rEPPorter newsletter: EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions, December 2015

November-December 2015

The activity report of the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions

Editorial

Together at the EPP Madrid Congress The EPP Statutory Congress, which took place in Madrid on 21-22 October, re-elected Joseph Daul as its President and Antonio LópezIstúriz as Secretary General. It also adopted an in-depth document titled “Protecting the Union and Promoting Our Values,” which focuses on foreign policy, security and defence, as well as resolutions on Georgia, refugees, the territorial integrity of States,

reforms for the future, TTIP, food security and climate change, digital Europe, the common monetary union and the circular economy. Both Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group, and Markku Markkula, President of the CoR, addressed the plenary session. The EPP Group in the CoR also actively contributed with a conference on investing in Europe’s reREAD MORE ON PAGE 2 gions and cities.

A new global agreement on climate change?

As we approach the end of 2015, I look back at the year so far with mixed feelings. On one hand, the European Union has made good progress on the Greek crisis, rescuing at the same time the unity of the Eurozone and the single currency. On the other, Europe’s security has been threatened not least by the recent events in Paris, but also through an open military conflict in Eastern Ukraine and a dramatic increase of migrants arriving at our borders. I am looking forward to a fruitful exchange of views on the support mechanisms for local and regional authorities with President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos at the December CoR Plenary Session. This is also the occasion to take a closer look at the European Commission Work Programme for 2016. We need to make sure there is support for good initiatives aimed at boosting jobs and growth in Europe, strengthening its single market, ensuring tax fairness and high social standards while promoting economic, social and environmental sustainability. We will also have our attention on the COP21 Conference in Paris, hoping for universal agreement on climate for the world. Lastly, we will continue our work on the Investment Plan, following on from our Group’s successful meeting in Madrid at the EPP Congress in October.

In the end, cities and regions are the engines for growth and jobs. Hence, I wish that 2016 brings us a fresh and innovative start for the European economy.

Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group in the CoR

IN THIS ISSUE

France will chair and host the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(COP21/CMP11), from 30 November to 11 December 2015. The conference is crucial because the expected outcome is a new international agreement on climate change, applicable to all, to keep global warming below 2°C. The CoR is taking part as Observer in the official EU Delegation so that local and regional governments are also represented. Fully supporting the goals of the EU Delegation, Markku Markkula, CoR President, will con-

tribute to various side events and share successful actions against climate change with other stakeholders from around the world. Michel Lebrun will also speak at a side event co-organised with FEDARENE. He intends to call for the full recognition of local and regional authorities as governmental stakeholders in the final binding READ MORE ON PAGE 3 UNFCCC text.

An annual Enlargement Day for CoR The first Enlargement Day, held on Monday 16 November, brought regional and local politicians from seven countries that are seeking membership of the EU to Brussels: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. The idea behind this annual event is to bring together relevant local representatives from the enlargement countries to take stock and share ideas. This first edition centred on the involvement of the sub-national authorities in the EU enlargement process, balanced regional development and coordination mechanisms in EU affairs between different governance levels. It was also an occasion for CoR rapporteur, Anna

■ MEMBERS ON THE FIELD

Magyar, to share her thoughts on the European Commission’s annual report on enlargement. From 2016 the event will be set over two days where participants can exchange together, experi-

■ CLIMATE CHANGE

ences and good practices on how best to involve local government from the respective countries in the enlargement READ MORE ON PAGE 4 process.

■ ENLARGEMENT DAY

EPP Madrid Congress: a united political family together with regions and cities “In the last two days, we have seen the tremendous capacity of our political family. We will offer reforms in order to address the challenges we face, the leadership and determination to confront threats, and the optimism to strive for a better future for our people and our conti-

nent. Above all, we will continue to rely on our solid convictions, which keep us together in these challenging times. This is what unites us and it is what we are: a union of values.”

Joseph Daul, President of the European People’s Party

Spanish regions show the way to make EU investment more efficient at EPP Congress Spain was hailed as an example for its innovative use of EU financial instruments at the EPP Group meeting, alongside the EPP Congress in Madrid last month. “It’s very appropriate that we are discussing sustainable investment plans in Spain today because you have shown great leader-

ship in how to make better use of the EU budget at the local and regional level” Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions, said. “Not only have we seen almost all of the Spanish regions catch up in terms of economic development, the Spanish EPP-led government is using EU funds responsibly to boost competitiveness and innovation, alongside its targeted SME Initiative, to get Spain’s regions and cities get back on track.”

Markku Markkula, President of the European Committee of the Regions, added: “Cities and regions are engines for growth and jobs - this is where we make

or break a fresh and innovative start for the European economy.

This is why under my political mandate the European Committee of the Regions prioritises boosting innovations and investments to improve the quality of life for our citizens”.

Collaboration across the EPP’s political channels continued on 18th November when President Schneider addressed the EPP Group in the European Parliament. This was an occasion to share the concerns of local and regional authorities in policies including migration, subsidiarity and better regulation.

MEMBERS ON THE FIELD

■ Lessons from EXPO On 15-16 October, Raffaele Cattaneo hosted a round table debate on how EU cities and regions are shaping Europe’s sustainable food policy, following on from the EPXO in Madrid where the EPP Group held a meeting earlier this year. Sirpa Hertell, as

rapporteur on climate and energy 2030 targets, insisted on the importance of agriculture in climate policy and the need to take this sector into account for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. She stressed that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the same rate, by 2080 there will be 600 million more people going hungry

because of climate change. Iñigo de la Serna Hernáiz also participated.

■ The changing shape of Europe’s borders

and the Congress of Local and Regional Powers of the Council of Europe on 12 - 13 November.

Nikola Dobroslavić and Jesús Gamallo Aller also participated.

■ Better regulation requires deeper reflections on subsidiarity A biennial European Committee of the Regions conference devoted to subsidiarity – the European Union’s guiding principle that

The EU refugee crisis has also been a crisis for cross-border cooperation. This was the message of Raffaele Cattaneo at a CoR conference on the future of cross-border cooperation, which was held jointly with the AEBR, the European Commission

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The activity report of the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions

decisions should be taken at the closest practical level to the citizen –revealed broad political support for efforts to ensure that European policies better reflect the concerns of national, regional and local governments.

Michael Schneider took part in the the meeting, which took place on 18 November in the Flemish Parliament, in his capacity as chair of the CoR Subsidiarity Steering Group.

ONGOING OPINIONS CLIMATE CHANGE

COP21 negotiators cannot be afraid to take ambitious decisions Markku Markkula, President of the European Committee of the Regions

Climate change is a challenge that cannot be resolved alone. National governments rely on cities and regions to turn international commitments into reality. Indeed,

cities and regions often take the initiative far exceeding the level of ambition shown at national level and above. The Covenant of Mayors shows just that: over 6,500 signatories representing 200 million citizens voluntarily committed to meeting and exceeding the EU’s CO2 reduction objective. Thanks to the support of the European Commission, they have turned the Covenant into a European success story: the world’s biggest climate and energy initiative at local and regional

level. What is clear from this is that only through governments at all levels working side-by-side can we find a long-term answer to climate change. This is why it is imperative that we have a clear reference to the role of local and regional government in the final COP21 agreement. In Paris I will work together with local and regional leaders from across the globe and tell developed and emerging countries that they must be more ambitious - because we, the cities and regions

of the world, are behind them.

The European Committee of the Regions called on the EU to upgrade its own commitment of cutting 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions by 50% instead of 40% by 2030. The world needs to become carbon neutral by 2050.

We expect the decisions in Paris to help us along the path towards a low-carbon economy creating new jobs, saving money, time and creating a sustainable future for all.

The European Union wants to keep the rise of the global average temperature below 2°C. Do you think that agreement will be reached in Paris?

Portugal has been one of the countries advocating for more ambitious action on climate mitigation and renewable energy and, simultaneously, one of the countries in Europe that will suffer significantly from the impacts of climate change, mostly on our coastline and in what regards our water resources. We cannot afford to pay the price of failure in Paris. According to all relevant and consistent scientific and economSirpa Hertell One of the most visible methods of tackling climate change in the City of Espoo is the role of smart and sus-

mately responsible for making the goal of cutting emissions a reality.

Local and regional authorities are the level of government which not only implements policies decided at higher levels but also put forward policies and initiatives within the remit of their own autonomy. They are key in turning a strategy into an action plan adapted to the local needs and challenges and demonstrating tangible results to citizens.

■ Enlargement Strategy and main challenges 2015-2016 Anna Magyar (HU)

ECON ■ Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union Paul Lindquist (SE)

ENVE ■ Delivering a New Deal for Energy Consumers Michel Lebrun (BE) ■ Waste Legislation Review Domenico Bambacorta (/IT)

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Interview with Jorge Moreira Da Silva, Portuguese Minister for the Environment and chair of the EPP Environment Ministerial meetings

The CoR will take part as an Observer in the official EU Delegation. Do you think local and regional authorities have an important role to play in the fight against climate change?

Local and regional authorities have an important role to play in the process. Given the urgency of the matter, national governments can’t afford to ignore those who are ulti-

Could you please give us an example of how the Portuguese government works with local and regional authorities on environmental issues?

A significant example of the collaborative work between the government and local and regional authorities is recently launched an ambitious long term commitment signed in Portugal – the Commitment for Green Growth (CGG) – by the government and the social society with almost 100 organizations from

science, finance, entrepreneurship, ONG and administration. The CGG establishes goals and initiatives on green jobs, resource productivity, energy efficiency, electric mobility, spatial planning, forest management, water resource efficiency, air and water quality and biodiversity. It also sets the target of reducing GHG emissions by 30 to 40% until 2030, compared to 2005 and to increase renewable energy share to 40% by 2030. It seeks to lay the foundations for a commitment to policies, goals and targets that foster a development model that will reconcile essential economic growth with lower consumption of natural resources and social justice and quality of life for the population. Another good example of collaborative work between the government and the local and regional authorities is the Portuguese Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (ENAAC), which was established in 2010 and revised in

tainable transport. After a decade of planning and construction, we are ready to welcome the metro into our city. The City of Espoo wants

to take this one step further and we are investing 3 million euros in the charging stations in order to have all connection buses feeding to the

new railway electric - all in all up to a 150 buses. This way our city is not only pulling its weight in reaching climate targets but also enables

ic assessment, addressing climate change is urgent but it is also manageable and it can be cost-effective.

Therefore, we have serious expectations regarding the future 2015 agreement. Each country has to develop its understanding on what are the best options to choose from in accordance with their national characteristics. Portugal is mainstreaming green growth as a key driver towards sustainable development, to promote a competitive and resilient low carbon economy, high efficiency in resource use, competitiveness and jobs.

CIVEX

■ Data in the fisheries sector Olgierd Geblewicz (PL)

SEDEC ■ Opinion on the Social Economy Luís Gomes (EPP) ■ EU Youth Strategy 2010-2018 Csaba Borboly (RO) ■ EU response to demographic challenge Juan Vicente Herrera Campo (ES) ■ Modernisation of the EU copyright rules Mauro D’Attis (IT)

2015. Given the recognition that local authorities play a major role in the implementation of adaptation measures, the National Association of Municipalities is part of the coordination group of the ENAAC. The major Project within AdaPT is ClimAdaPT.Local, which aims at the training of local government agents (municipalities and municipal enterprises) for the development of Local Strategies for Adaptation to Climate Change. a denser urban development in the capital region through quiet and CO2 neutral transport network.

New Integrated Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy The view from Michel Lebrun I was at the signing of the New Integrated Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy on 15 October and I welcome the merger between the Covenant of Mayors and Mayors Adapt. In my previous opinion from 2010, I called on the European Commission to take steps to include the Covenant of Mayors in the EU’s efforts to achieve resource efficiency and to consider

specific ways of extending the Covenant to include key areas of the “Resource-Efficient Europe” Flagship Initiative, such as biodiversity and land use, waste and water management or air pollution. To date, more than 6,500 municipalities have signed the Covenant of Mayors and pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency and produce re-

newable energy. Indeed, my community of Viroinval also welcomed my proposal to join the Covenant of Mayors. To date, we have seen two very concrete achievements: the new town hall will be highly energy-efficient and we have become the first commune in Wallonia to transform its network of public lighting into LEDs, which will deliver energy savings of almost 50%.

November-December 2015

ENLARGEMENT DAY

Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2015-2016 “The current refugee crisis shows how crucial close cooperation between the EU and the countries in south-east Europe is. The EU enlargement process, covering the Western Balkans and Turkey, is a powerful tool to strengthen the rule of law and human rights in these countries. It also boosts the economy and promotes regional cooperation. A clear European perspective gradually transforms our partner countries and strengthens stability around our Union. Our firm commitment to EU enlargement, and to the conditions it involves, is therefore a long-term investment in Europe’s own security and prosperity.

Local and regional authorities are playing an important role in this phase of intense preparation and adoption of the policies required to meet the criteria for EU membership.”

Johannes Hahn, European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations

As the rapporteur of the Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2015-2016, I welcome the new, clear-cut structure of the report that was presented by the European Commission.

I believe this will help the candidate and potential candidate countries on their way to the accession. It is propitious that the European Commission perceives the commitment of these countries to the European way.

Nevertheless, no doubt that a clear description of the inadequacies is inevitable, and hopefully the countries will benefit from the diagno-

ses and I expect the enlargement process will accelerate. Speaking of the particular point of view of the CoR, subsidiarity, regionalisation and decentralisation as tools are essential. The fundamental role of the regional and local level is necessary to the enlargement process. The latest migration crisis has shown that European countries have to find ways to cooperate. It is welcomed that managing of this new and serious crisis came forward in the Enlargement Strategy report. At this juncture EU members are involved as well as candidate

and potential candidate countries. The sooner we act the better we avoid bigger threats.

Anna Magyar

Local elections were the starting point of decentralisation and territorial reform in Ukraine Arnoldas Abramavičius, election observer The 2015 local elections were widely viewed as a barometer of the authorities’ intentions to maintain the positive standards achieved during the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. The elections took place in challenging political, economic, humanitarian and security environment, and against the backdrop of a constitutional reform process aiming at decentralization. The context was characterized by the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation and the

temporary control of parts of the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by illegal armed groups. This made it impossible for over 5 million voters in these areas to vote. Moreover, there is the ongoing reform on decentralisation and the challenges related to the amendments of the Constitution with the unrests and violence near Parliament building earlier this year.

Following the decentralisation and territorial reform process, 159 new amalgamated communities elected their new coun-

cils on 25 October for the first time. As a spokesperson on behalf of CoR, I met with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

The President emphasised his strong commitment towards structural reforms and fiscal decentralization in Ukraine.

“It is crucial to meet the expectations of people. I would like a pro-Ukrainian coalition to be established in every local council,” the President stressed.

Secretary General: Heinz-Peter Knapp | Editor in chief: Kathryn Owens, kathryn.owens@cor.europa.eu, +32 2 282 2400 | Press Officer: Dominik Krakowiak This issue is also available at www.epp.cor.europa.eu | Join us on

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