EPP/CoR Plenary in Focus, February 2016

February 2016

Priorities of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions Europe needs its own success story for 2016. I believe our regions, cities and communities should be part of it. When we look around we see increasing pessimism everywhere. We need to add a more positive dimension to the EU’s latest role of a response pendulum swinging from one crisis to another. I look forward to a fruitful and forward looking exchange of views on the challenges facing the EU with President of the European Council, Donald Tusk at the plenary ses-

sion. It’s time to reflect upon the changes that can strengthen our efficiency. This is particularly important in view of the upcoming mid-term review of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework. I also hope that the February European Council will bring a much needed breakthrough in resolving the migration problems in Europe. More than ever, we need enhanced cooperation and understanding in this area, rather than an escalation of the divisions within our European family.

Looking back to the end of 2015, I am very glad that our CoR delegation, led by President Markkula, came back from the Paris COP21 conference with a legally binding, universal agreement on climate for the world. Our regions have been at the forefront of bringing positive changes in these areas for decades and Europe should continue to lead the world in delivering environmentally friendly solutions.

Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group in the CoR

Current and future challenges for the EU Simplification and better spending in Europe’s regions and cities

The first Plenary Session of the year will begin with a statement from Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, reflecting on the internal and external challenges to Europe from a Member State perspective. He is expected to repeat his call on Europe’s regions and cities for support, following his video message on migration that was played during the December Plenary Session where he said: “It is regional authorities and local communities that deal directly with the migrant influx to Europe. The Committee of the Regions can help by exchanging the

best ideas on integration, as it is only communities and newcomers working together that can achieve successful integration.” He will also report back from the COP 21 and highlight proposals with a local and regional dimension in regards to climate action. Ronald Plasterk, Dutch Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations, will address the Plenary Session on behalf of the Dutch Presidency of the European Council. Topics are set to include the Urban Agenda, which is the topic for a COR Forum in Amsterdam on 30 May 2016, and Better Regulation. ■

Addressing the Plenary Session, Corina Creţu, Commissioner on Regional Policy, is expected to present her key priorities for 2016 related to the implementation of the 2014-2020 programming period as well as to the current and future evolution of Cohesion Policy. The need to simplify the implementation of Cohesion Policy is a recurring issue that is repeatedly highlighted by the EPP Group in the CoR, who have first-hand experience with the implementation of the Structural and Investment Funds. The Committee of

No time for business as usual: putting youth first The first new initiative announced by the European Commission in its work programme for 2016 is a New Skills Agenda for Europe. Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner on Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport, is expected to outline some of the proposals at the Plenary Session. This proposal is due later in the year and aims at promoting skills development, including the

mutual recognition of qualifications, supporting vocational training and higher education and reaping the full potential of digital jobs. Speaking at the EPP Group’s Study Visit on digital skills and entrepreneurship last year, Rodrigo Ballester, from Commissioner Navracsics’ cabinet, stressed: “Local and regional authorities have a strong role to play in en-

suring that Europe is sufficiently equipped for a digital future, especially given their competences and responsibilities for schools and educational institutions in many Member States…

Contact with regions will be crucial.”

In the wake of the Paris attacks, the debate with Commissioner Navracsics will also touch on the role of education against youth radicalization, which

the Regions and the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union will hold a joint workshop on this topic on 10 March 2016. Speaking at another conference recently, Raffaele Cattaneo stressed: “The European Committee of the Regions is committed to make sure that cohesion policy is delivered effectively to create new jobs and inclusive growth. To this purpose we need a full involvement of regional and local authorities in all strategic decisions, simpler rules and a better capacity to adapt our plans to emerging challenges.” ■

forms part of Csaba Borboly’s opinion on cooperation in the youth field.

“Every terrorist attack is a reminder of how urgently we must tackle social exclusion and promote the fundamental values underpinning the EU. Fighting radicalisation requires addressing its underlying factors. The EU can help countries, regions and cities to do this. And to send two clear messages:

education must give everyone a proper chance to succeed, and schools must teach our shared, non-negotiable values.”

Commissioner Tibor Navracsics ■

Establishment of a framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector

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Data collection is vital for improving the knowledge of fish stocks and the long-term management of fisheries. It is estimated that for every €1 invested in data collection, control and enforcement in the fishing industry, there is a potential 10:1 return.”

Olgierd Geblewicz, President of Westpomerania Region, Poland NAT-VI/007

Local and regional authorities have a good knowledge of fisheries and some even have legal and financial powers in the fisheries sector. They also play a very important role in implementing the Common Fisheries Policy. In recent years, there has been a progres-

His primary concern is that, for certain data, surveys at sea cannot be replaced with less expensive methods.

The Westpomerania President is also concerned by the definition of “endusers”, especially as they can be important players in defining data-needs.

In his view, data end-users should be divided into those end-users that can define data-need and those that only can get access to data. Lastly, he calls upon all stakeholders to work, where possible, towards ensuring the open availability of collected data in a format that can be used by relevant users, including local and regional authorities.

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The implementation of the renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018)

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Employment While the Erasmus+ programme and the Youth Guarantee are essential tools for achieving strategic objectives, the problems are far more complex and EU action in the area of youth affairs already goes beyond these two effective tools.”

Csaba Borboly, President of Harghita County Council, Romania SEDEC-VI/007

sive shift of attention to the level of stocks and the effects of fishing on the marine ecosystem. An enhanced system for collecting, managing and using data will make it easier to measure fishing’s impact on ecosystems. This is one of the reasons that President Geblewicz wants to ensure that consultation with local or regional authorities from coastal areas with legal or financial powers in the fisheries sector takes place and that they are provided with the relevant information. While he generally supports the objective of tailoring the availability of data more closely to management needs, the rapporteur warns against the cost-use analysis suggested by the Commission.

Europe is confronted with new challenges, which have a strong impact on young people. The rapporteur therefore welcomes the European Commission’s willingness to make the

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appropriate changes to policy. Within this context, he insists that ensuring equal opportunities, promoting social integration and improving the competitiveness of young people on the labour market, while fostering active citizenship, non-discrimination and intercultural understanding, should remain the key objectives of youth policy. This is of great relevance to local and regional authorities because in the majority of Member States – where there are national policies on youth matters – LRAs are, to varying degrees, the competent authorities in this area. With reference to the

The report is one more step from the CoR showing increased focus and sincere interest for youth policies. In YEPP we believe that youth organisations need to step up and be more active by always proposing solutions to the known problems of our generation. This the only way we can get European leaders to listen.”

Konstantinos Kyranakis, President of the Youth of the European People’s Party

unprecedented terrorist threats facing Europe today, the CoR opinion calls on the European Commission, the Council and the Member States to take all possible measures to increase young people’s safety. Within this context, the rapporteur envisages providing protection for educational establishments, tightening security in places frequented by young people and providing them with training so that they know what to do in an emergency. It also notes that migration must be addressed through various EU policies, but that youth should be a key pillar.

Supporting European start-ups through regional diversity and local policy-making

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Each year, start-ups create more than 4 million new jobs in Europe making them one of the most important sources of employment.”

Despite their great potential for local growth, Markku Markkula, President of the European Committee of the Regions, warned that it is not policy-makers who will decide where businesses chose to set themselves up. “To be successful in driving innovation, growth and job creation, cities and regions have to put an even stronger focus on measures and policies that can

help companies get started, take risks, enhance their performance and grow” he underlined. Speaking at the launch of the Startup Europe Week, alongside European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip, President Markkula added “cities and regions also have to learn to function in a more entrepreneurial way by rewarding initiative, innovation, experimentation and capac-

ity-building.” Launched this year, the European Startup Week has become one of the largest events to promote entrepreneurship with nearly 250 meetups and grass-roots events taking place across Europe. President Markkula highlighted the need to build partnerships across borders and to exchange ideas so that a truly functioning digital single market can thrive. A Committee of the Regions conference “Boosting the entrepreneurial spirit: pioneering regions and cities in Europe” took place on 9 February, alongside the Plenary

Session, to further the debate on the ingredients necessary for start-ups to thrive and share concrete measures to support entrepreneurs.

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[Y]Factor: Think Smart, Think Regional ...Let’s Innovate!

An innovation mindset combined with entrepreneur-friendly cities and regions will be essential to Europe’s recovery from the economic crisis, ac-

cording to a group of young people gathered at the European Committee of the Regions today for the third edition of the Y Factor conference.

“Entrepreneurs are the driver of any economy and encouraging young people to follow their ambitions is vitally important, especially as Europe looks to move from the financial crisis to recovery” Neale Richmond said before sharing his experience as both someone setting up a company in Europe and a representative of local government in Ireland. “It is key to instill the ide-

als of entrepreneurship into people as early as possible.

That is why programmes such as the Schools Enterprise Programme that involves 17,000 students in Ireland play a key role in planting the seed of enthusiasm for entrepreneurship in our young people” he continued.

“Being European is an added bonus as young entrepreneurs can take advantage of the free movement of people as well as engaging in super programmes like Erasmus for young entrepreneurs.”

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Supporting Ukraine in its reform efforts Ukraine needs to introduce necessary deep and comprehensive economic, social and political reforms on the basis of social market economy. In his capacity as the EPP’s representative in the CoR Task Force on Ukraine, Michael Schneider welcomed 30 Ukrainian civil servants to his office, in the Representation of SaxonyAnhalt in Berlin, for a discussion on the participation of regions in EU pol-

itics. “Ukrainian local and regional authorities have an important role to play in creating a safe and comfortable environment for their people. The forthcoming parliamentary vote on the constitutional reform and distribution of powers to subnational entities will be crucial in implementing the necessary comprehensive reform of local self-government” he underlined.

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Ensuring every cent of the EU budget works to the benefit of regions and cities

In the framework of the 2014-2020 MFF negotiations, the EPP Group in the European Parliament was instrumental in advancing one of the key

requests of the European Parliament, namely the “compulsory and comprehensive revision” of the MFF. As a follow up, it held its Bureau meeting in Bratislava on 28-29 January to discuss the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework of the long-term EU budget. The meeting was led by Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, and discussed two policy papers: The Future of Social Europe and The Mid-term Revision of the Multiannual Financial

Framework. Markku Markkula stressed that the CoR will make a formal contribution to the discussions on the future of the MFF through its forthcoming opinion from Luc Van den Brande, before stressing “We all notice that the economic and migration crises, as well as the annual budget negotiations, have shown that there is an urgent need to strike the right balance between multiannual programming based on long-term objectives, and flexibility to respond to unforeseen events.” His in-

tervention took place in a panel with Kristalina Georgieva, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Budget and Human Resources. This event took place one day after President Markkula met Dutch Presidency representatives, Foreign minister Bert Koenders and finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, in Amsterdam for a high-level brainstorming event, which aimed to kickstart a discussion on reforming the Multiannual Financial Framework. ■

The Annual Growth Survey 2016

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The Annual Growth Survey is essentially about prioritising the right policies that can strengthen the recovery. The response requires more impetus into investment, decisive structural reforms and responsible fiscal policies. This is the engine that can help power convergence amongst Member States. Local and regional authorities have an essential role to play in this process. Their active involvement in implementing these policy priorities is important for ownership and effectiveness of policies in Member States.”

Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the European Commission

The proposals from the European Commission launch the annual cycle of economic governance.

They not only set out general economic and social priorities for the EU, but also give Member States policy guidance for the following year. Within the survey, the Commission notes that whilst policy challenges vary across countries, there are overarching themes that affect the EU as a whole. To strengthen the recovery and foster convergence, the Commission recommends building on the three main pillars identified last year for the EU’s economic and social policy: • • •

re-launching investment pursuing structural reforms responsible fiscal policies

In response to the European Commission’s proposals, the Committee of the Regions will adopt a resolution at the Plenary Session underlining the role that local and regional authorities can play.

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The Annual Growth Survey 2016 shows that a renewal of investment activities, the continuation of structural reforms and more responsible fiscal policies are indispensable. In particular, the estimated EUR 300 billion gap between public and private investment since 2008 has to be bridged because it affects the long-term growth and employment potential of the EU. These investment barriers must be eliminated and the internal market completed so that an improved business environment and entrepreneurial spirit can thrive. Regional and local authorities play a central role, which is

why the Committee of the Regions should be involved in the dialogue between the European Commission and the Member States in order to identify and eliminate such barriers to investment.”

Christian Buchmann, Chair of the Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Economic Policy

Jeopardizing Schengen cannot be the answer to requests for more security

The free movement of persons is a fundamental right guaranteed by the EU to its citizens. It entitles every EU citizen to travel, work and live in any EU country without special formalities.

The Schengen Agreement on Free Movement of Persons, currently comprising 26 countries, out of which 22 are EU member states, represents one of the most successful pillars in the construction of the European Union.

Despite this, the migrant crisis has caused some Member States to reintroduce checks on some borders. A Committee of the Regions draft resolution acknowledges that these steps are “a result of the lack of coordination and resources in order to manage the large numbers of refugees and migrants arriving, as well as of the insufficient involvement of local and regional authorities.”

Every day, some 3.5 million people cross the borders between the 22 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland in the Schengen zone. Almost 1.7 million people in Europe work in one Schengen country and live in another. Every year, a couple of trillion eu-

ros in goods and services move around this area. Looking at these figures, it is clear that there would be a major cost to Europe if the Schengen area is reconsidered. The CoR resolution therefore stresses that “it is necessary to develop a common, sustainable and ambitious European approach in order to manage Europe’s external borders, preserving the security of the internal Schengen area of free movement, and prevent a serious crisis of credibility for the EU”. It also calls on all parties to develop a clear roadmap and timeline for both short- and long-term solutions.

said: “There is no lack of ideas but a blocked situation, in the Council but also in this house, (...) a divide we need to overcome in order to safeguard Schengen.”

He stressed that the EU needs effective border surveillance, to support its authorities and to allow Frontex to access the Schengen Information System. “We expect those who are hosted and protected in EU countries to respect their cultures and laws.”

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Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 3 February, EPP Group chairman, Manfred Weber,

Secretary General: Heinz-Peter Knapp | Editor in chief: Kathryn Owens, kathryn.owens@cor.europa.eu, +32 2 282 2400 | Press Officer: Dominik Krakowiak www.epp.cor.europa.eu