments fairer and greener, strengthening the position of farmers within the food production chain and making the CAP more efficient and more transparent. These decisions represent the EU’s strong response to the challenges of food safety, climate change, growth and jobs in rural areas.

The CAP will play a key part in achieving the overall objective of promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”, said Dacian Cioloş, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. In our special feature, the CoR’s rapporteur on CAP reform, René Souchon, presents his views and concerns regarding the future of rural areas. CoR President Valcárcel Siso analyses the CAP reform and Bavaria’s Minister Emilia Müller welcomes new measures supporting small farmers.

Regions concerned about future of rural areas More result-oriented rural development policy was one of the CAP reform’s main objectives. Was it met?

I do not think so because with the disappearance of minimum earmarking by axes (1), there is a significant risk that most of the funds available for the second pillar are taken up by the agricultural sector. Rural areas, which are confronted with multiple challenges, are losing ground compared to urban areas. This gap is even more worrying as it widened between 2000 and 2007, particularly under the acceleration effect experienced by large cities and capitals (2) Challenges faced by rural areas call for the implementation of a comprehensive and balanced package of measures for smart, sustainable but also inclusive growth and for the creation of new economic activities in rural areas.

René Souchon ( FR/PES), President of the Auvergne Region in France, CoR’s rapporteur on CAP reform

It seems that shifting funds from Pillar 2 to Pillar 1 will be allowed under the CAP’s reformed rules. What in practice will it mean for rural development policy?

The possibility, which member states wish to have, to transfer 15% (or even 25% in some states) (3) from the second to the first pillar will further reduce the resources available for rural development, while the agreement on the CAP and the multiannual financial framework (MFF) already endorses the decline of available resources for the development of rural areas compared to the previous programming period (4) Moreover, this financial in(1) Under the current rules, rural development measures are classified at EU level into “axes” with associated minimum spending requirements per axis. The CAP reform has introduced a new approach, allowing the member states to decide which measures to use in order to achieve certain targets.

(2) The average GDP in rural areas is less than 73% of that in urban areas in the EU12. This gap between rural and urban areas is particularly acute in Central and Eastern Europe, where most of the population lives in rural areas (41% live in the countryside, as opposed to 21% living in big cities and 23% in intermediate zones)

strument, which may be activated without any strategic vision, creates a dichotomy between agriculture and rural development and carries an inherent risk of an eventual elimination of the resources allocated to the development of rural areas. The CoR therefore opposed the possibility of such transfers.

What effect the income stabilisation tools in the rural development pillar will have on farmers?

Unfortunately, they will not be able to offset the losses that farmers will suffer because of consecutive openings of the European markets following the signing of bilateral trade agreements. The CoR feels that the EU has made a strategic mistake by focusing on ex post crisis management rather than on upstream regulation that would enable it to fight effectively and at a lower cost against price volatility. The CoR is particularly very concerned about the future of the dairy sector after the scheduled abolition of milk quotas. We know that most of the other major milk producing countries have maintained or enhanced, as is the case for the United States, their protection in the dairy sector. In order for the EU to be able to manage potential crises on the milk market, the CoR calls on the EU to consider adaptation options related to certain actions taken by non-EU states (particularly the draft Farm Bill in the US from 2013 to 2017).

Interview by Joanna Sopinska, Europolitics (3) 25% in the member states whose direct payments per hectare are below 90% of the EU average.

(4) While the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development had a budget of €96.319 billion for the period 2007-2013, the Commission has proposed to allocate only €89.895 billion to rural development policy for 20142020. The envelope available for rural development was further reduced by the budgetary decisions taken on 8 February by the European Council on the MFF 2014-2020, reducing the budget for rural development policy to €84.936 billion.

CAP deal far from perfect but regions must look forward Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso (ES/EPP), President of the Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions’ contribution in shaping the reform has focused on two key goals. Firstly, making agriculture the driver for jobs and growth. The sector must be one of the main innovative factors within the EU’s development model and a dynamic component to aid economic recovery. Fostering the rise of a new generation of young agricultural entrepreneurs can offer the much needed new vision for the future but this can only happen with the right level of support accompanied by forward-looking agricultural and regional policies. To make this happen – and here we come to our second priority

– a new, decentralised EU agricultural policy is needed which offers a more relevant role for regions and local authorities in addressing funds on the specific potential of the local production and natural resources.

In this perspective the decision to support young farmers is warmly welcomed and can be regarded as a progressive move that will help revitalise and modernise the farming sector. With the numbers of farmers under the age of 40 dwindling, the offer of a supplementary payment of 25% will attract the next

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new generation, helping boost and stimulate local economies.

In my region of Murcia, I have experienced first-hand the problem of attracting young famers. By injecting investment and laying out a programme to encourage take-up, we saw agriculture in my region grow, creating jobs, improving the quality of products and increasing exports. Placing young farmers in positions of responsibility helped rejuvenate our rural areas and the decision to openly recognise the need to support young farmers throughout Europe can only bring significant benefits to our regions.

The CAP deal has also made real efforts to redress the imbalance in the current system that will target subsidies to those more in need. As well as offering access to additional funds, the negotiators committed 10% of the entire national envelope to support small and medium farms. This slight shift towards a fairer system will improve competitiveness and, when coupled with doubling in research and innovation funding, will support those areas more deprived helping create a more competitive agricultural sector.

Yet there are aspects of the reform that must be called into question. Though some measures have been put in place to regulate the market, it is worrying that no more was done to protect farmers from market volatility. The EU is increasingly becoming more vulnerable to global fluctuations in agriculture and more regulation is needed to ensure long-term sustainability, create employment and promote growth. More decentrali-

sation in the management of EU investment would have been more consistent with the needs of the European economy and society. This is also the reason why, with some of the key areas of the CAP still to be decided, the Committee of the Regions rejects any proposal to allow the transfer of funds from pillar 2 (rural development) to pillar 1 (national direct payment ceilings).

If we are to create a vibrant, innovative and competitive farming sector, re directing investment away from rural development seems contradictory to our needs.

Though the CAP deal may be considered somewhat of a damp squib, some parts must be congratulated given the complex and difficult negotiations that have taken place. Nobody can forget that for the first time in the EU history the discussions were framed by a substantial cut to the overall budget. At the CoR’s next plenary session hundreds of regional and local representatives will discuss the agreement in detail with European Commissioner Cioloș. At this stage we now need a constructive debate so we can better prepare for the change. If we are to make the rural sector a driver for recovery, local and regional authorities must now be engaged in the delivery process involving them in areas such as the development of partnership agreements and allowing them to sit on the Rural Development Committee. The CAP reform was the result of a compromise. It may not be the perfect compromise but given the urgent challenges we face today we must now look forward, not backwards, to make the best of what we have over the next seven years.

Bavaria welcomes the introduction of a Small Farmer Scheme The state government of Bavaria welcomes the political agreement reached on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Luxembourg by the EU’s farming ministers and the European Parliament. It is a workable compromise and meets some of our region’s main demands. Bavaria now hopes for a swift conclusion of negotiations with the European Parliament in the autumn. Farmers and everyone else operating in rural areas in Bavaria and throughout Europe need a climate of certainty in which they can plan.

There are two key questions for Bavaria: how can we maintain the tried and tested policy of the second CAP pillar – rural development – in a targeted and undiminished way and how can small and medium-sized holdings be bolstered using focussed support under the first pillar. One good thing, generally speaking, is that it was possible largely to preserve the EU farming budget, not least thanks to a more focused performance-related targeting of direct payments based on greening.

It is particularly important for Bavaria that the greening requirements can be formulated in a way that reflects practice. For this reason, Bavaria will now make use of the discretionary scope that has been agreed at EU level and enable extensive farming – including the cultivation of protein plants that absorb nitrogen oxide – near landscape features and buffer strips in the priority areas to be made available.

In future, the EU will enable subsidies to be given for the first hectares of holdings. Bavaria advocates the use of this instrument in Germany, which should ensure that small and mediumsized farms are better catered for. We want to use a coupled grazing stock payment to make sure that environmentally valuable grasslands can be used for farming. Given the mounting bureaucracy, Bavaria welcomes the introduction of a Small Farmer Scheme to lighten the load at least of smaller farms.

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Under the second pillar, Bavaria will continue in the next subsidy period to implement its Cultural Landscapes Programme (KULAP) at the same high level as hitherto, introducing some new emphases. These will include organic farming, biodiversity, water and climate protection and erosion prevention. Targeted investment incentives to bolster competitiveness and animal welfare are also particularly important to Bavaria, as are other rural development measures, such as compensation payments in disadvantaged areas, village renewal and LEADER. It has to be said, however, that the planned cuts in the second pillar will have financial consequences for Bavaria. This is why the state is calling for compensation within Germany for the expected shortfall in resources.

Emilia Müller (DE/EPP), Bavaria’s Minister for Federal and European Affairs

We now know for certain that that the milk quota system will expire in 2015. For this reason, Bavaria is calling for a functioning and effective safety net for milk. The modest improvements now agreed on in the areas of intervention und private storage would not be enough in a crisis. Bavaria had proposed, among other things, extending the intervention period to the whole year. So we are keen to see what further proposals emerge from the Commission’s consultation with milk experts in the autumn.

The new CAP offers Member States considerable discretionary scope. At the same time, the European Commission is empowered to enact a great many detailed rules, for example on the form greening should take. On no account must this involve excessive red tape for farmers and regional governments. The Bavarian government therefore calls on the European Commission and Commissioner Cioloş to keep a close eye on the shaping of implementation rules for the new CAP. After all, the CAP must be accepted not only by Europe’s citizens, but also by those it affects, if it is to be a success in the long run

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In the past, I used my land Today, I cultivate it

Hubert del Marmol, farmer and agricultural biologist at the Ferme Bio du Petit Sart, Belgium

As of 2014, the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) will give it a new shape for the next six years. We met Hubert del Marmol, farmer and agricultural biologist at the Ferme Bio du Petit Sart (Petit Sart Organic Farm), a farm of some 20 hectares located at Grez-Doiceau in Wallonia, 40 km to the east of Brussels.

His small mixed-use holding combines arable crops, livestock-breeding and market gardening and employs 8 people. Hubert told us about his passion for organic farming and shared his views on the CAP reform.

You used to be a conventional farmer - what made you switch your small farm over to organic farming?

It was primarily a personal and intellectual move, based on becoming more aware and questioning the things I was doing “out of habit”. It was also a practical shift, because my main concern was to live in greater harmony with myself - to try to make my actions reflect my conscience.

Since my father’s death, I have felt responsible for a small part of the world that I was “using” on the basis of conventional methods. Today, I “cultivate” this land and that is where I feel the difference lies.

You make a distinction between cultivating and using - can you tell me more about this approach?

Land, or soil, to be more precise, is a highly complex environment, densely packed and teeming with life Each gram of soil contains thousands of bacteria, single-cell and multi-cell life-forms, microscopic fungi, springtails, woodlice and earthworms of all sorts. All of these life-forms turn the soil’s organic matter into nutrients, which can then be accessed by the roots of the plants that grow in that soil.

That is what we mean by ‘fertility’.

In organic farming, we do everything we can to have soil that is teeming with life, in order to sow a cereal crop, for example, which we hope (and make every effort to achieve this) will find what it needs to grow and be healthy, to protect itself against attacks from disease and ultimately to provide a crop for the farmer - his income. In conventional farming, you “treat” the plant by giving it as much fertiliser as possible at its different stages of growth. At the first sign of disease, etc., it is treated and sprayed.

I would compare this to a person being fed through an intravenous

drip: they get everything they need and yet it is not enough.

You cannot spend your whole life on a drip and “pills”. This approach will of course increase the yield per hectare, but at what cost? The costs to society of supporting large-scale farming are considerable. These include its impact on health, on the environment and on society as a whole. Conventional crops inevitably contain pesticide residues, which are not good for people’s health. Cancer is today more prevalent than ever before. The cost to our social security and health care systems is enormous.

How does organic farming protect biodiversity?

When we talk about the impact on the environment, we are usually referring to loss of biodiversity, but if by spraying you prevent all “weeds” from growing, in the long term they disappear from our countryside, with the subsequent disappearance of the insects and birds that feed on them, and of the predators that feed on those insects and birds, etc.. If soil biodiversity decreases, soils are less “worked on”, less loosened up and consequently less permeable to rainwater. In severe storms or heavy rainfall, water will run off more quickly without entering the soil. The cost of flooding is the damage it causes - damage to the people who lose everything they have, and damage to infrastructure. All of this is extremely costly for communities, insurance companies, municipal authorities and States. Finally, with regard to drinking water, more chemical fertilisers in the fields means more nitrates seeping into the soil and entering the groundwater.

Communities then have to spend a fortune removing these nitrates from drinking water because they are carcinogenic.

Can you tell us about organic farming’s impact on employment?

Organic farming is a major provider of jobs, especially for unskilled workers. It is more labour-intensive than conventional intensive farming. Market gardening in particular is much more labour-intensive, although that varies from one crop to another. The jobs involved are by definition not urban and help stem the abandonment of the countryside, with which we are all familiar. They also help provide food that is grown more locally. They help establish closer links between producers and consumers and also between producers and the local community. We provide organic gardening courses and, since the programme started, we have held five courses, each attended by around twenty people. Lastly, our work has encouraged other farmers and attracts curious visitors, often from abroad, from countries such as Cameroon, China, Niger and from other European countries.

What are your thoughts on the new Common Agricultural Policy?

It is a step in the right direction, but is far too hesitant. Nor is there any doubt that the agri-food lobbies have had a large say in the new CAP agreements for 2014-2020. I can give you an example: I have a neighbour who produces potatoes on an industrial scale, but he comes to me to buy organic potatoes to eat himself. He told me that he sprays his potato fields once a week and sometimes twice a week if required due to the weather. He does not eat his own produce. He knows why. You can decide for yourself.

The principle contained in the new common agricultural policy of a mandatory 5% greening that encourages “respecting certain agricultural practices beneficial for the EUROPEAN UNION

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climate and the environment” is to be welcomed, but this is really not enough, for all the reasons that I have just given you. The greater aid for small farms is a positive step towards combating desertification of the countryside, for example, but I think that aid should be capped at EUR 100 000 per farm, instead of the EUR 300 000 that is proposed.

Large farms do not employ many more workers, because they are highly industrialised, whereas small and medium-

sized farms of less than 50 hectares are much more labourintensive and, in addition to their positive effects on the environment, also stimulate the economic and social recovery of our countryside and regions.

Interview by Carl Vandoorne, Deputy Director of Brussels Management School (ICHEC)

Sustainability of rural areas in Europe Sustainability of rural areas is an extremely important and complex topic with direct implications for a wide range of key EU policies. Quality of life and average GDP in these areas are considerably lower than in urban zones and these disparities are particularly evident in Central and Eastern Europe.

Yet, this issue appears to be insufficiently addressed at the policy level. My own-initiative opinion on the sustainability of rural areas analyses these challenges in terms of five key issues: • The importance of the vitality of rural areas • The financial dimension of the sustainable development of rural areas • Importance of functional links between rural and urban areas • The challenges facing rural municipalities in outlying areas • Rural – urban links and their significant impact on regional development.

The opinion expresses deep concerns about the significant reduction in resources allocated to rural development in the 2014 - 2020 financial perspective to below EUR 85 bil-

lion. This figure may be reduced even further, in view of the plans to give Member States the right to transfer up to 15% of second pillar resources to direct payments and the expansion of areas where CAP second pillar funding may be used.

The rapporteur also calls for an increase in EAFRD resources earmarked for the LEADER programme and regrets the fact that the use of the LEADER initiative for the ERDF and EFS operational programmes is optional and may only be financed under one thematic objective. There is more to growth in rural areas than just farming, and the EU needs to step up its commitment to ensure comprehensive development and continuity of rural areas across the continent. The opinion also stresses the importance of a level playing field between urban and adjacent rural areas.

Jerzy Zająkała (PL/EA), Mayor of Lubianka

At the NAT commission meeting held in July in Kaunas, Lithuania, representatives of both the European Commission and the Lithuanian Presidency welcomed the opinion, stressing that it “fits directly into the priorities embedded in the new CAP” and “reflects the key aspects which are important to rural areas.” Sustainability of rural areas was also the main topic of the European Alliance group’s external meeting and seminar which took place in Panevėžys, Lithuania, on 29 and 30 September.

The aim of the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform, which will apply as of 2014, was to make it greener. The compromise adopted on 26 June by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council of Ministers following difficult negotiations, establishes the main principles of the CAP (aid convergence, greening, redistribution of payments, etc.) at the European level. It gives Member States considerable leeway, however, as to how to implement the policy.

The 30% of direct aid conditional on respecting the environment was a key provision of the text presented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Cioloş. This provision sends a powerful signal, because direct aid accounts for the largest share of the agriculture budget. In France, EUR 7.5 billion are paid directly to farmers each year. One third of this amount is thus now conditional on respect for environmentally friendly practices. The Commission put forward three criteria for obtaining the “greening” payment: maintaining permanent grassland, crop diversification and maintaining 7% of a holding’s surface area as an ecological focus area. The 7% ecological focus area remains subject to a Commission assessment to be carried out in 2017, with the initial threshold being set at 5%.

Given the differing views of the 28 Member State governments, the degree of “greening” is left to each country’s discretion. This is one of the many proposals for the CAP reform that has become optional. Dacian Cioloş believes that offering this flexibility to each country is justified by the considerable diversity in the Member States’ situations and is not unique to the CAP. Lastly, does this compromise reform of the CAP keep its promise to deliver greener agriculture? Responses vary, but initial assessments express a widely held feeling that the new CAP’s green credentials are rather pale.

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Green Regions and Cities

Vladko Todorov Panayotov MEP (BG/ALDE), Member of the ENVI Committee, MEP of the Year 2013 in the category “Environment”

The CoR will take part in the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 19) from 11 to 22 November in Warsaw, Poland, as a member-observer of the EU delegation. To highlight the importance of cities and regions in the international climate change agenda, the Committee will adopt its Resolution on COP 19 during the plenary session in October. It draws attention to the fact that subnational governments and local authorities have been given greater recognition in the Cancun Agreement, and reiterates its call for a multilevel governance approach in global environmental policy. We have asked the CoR members actively involved in shaping our environmental policy to present their views on the key issues, such as plastic waste and extreme weather. Our special guest, MEP Vladko Panayotov, who was awarded the prize “MEP of the Year in the category ‘Environment’”, presents the means for cooperation between national and local authorities, noting that the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee “has always listened to the voice of European cities and regions”.

Local and regional authorities are key players in our common efforts to reduce waste Today, environmental protection and sustainable economic growth are key challenges that should be tackled at all levels of government. The European Parliament is aware that, given their direct managerial responsibilities, local and regional authorities are key players in our common efforts to reduce waste, increase recycling, and move to a circular economy through the development of closed-loop solutions for material value chains in the EU. However, we must remember that it is not possible to foster unlimited development and high standards of living with the limited resources we have on our planet.

We therefore need to start changing the way we think about the resources available to us and make a transition to a model of balanced development. This is all the more crucial in these current times of financial constraint. For example, developing new advanced technologies and methods for recycling waste materials and products more efficiently would be one important instrument in tackling the challenge of rising global demand and limited resource supply levels. The economic opportunities that come with the development of innovative technologies and resource-efficient production are great and

should be tapped into. Greater resource efficiency is a win-win strategy from which both the environment and the economy, and thus our society, benefit in the long term.

Our parliamentary ENVI Committee has always listened to the voice of European cities and regions and we are confident that next year, when the European Commission adopts new targets regarding waste disposal, it will also take into account the complex realities and budgetary constraints facing local authorities in these times of financial crisis. We hope that the European Commission and national governments will increase their support for local authorities in their efforts to build a greener economy based on more sustainable production and consumption patterns. This support will be instrumental in helping local governments to minimise the potential trade-offs between social, economic and environmental objectives and needs. Ensuring that our citizens and businesses have access to modern infrastructure and technologies is a prerequisite for the development of greener cities and regions and the successful transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy.

Challenges in plastic waste management The EU Commission has issued a Green Paper calling for debate on policy challenges related to plastic waste which are not addressed by current EU waste legislation.

This review will feed into a broad review of the five directives covering waste streams, to be carried out in 2014.

Linda Gillham ( UK/EA), Member of Runnymede Borough Council

Plastic poses two specific challenges: it is cheap and very often regarded merely as packaging for commodities with a short life, water bottles, plastic bags, shampoo bottles and food containers. Secondly, some types of plastic are very durable and outlive the life of the piece of equipment it encases, particularity in WEEE and car manufacturing.

Plastic is produced using raw materials, fossil fuels and a complex procedure. It is recyclable, but at present most of the plastic waste collected from the doorstep ends up in landfills. Some Member States have reduced the share of such waste sent to landfills to less than 10% but all too often the plastic is sent to “Energy from Waste” plants. It is time to move plastic up the waste hierarchy, recycle it properly and ensure that new plastic products contain a significant percentage of recyclate. The opportunities this offers in terms of new economic activities and jobs, as well as achieving the aims of the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, should not be missed.

The RIO+20 Summit highlighted the damage done to the marine environment by the growing problem of plastic waste accumulating in the seas. Much of this is washed off the land by storm surges and local authorities and voluntary organisations can do much to clear litter from our beaches and waterways.

This opinion on the Green Paper on a European Strategy on Plastic Waste in the Environment seeks to offer the views of local and regional authorities in the 28 Member States for which collecting plastic waste is a mandatory activity, although it is performed in many different ways in compliance with the subsidiarity principle.

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Committee of the Regions

Green Regions and Cities

European regional and local authorities are already being called upon, as first responders, to deal with extreme weather events Widespread and deadly flooding in June this year, due to heavy rain, swelled the Elbe and Danube, covered hectares of land and threatened cities in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic - in many cases exceeding the disastrous “once in a century” floods of 2002. European regional and local authorities are already being called upon, as first responders, to deal with extreme weather events in their cities and regions.

If UN agreement on climate change is to be achieved in 2015, it must be equitable and include support for the poorest and most vulnerable nations of the world to build resilience to the effects of inevitable climate change, much of it caused by consumption in the developed world. We have crossed a perilous threshold with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels now at 400ppm, and a radical reduction of emissions is essential to start to reverse that trend. But we, and our children, will still have to cope with the consequences of a world that is at least 2°C warmer. For that reason, alongside mitigation, adaptation must be a priority.

The Commission communication on an EU Strategy on Adaption to Climate Change is part of a comprehensive package of information and guidance which is to be welcomed, but its focus is persuading Member States to prepare national adaptation strategies (with the threat of legislation if insufficient progress has been made by 2017). The com-

munication does not reflect the urgency which is now being felt at regional and local level and misses the opportunity of setting milestones for the implementation of adaptation measures through the years to 2017.

The global effects of climate change, whether they be caused by slow-onset processes such as sea level rise or increasing temperatures, or extreme events such as flooding, drought or heat waves, will affect our cities and regions in diverse ways depending their vulnerability, preparedness and adaptive capacity. Global logistics, supply chains, food security and migration require a focus for adaptation strategies both within and beyond the boundaries of the EU.

Cllr Neil Swannick (UK/PES), Labour Member representing the Bradford ward, Manchester, Chair of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority

Adaptation is key to protecting and attracting inward business investment and increasing EU competitiveness. Investment decisions by global companies will inevitably take into account the vulnerability of the location to risks such as flooding, or energy supply or ICT disruption, and insurers will factor preparedness and adaptation into their calculations.

The Committee of the Regions opinion argues for a multilevel governance approach to climate change adaptation and highlights the importance of networks such as the Covenant of Mayors which, it argues, should be re-launched and resourced to focus on climate change in both its aspects, mitigation and adaptation.

PES Group met in Fraunkirchen, Austria, to discuss green energy and European elections The PES Group held its annual external meeting at the invitation of the President of the Burgenland region, Hans Niessl and the leader of the SPÖ Group in the Burgenland Parliament, Christian Illedits, on 12 and 13 September 2013 in Fraunkirchen, Austria. Under the overall theme ‘Energising Europe’, the meeting consisted of two parts: a public debate on European Elections 2014: What issues for Cross-Border Regions, and a discussion on Europe’s Decentralised Energy Future

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through Renewables. Key speakers during the public debate, held on 12 September, were Hannes Swoboda, leader of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, Zita Gurmai MEP, President of PES Women, PES Group member Milan Ftacnik, Mayor of Bratislava, and the 1st Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso. Rovana Plumb, Minister for the Environment and Forestry of Romania, Gérard Magnin, Advisor to the French government and Executive Director of Energy Cities, Neil Swannick, PES Group Coordinator in the ENVE commission, and other invited speakers from business and research centres involved in preparing the transition to renewable energies, took part in the discussion on Europe’s decentralised energy future, held on 13 September.

After the debate, the group participated in a public ceremony which marked the Burgenland Region becoming electricity self-sufficient with a large proportion of renewable energy coming from wind, water and biomass.

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Rapporteurs have their say

The long-term financing of the European economy: an important issue for the CoR’s consideration Uno Silberg (EE/EA), Member of Kose Municipal Council

In March this year, the European Commission adopted a Green Paper on the long-term financing of the European economy in order to launch a wide-ranging debate on how to improve the supply of long-term financing and strengthen and diversify Europe’s system for long-term investment with a view to promoting the EU’s future development.

It is a fact that since the financial crisis, the European financial sector has been less successful at channelling savings into long-term investments. The lack of legal certainty has made investors very cautious in their investments. They prefer more liquid, short-term investments, and above all, investments in private assets. This climate of uncertainty and risk aversion calls for far-reaching, all-round cooperation - based primarily on subsidiarity and proportionality between the EU institutions, Member States, towns, cities, regions, and interest groups.

I believe that the drivers of growth are to be found mainly in the economic sectors with the greatest potential for global expansion, such as the green economy; agriculture; the silver economy; healthcare and social services and products;

IT applications; and business and lifestyle applications from the creative sector.

As rapporteur, I would argue that when it comes to the local and regional dimension, the provision of long-term financing and the measures typically taken to promote longterm investment do not give enough attention to specific local and regional circumstances. At the same time, the EU’s approach to tackling the financial crisis often exacerbates its impact, with the pain being felt most acutely at the local and regional level. This is why I believe that it is crucially important for local money to be used locally to support local development.

As a first step towards the necessary balance between supervisory objectives and securing long-term financing, I would like capital requirements for pension funds to be harmonised at the EU level. Steps must be taken to ensure that occupational pension schemes do not unduly burden employers in the SME sector. This can only be done with the support of the public authorities.

We must recognise the need for cyber security to protect our individuals and businesses

Robert Bright ( UK/PES), Member of Newport City Council

Given the growing and sophisticated threat posed by cybercrime, Europe needs to act now. To date, work in the field of cyber security within and between Member States has been patchy. There are however some excellent examples across Europe where cities, regions and Member States have developed effective cyber security actions. Estonia is an exemplar and has shown tremendous foresight and innovation in countering cyber threats in recent years. In my own city of Newport in Wales, we are working hard to improve our ICT infrastructures and incorporate cyber-defences into our planning, ensuring our systems are properly protected.

We also need to genuinely involve local and regional authorities in the implementation and governance of ICT-related initiatives, as developing cyber security at Member State and EU levels is insufficient. Local and regional authorities are increasingly finding themselves on the cyber-frontline, protecting data security, delivering digital services to citizens and communities, providing Network and Information Security training in schools and responding to online threats to utility services such as water and energy supplies. European cities and regions have a leading role in implementing robust cyber security strategies that are fit for purpose and

helping to develop cooperation between users and producers of ICT innovations.

I stress the need for appropriate education and training for cyber security, ensuring that businesses and people of all ages are fully aware of the dangers posed by cybercrime and are able to identify and deal with cyber threats. I welcome the new cyber security strategy and accompanying NIS Directive, which, through practical recommendations, will help raise the bar and develop much-needed common standards across Europe. I also welcome the commitment to the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and to the Charter of Fundamental Rights. As has been well documented in the media recently, efforts to protect citizens online must strike an appropriate balance with the rights and freedoms afforded to citizens in the Charter.

Not only must we fully involve our cities and regions in developing cyber securities, but also ensure that actions in this critically important area are supported with adequate funding in order to achieve effective implementation on the ground. Should we fail on our cyber security objectives we risk stifling the EU digital market and not realising our Europe 2020 goals.

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Committee of the Regions

Rapporteurs have their say

Urban-rural partnership and better governance The Committee of the Regions’ opinion on urban-rural partnership and governance will, I believe, be the key to improving economic exploitation of urban-rural interdependency and introducing territorial cohesion. The question is whether EU-level action is appropriate, given that the Committee of the Regions attaches great importance to compliance with the subsidiarity principle. Personally, I believe that best practices developed by the regions should be put to use and promoted, particularly in less developed EU regions where knowhow is needed. European regional development policy will be more effective when authorities work together. Neighbouring towns often compete for investments and this is not always beneficial, either for the economy or for the efficiency of public services. Solutions to the problems facing rural and urban areas can be identified more readily through a joint approach based on urban-rural partnership. However, this is impossible without a framework for urban-rural governance. Practical experience shows that approaches and solutions vary greatly from one region to another, and partnerships are shaped by the challenges at hand, the relationship between urban and rural areas and the national situation.

Urban-rural partnerships make proper and reasonable use of the potential for territorial development and link up partners to promote local development spanning the entire area. Both urban and rural partners must be aware of the long-term benefits of the partnership or the partnership will not last. Functional regions and cross-border urban-rural partnerships are in a category of their own. My opinion supports the view that the cross-border approach should be used as a point of reference for drawing up multiannual development programmes in cross-border functional regions.

Romeo Stavarache (RO/ALDE), Mayor of Bacau Municipality

Regardless of the context, one common determining factor for successful cooperation is dialogue and trust between partners, as well as recognising and acting upon needs common to the functional region. It is very important to involve the private sector, which can make a very useful contribution as regards performance criteria, business and innovation capacity and seizing opportunities, and particularly as regards attracting private capital for investment and forming public-private partnerships. Local and regional authorities can therefore plan innovative models of urban-rural governance to maximise the economic effects of urban-rural cooperation and its results.

Directive for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) The proposed Directive for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated Coastal Management (ICM), in the context of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy, seeks to improve the proper management and use of maritime resources and establish a framework for the sustainable growth of maritime sectors and coastal communities.

Local and regional authorities already implement a number of Integrated Maritime Policy objectives, not least in terms of how we plan and regulate the development of our coastal areas and coordinate the sustainable use of maritime space. In this regard, the proposed Directive is generally welcome. However, it has a number of flaws as currently worded and will, as I see it, impact on how coastal planning authorities, at local and regional levels, operate.

In terms of the flaws, I consider the Impact Assessment, prepared by the European Commission, to be inadequate.

It is based on insufficient data, it has not fully explored the use of non-binding options for achieving the objectives and it simply fails to take account of the increased costs and administrative burdens that we as local and regional authorities will have to incur to implement the Directive.

The proposed Directive also raises a number of concerns under the principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality.

While it is meant to be a ‘framework Directive’, in reality it is far too prescriptive and a number of elements of the

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legal text, as currently worded, breach the proportionality principle in my view.

In general terms, I’m supportive of MSP but under certain conditions, which are set out in the draft opinion. I would however like to see the legal text provide a clearer guide on the governance aspects, which must be multi-level, to reflect the current division of competences in spatial planning policy.

On ICM, I have fundamental concerns about a Directive which will in effect transform what is currently an informal management tool into a formal planning approach. To me this is neither sensible nor desirable and Member States must have sufficient flexibility as to whether they consider it necessary to apply ICM in their jurisdictions - some may but others may not.

Paul O’Donoghue (IE/ALDE), Kerry County Council and South West Regional Authority

I see the ICM aspect having negative implications for local/regional authorities with a coastal area. It has the potential to undermine existing good-practice and the autonomy we currently have to take all interests into account in the planning and development of our areas. Finally, I suspect that the Directive will impose additional administrative and financial burdens when it comes to implementation. I hope that with the opinion, to be adopted at the October Plenary session, we can convince the Council and European Parliament to make the necessary changes in the Directive.

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Rapporteurs have their say

Entrepreneurial mindsets in Europe

Paweł Adamowicz (PL/EPP), Mayor of Gdańsk

The ECOS commission has produced an opinion on supporting European entrepreneurship, in response to the European Commission’s document on the “Entrepreneurship 2020 action plan - reigniting the entrepreneurial spirit in Europe”. The European Commission argues that entrepreneurship measures help to reduce unemployment and restore economic growth. The priorities set out in the Communication - developing entrepreneurial education and training, creating an appropriate business environment, building role models and reaching out to groups not sufficiently represented in the entrepreneurial community - should help with these aims.

The Committee of the Regions agrees with the European Commission that creating an entrepreneurship-friendly environment and a fully operational internal market are of great importance in enabling economic recovery and boosting social cohesion.

The Committee also supports the Commission’s other priority ­actions, but at the same time feels that the document fails to sufficiently emphasise the role of local and regional authorities in implementing its main proposals.

Mr Adamowicz feels that local and regional authorities are already very active in the areas covered by the Action Plan - not least in view of the fact that small and medium-sized enterprises, which stimulate economic growth and help to create new jobs, mostly operate on local and regional markets.

Firmer support than has been the case so far for regional entrepreneurship strategies are also key for support measures. Greater government funding and support over the new programming period is vital, given the need to provide the services, information, knowledge and financing required by innovative business start-ups.

Furthermore, to make the best possible use of funding and avoid unnecessary duplication, the Commission should ensure that the various EU entrepreneurship funding programmes are mutually complementary.

In the course of the debate on the opinion, the rapporteur repeatedly emphasised that only central initiatives targeted at regions can succeed in developing and strengthening European entrepreneurship. At the same time, direct regional support measures for SMEs are also needed.

Remo Sernagiotto: “In times of crisis, we need to invest in young people and families”

Remo Sernagiotto, President and coordinator of ELISAN (European Local Inclusion and Social Action Network) and ENSA (European Network for Social Authorities), Veneto Regional Minister for social services

“Business creation for young people and the promotion of work-life balance are crucial to fighting the economic crisis and generating growth to achieve welfare reform.”

This is the view of Remo Sernagiotto, president and coordinator of ELISAN (European Local Inclusion and Social Action Network) and ENSA (European Network for Social Authorities) and Veneto Regional Minister for social services, and Barbara Trentin, president of the ELISAN Steering Committee.

sembly, which took place in the Garda Municipality on 4, 5 and 6 September. This event saw the participation of the European Commission and Committee of the Regions, where Regional Councillor, Maria Luisa Coppola, is an active representative of the Veneto Region.

The welfare measures and models promoted by the Veneto Region included a Master’s degree covering the area of family-work balance at the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice; draft legislation on a long-term integrated policy Work and debate on social into recognise, promote and support novation at the local as well as the family; the “family and work European level are crucial to audit”, a family and work-time sharing best practices and It is vital to invest in social management scheme, which contributing to the develmodels with innovative welfare is very widely used in Geropment of sustainable polimany and Austria, and for cies, especially with respect models for young people and which the Veneto Region is to social services that are families. the first Italian region to have geared to innovative, intebeen awarded certification. The grated welfare models. This is region has also consolidated sevwhy it is strategic to create ecoeral youth initiatives designed to nomic and cultural growth incenpromote youth entrepreneurship, tives and the Veneto Region has implemented namely the award of job creation conseveral measures in this area, which it also presented tracts, youth participation in their communities and the during the European meeting entitled “Investing in Sonurturing of young talent and skills. cial Policies”, held in the framework of ENSA’s General As-

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Committee of the Regions

Rapporteurs have their say

The involvement of the regions is crucial to the success of the fourth EU railway package The fourth railway package is one of the most important legislative initiatives marking the end of the period in office of both the Barroso II commission and the current European parliament. This package is made up of six legislative proposals and parliament has appointed six different rapporteurs. I will be the only rapporteur for the Committee of the Regions. I am aware of the challenges and responsibility that I face in delivering a useful opinion to the co-legislators.

The fourth package relates to the system of governance and the opening of passenger markets, both long distance and regional. Railways are lagging behind all other sectors in terms of market opening. This mere fact demonstrates the usefulness of this fourth railway package. The package also relates to the role of the European railway agency (ERA) and the rationalisation of interoperability and safety procedures. The recent tragic derailment of a freight train in Belgium reminds us that efforts still have to be made for safer railways. At the same time, we should get rid of the useless red tape that often prevails for certification of railway undertakings or the approval of their rolling stock. They are a major barrier to rail competitiveness especially compared with other modes.

The various consultations and exchange of views from the CoR make me confident that we can reach a compromise by mid-October, when we are due to vote in plenary. First, the main orientations on governance raised so far are the following: rail infrastructure managers (IM) should be granted more extensive responsibilities, including for maintenance, traffic management and investment. The establishment of coordinating committees to monitor the activities of these reinforced IMs is welcome. We must ensure that local authorities are involved systematically. Also, a strong opposition has emerged between those advocating complete separation (unbundling) and those in favour of grouping the infrastructure managers and historic rail operators together (holding companies). Each side sees the other as being dogmatic. The truth may lie in an intermediate position allowing both models while strengthening the independence of IMs. However, this proposal requires further fine tuning: the system is complex and not necessarily well adapted for small networks. In any case, the regulatory body should fill in any gap that may allow for discrimination to market access. We should also

make sure that the infrastructure managers devolve decision making powers at local level to allow for an efficient dialogue with local and regional authorities.

Second, opening the market raises many questions. How can we achieve a balance between public transport plans that are useful to the sound organisation of services and the responsiveness that competent authorities need when faced with changes in local circumstances – for example, a change in mainline services available? Transport plans should also serve as a lever to increase synergies between authorities involved in intermodality and cross-border cooperation. What financing tools can meet the need for the local authorities to bear the residual value risk of rolling stock? Under what circumstances can the direct award of public service contracts be authorised? What role should local authorities play with regard to ticketing issues? And, last but not least, what are the social consequences of transferring public contracts to new operators? Our objective is to avoid social dumping while requiring greater competitiveness of rail transport.

Pascal Mangin (FR/EPP), Committee of the Regions’ rapporteur on the fourth railway package

Third, on the technical pillar we need to combine bottom-up and top-down approaches. Concretely, for vehicles which are not intended to operate beyond a local network, the national safety authority (NSA) could retain full powers and could issue certificates under the supervision of the ERA. In the case of vehicles crossing borders, the ERA must be consulted first.

Regional authorities must also be involved as they sometimes directly bear the increased cost of certification. Two approaches should be explored. First, a CoR representative could sit on the management body of the ERA. Second, a regular report should be drawn up for the CoR on the monitoring of national safety and interoperability rules and the work of the ERA more generally.

This package is politically sensitive and technically complex.

However, we need to make this European rail reform count so as not to be the politicians who must also decide on a fifth railway package. And there comes another question: do we want to keep the proposal as a package or rather split it and start off with the “easy bits”? My answer is clear: if we want this to be a success, we must look at all six proposals simultaneously as they are inextricably linked.

ALDE OPEN DAYS seminar: Meeting Climate and Energy Challenges with Innovative Financial Instruments Every year in October, cities and regions have an opportunity to showcase their ability to create growth and jobs, implement EU cohesion policy and prove the importance of local and regional bodies to good European governance, all as part of the Open Days series of events. To mark the stages involved in moving towards the Europe 2020 strategy, the CoR’s ALDE group will be holding a workshop on 8 October entitled “Investing in the Future: Meeting Climate and Energy Challenges with Innovative Financial Instruments” to discuss innovative approaches for implementing one of the priorities for 20142020. Under the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), climate-friendly investments will continue to be on the agenda. There are many untapped opportunities to save energy and encourage the use of renewable energy sources in Europe but market conditions do not always help. It is therefore anticipated that financial instruments for climate action

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are likely to play a big part in the next MFF, as an innovative way of achieving results and creating stronger incentives for mounting successful projects. Current and past practices of the European Investment Bank, the European Commission, fund managers and fund recipients will provide good examples and evidence of how to incorporate climate change and energy efficiency considerations into investment decisions.

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Regions & Cities of Europe — N° 84 Director: Laurent Thieule, Directorate ‘Communication, Press and Events’ Head of Unit: Serafino Nardi, Unit ‘Press, Internal and External Communication’ Editor-in-Chief: Branislav Stanicek Photos: Committee of the Regions archives Graphics: CoR’s Publication Service Committee of the Regions Communication, Press and Events Directorate Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99–101 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË Tel. +32 222822211 Fax +32 222822085 Internet: http://www.cor.europa.eu Regions & Cities of Europe is a newsletter of the Committee of the Regions, published by the Communication, Press and Events Directorate.

The content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the European Union institutions.

Neither the institutions/bodies of the European Union, nor any person acting on their behalf, can be held responsible for any misuse of the information provided here. http://www.cor.europa.eu © European Union, 2013 Printed in Belgium

Interview with Gordon Keymer, President of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group at the CoR

It is imperative that the EU institutions are spending responsibly and efficiently The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group at the Committee of the Regions was formed on 10 April 2013 and officially announced during the 100th CoR plenary session. The group contains representatives of seven EU Member States (the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and the UK) and has over 30 full and alternate members. The ECR is a centre-right group. It is an extension of the ECR Alliance, which continues to grow with over 50 MEPs from eleven countries, prime ministers in the European Council, and a successful think tank, New Direction.

What are the political views of your group?

Our group is centre-right and Euro-realist. We believe in the need to be realistic in our way of functioning and output. In light of the general climate of austerity, it is imperative that the EU institutions are spending responsibly and efficiently. We also believe in the need to ensure that the legislation we produce in the EU is responding to and remedying a problem. We should not be over-legislating and producing greater administrative burdens.

What are the ECR group’s priorities?

Our priorities include achieving greater localism, an improved economic climate with jobs and growth and an efficient CoR. We need to ensure that we are able to translate our work in the CoR into the representation of local and regional interests in the EU legislation. This requires us to ensure that our opinions are concise, coherent and to a high quality. We also need to ensure that our institutional clients (the Commission, Parliament and Council) are aware of the local and re-

Gordon Keymer, President of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group at the CoR gional implications of their legislative work. We need to better identify the demand of our clients and provide the supply.

Greater localism also means greater democracy. Within the EU, we are faced with a democratic deficit. The European Parliament directly represents citizens at the Union level as stated in Article 10.2 of the Treaty of the European Union. However, the average turnout to the EP elections has been below 50 % since 1999 and has been decreasing over the past three elections. This creates a democratic problem, which we as the CoR can help remedy. Our group will also prioritise a better economic climate with job creation and growth. We need to be efficient and ensure we are not overspending.

What vision do you have for the future of your group?

As the first president of the ECR group in the CoR, I will be working to ensure that the group grows and flourishes. The group will not shy away from tackling difficult problems head on. We will be active in seeking solutions and looking to do better each time. We will work towards a better and more sustainable EU.

EPP Winter University for local media The 8th edition of the Winter University for local and regional media will take place on 5-7 November 2013 under the title “Act. React.

Impact: Communicating with local and regional voters”.

This event, organised by the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions, aims to give journalists the opportunity to discuss their role in communicating on Europe whilst also providing them with the necessary tools and contacts to talk more about Europe. This is particularly relevant in view of the forthcoming 2014 European Elections.

In today’s European Union of 28 Member States, regions and cities have major powers in key sectors such as education, the environment, transport and economic development. Despite these competences, citizens are unaware of the impact local and regional authorities can have on EU policy making. There has also been a call for more decentralised communication in Europe. The Winter University will cover topics including local and regional storytelling in the EU, the role of local media in the European elections, reporting the financial and economic crisis on the ground and how social media can play a role in making news local.

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Committee of the Regions