Newsletter o f the European So cial istt s in the C ommi tte e of the Regi ons
NEWS OF THE PES GROUP IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
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FEATURES
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OTHER VOICES
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O c to ber 20 12
PLENARY SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS (9 – 10 OCTOBER 2012) 4 COR COMMISSIONS: WHAT'S NEW?
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AND NOW OVER TO PES MEMBERS
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NEWS OF THE PARTY OF EUROPEAN SOCIALISTS
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Dear friends, hope you all have had the chance to relax and recharge your batteries during the summer months, and maybe also to take some distance from the political rat-race and the worrying situation in the EU and elsewhere, in order to open up to new ideas. We are now into the second half of the CoR's five-year term of office, and I would first of all like, on behalf of the other members of the Group executive, to express our gratitude for the trust you have placed in us. We are also delighted that a number of our friends and colleagues have taken up new positions. First of all, Mercedes Bresso will continue to play a leading role for the CoR in the position of First Vice-President. Then the PES Group holds two of the six commission presidencies, with Antonio Costa at the helm of CIVEX, and René Souchon presiding over NAT. We wish both of them much strength, energy and also luck in steering the CoR and its bodies in difficult times. I also would like to thank Michel Delebarre and Ilmar Reepalu for their outstanding work in COTER and ENVE respectively.
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he new PES Chairs will be assisted, of course, by all of us and by our six coordinators: Lotta Hakansson Harju (CIVEX), Albert Bore (COTER), Henk Kool (ECOS), Yoomi Renström (EDUC), Neil Swannick (ENVE) and Michael Cohen (NAT). They have all decided to give even more of their time in order to strengthen the role of local and regional authorities in the EU, and in particular, the voice of socialists, social democrats, progressives and greens. I would like to thank all of them for their commitment because I believe that we have some very important challenges ahead of us. The economic, social and political crisis is still and increasingly undermining the achievements both of the European social model and of European integration. We see how the banking problems have 'infected' our states and our societies and we witness all too often the inadequacy of political structures to respond to such a deep and wide crisis. Essentially, it is the primacy of politics over the market that is at stake.
T w w w. p e s . co r. e u ro p a . e u Published by | PES Group Secretariat Rue Belliard 101 | 1040 Brussels +32.2.282.22.23 | pes-group@cor.europa.eu
emocracy and the crisis was in fact the focus of the Congress of the Party of European Socialists, which was held in Bucharest in September and where our Group had the opportunity to organise a roundtable on 'Equal Societies', one of the four themes of the PES Fundamental Programme. We know that alternatives are possible and that the European Union must be part of the solution. But these solutions must be firmly anchored at local and regional level. We discussed, during our extraordinary (in every sense!) meeting in Rijeka/ Croatia, the need for an industrial re-launch in Europe, which needs to be sustainable and offer jobs and perspectives to our citizens. Local and regional initiatives that can support innovation, foster entrepreneurship, provide workers and businesses with a safe and supportive environment to develop new ideas –these are all parts of the solution. During our seminar in the framework of the 2012 Open Days, we will address another crucial issue: solutions to the youth unemployment crisis that many of our countries are facing. Again, local and regional authorities, and not least those under socialist or social-democratic leadership, have a vast array of experiences which should be shared and used. The European Union itself, through its cohesion policy and many of its programmes, has assistance to offer for regions which know how to make use of it. That is why we need to continue our campaign, in the CoR and beyond, for an early agreement on a realistic, investment-focused EU financial perspective, and a cohesion policy which does justice to its name. We must go on making the case for an EU based on solidarity between countries, regions, cities, but also generations and individuals!
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Yours with fraternal greetings,
Karl-Heinz Lambertz President of the PES Group in the CoR
NEWS OF THE PES GROUP IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
A progressive agenda for
Industrial renewal Extraordinary meeting of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions Rijeka, Croatia, 31 August 2012
n 31 August, the PES Group held its external meeting in Rijeka (Croatia), at the invitation of Vojko OBERSNEL, Mayor of Rijeka and member of the Croatian Social Democratic Party (SDP) on "A progressive agenda for industrial renewal". The debates centred on the state of play of the EU's current industrial agenda and explored how structural funds can help regional and local authorities trigger investment in key industry sectors. Among the speakers were Zoran MILANOVIC, Prime Minister of Croatia and President of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia, Neven MIMICA, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister for Home, Foreign and European Affairs, Jean-Louis LEVET, Adviser on industrial policy for the French Socialist Party, Philippe HERZOG, President of Confrontations Europe and former MEP, PES Group President Karl-Heinz LAMBERTZ and First VicePresident Catiuscia MARINI and PES Group members Margit CONRAD, Michel DELEBARRE and Alessandro COSIMI.
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n the framework of the 2012 CoR Open Days, the PES Group is organising on 10 October a workshop on "Youth (un) employment: Exploring solutions that work". The theme ties in with this year's policy campaign of the Party of European Socialists (PES), which is carried out jointly with ECOSY - Young European Socialists and focuses on a European Youth Guarantee as a means of addressing youth unemployment. PES Group members Peter FRIEDRICH, Stavros ARNAOUTAKIS, and Enrico ROSSI will be among the speakers. The debates will be moderated by ECOSY President Kaisa PENNY.
he 2012 PES Group photo competition "Life f 2.0 – Ready d for a new start", inspired by the theme of the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, attracted wide interest amongst European amateur photographers. More than 350 people from all over Europe have sent in a photo. The jury will select the winning photos in October.
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inally, the PES Group will hold its next lunch-time seminar in cooperation with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), on 21 November on Sustainable urban planning. The mayor of Herten, Uli PAETZEL (German SPD) will present the sustainability concept for his city and debate it with CoR members and other experts.
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For more information on our activities, please visit the website of the PES Group in the CoR at: www.pes.cor.europa.eu 02
FEATURES PES Fundamental Programme: the local and regional perspective
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n November 2011, the PES adopted its Declaration of Principles, that is, the values uniting the European socialist family. Following this first step, the PES is now in the process of gathering input from its constituent parts with a view to translating the PES principles into the necessary policy concepts for the elaboration of a progressive European project. This is the role of the PES Fundamental Programme, which will be a major building block towards a strong and relevant Manifesto for the 2014 European elections.
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he PES Fundamental Programme, which will be adopted by the next PES Council in spring 2013, will be structured around the four themes of the PES Convention: Fair Economy, Equal Societies, A Just World and Active Democracy. Gender Equality will be mainstreamed into all four themes.
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he PES Group in the CoR launched a bottom-up consultation in order to shape its contribution to the Programme. The process was coordinated by PES members acting as rapporteurs for each theme: President Lambertz (Fair Economy and overall coordination), Albert Bore and Michel Delebarre (Equal Societies), Per Bodker Andersen and Neil Swannick (A Just World), Mercedes Bresso and Claudette Abela Baldacchino (Active Democracy), and Yoomi RenstrĂśm and Sonia Masini (Gender Equality).
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he outcome is a concise text that reflects the Group's key priorities under the broad themes identified by the PES. Below are some of the key demands articulated in this contribution: nder 'Fair Economy', the PES Group underlines, inter alia, the need to put local and regional authorities, which account for two thirds of public investments, at the heart of a European growth recovery strategy. Reinforcing and recognising the specificities of the regional banking systems is also a key demand. Moreover, the PES Group urges for a fair budget for a strong cohesion policy, which should remain accessible to all European regions and must not be subject to macro-economic conditionality and to excessive thematic concentration. Furthermore, the Group calls for clear distinctions between current
expenditure and investment in the rules governing national, regional and local budgetary policies.
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nder 'Equal Societies', the PES Group vehemently opposes a "European Austerity Union", which has drastically curtailed the budgets of local and regional authorities, thus impeding the provision of public services to citizens. It calls for clear legal provisions at European level for the implementation of services of general interest, guaranteeing room for manoeuvre for local and regional authorities and ensuring that the principle of territorial cohesion is met. Once again, the PES Group urges for a European agenda for social housing, which clarifies the competition rules and empowers local and regional authorities to provide decent and affordable social housing, to promote social mix and to fight discrimination. The Group is also in favour of a European Youth Guarantee, with local and regional authorities playing a key role in mapping local needs in terms of education and training. Another key demand is granting the childcare targets proposed by the 2002 Barcelona Council the same status as the headline targets in the Europe 2020 Strategy in order to improve children's learning opportunities as well as their parents' employability.
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nder 'A Just World', the PES Group calls for political and financial support for the dimensions of local and regional democracy in the EU's external action, considering that this is a pre-condition for the protection of fundamental rights and for the promotion of sustainable development. The Group also insists on close cooperation between all levels of governance within the EU with a view to developing a genuine European migration policy, in which local and regional authorities play a key role, and which is based on full respect of human rights as well as the needs and aspirations of both migrants (regardless of their reason for migrating) and host societies. Another key demand is for a strong role for local and regional authorities, in particular when it comes to mitigating and adapting to climate change at a global level.
participation at all levels, should not only be a criterion for EU membership, but also an issue to measure compliance by EU Member States with Article 6 of the Treaty of the European Union. The Group also calls for an active and responsible use of the principle of 'subsidiarity', being a key political concept when it comes to discussing which level of governance should be empowered to regulate, and therefore also be responsible, for which kind of issues. Moreover, the Group defends the extension of the franchise to EU residents and third country nationals to regional elections in all Member States after a maximum of 5 years of legal residence.
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inally, under 'Gender Equality', the PES Group points to the disproportionate repercussions for women of prolonged austerity measures that have cut back vital services such as childcare or elderly care, and have lead to the loss of millions of jobs and to increasing precariousness of the remaining ones, resulting in further feminisation of poverty. To this effect, the Group urges for an evaluation of the impact of the crisis disaggregated by gender, with clear indications of divergences not only amongst but also within Member States, as well as between urban and rural areas. Furthermore, it proposes a more gender-sensitive use of the EU structural funds, and the European Social Fund in particular, at national, regional and local level in order to promote women’s access to, and participation in, all levels of the labour market, in order to help close pay gaps and to support women’s financial independence. As for quotas in party structures, electoral lists and political representation at all levels of governance, the PES Group sees this only as an intermediate step that should facilitate the shift to genuine parity.
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lain Hutchinson will defend the Group's positions throughout the elaboration phase of the PES Fundamental Programme, which will start in October and will conclude in spring 2013.
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nder 'Active Democracy', the PES Group in the CoR insists that the respect for the principles of local self-government and local democracy, which is the basis for democratic
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Other voices headlines suggest". Is youth unemployment really not as bad as we are told?
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es, it is, and in all likelihood the situation is actually a lot worse than most commentators suppose. Of course, both the statistics and definitions underlying research into youth unemployment can be misunderstood. But what Mr Hill implies in his article is that because many young people are in education, this somehow means that the employment prospects for young people are brighter than they appear. It should be clear though that this observation is – first of all – of no consolation whatsoever for the millions of young Europeans out of work. And more seriously, if there are not enough jobs for those young people looking for work, it is unclear as to how changing method of counting would make any difference to the real issue. A lack of jobs is a lack of jobs, regardless of how we classify those without them. Kai aiisa s Pen nnyy
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nterview with Kaisa Penny, President of Young European Socialists (ECOSY)
The author of an article recently published by the Financial Times states that "The methodology commonly used to measure unemployment misrepresents the true level of unemployment among young people, making it look far worse than it is" and concludes that "Joblessness among young people certainly needs to be addressed, but the situation is not nearly as dire as the
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here are good reasons as to why youth unemployment is measured separately of that of the general unemployment. Young people, as a group, are a whole lot more vulnerable than others in the labour markets. Not only do the gaps in work at the early parts of the career have an unusually strong and lasting effect on their entire careers prospects, but also the ability to enter, or re-enter, labour markets at the level of one’s qualifications decreases very rapidly for young people. Both of these are huge problems for both these individuals, and society.
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o put it bluntly, to have young people unemployed costs a lot of money. The current level of youth unemployment costs EU Member States 100 bn euros each year in lost
revenues and increased unemployment and social welfare expenditure. And the lower wages across the career length of a young person translate directly into lower tax revenues for the state in the long run. In other words, the youth unemployment of today continues to cost states for as long as our generation continues in the work force.
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urthermore, the question is also not only about finances, but about the social contract more widely. When one cannot find a job, and when many of the services specifically important to young people (like education, housing, or active labour market policies) are being cut in the name of austerity, it is very difficult to maintain the aspiration for a brighter future for one’s self, and one’s society. The European welfare states are built on the idea of welfare and freedom through work. We contribute to the society through our work, and the taxation of our income. When you take away both work, and the likelihood of finding it, distrust and disillusionment follow shortly. It is this malaise which lies behind not only the Indignado or Occupy movements, but also the riots in London and Paris, and indeed the revolutions of the Arab Spring.
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e as a society need to know exactly how many young people are out of work, and not try to make the situation look better with statistical sophistry. We need to know in order to start fixing the problem. And we definitely need to fix it, because the loss of a generation is too great a price to pay – even in a time of austerity. We need to find a European solution, and we need the commitment of politicians of all parties to make it happen.
Plenary session of the Committee of the Regions (9 – 10 October 2012) The October plenary session will examine 15 draft opinions, 5 of which by PES rapporteurs The plenary session will start on 8 October with the opening session of the OPEN DAYS. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, Eleni Mavrou, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus representing the Cyprus Presidency, José Manuel Barroso,
President of the European Commission, Danuta Hübner, Chair of the European Parliament's REGI Committee, and Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Regional Policy, are among the key speakers. OPEN DAYS 2012 are held in parallel with the CoR plenary session and will host around 100 workshops, offering networking opportunities to some 6,000 participants, who will gather in Brussels for the event. "Europe's regions and
cities: Making a difference", which is the tenth edition of this major event, will focus mainly on the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy, the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework and the new cohesion policy. The PES Group is organising a workshop linked to the strand 'Delivering results' and focusing on Youth unemployment (Read more under the News of the PES Group in the CoR, p. 2).
10th European Week of Regions and Cities Brussels 8 - 11 October 2012 04
OPINIONS IN BRIEF:
The new Multiannual Financial Framework post-2013:
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF):
Mercedes BRESSO (PES/Italy)
Pierre MAILLE (PES/France)
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he beginning of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July 2012 was marked by a sharp acceleration of the work schedule for the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework (MFF). In view of the budgetary impact of Croatia's accession to the EU, the European Commission has published on 6 July a revised version of the MFF proposal, which, in particular, proposes to cut 1.5% of the budget allocated to cohesion policy. In the Council, the divisions have deepened between some of the net contributors (such as Germany, UK, Netherlands and Sweden) who have fixed objectives to reduce the MFF in absolute terms - on the one hand, and the so called 15 "friends of cohesion" (including all Member States that joined the EU since 2004, except Cyprus, as well as Spain, Greece, Portugal and Croatia) on the other hand. The President of the European Council, Hermann Van Rompuy, has for his part convoked an extraordinary summit on the issue for 22 and 23 November. At the level of the European Parliament, the MFF report drafted by co-rapporteurs Ivailo Kalfin (S&D/Bulgaria) and Reimer Boege (EPP/ Germany), due for adoption at the October plenary, will serve as basis for the negotiations with the Council and the European Commission. It is therefore not completely impossible that an interinstitutional agreement on the MFF between the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission could still be concluded by the end of the year. Due to this acceleration of the interinsitutional calendar, Mercedes BRESSO has been appointed CoR rapporteur-general on an updated CoR opinion on the MFF. The draft opinion confronts the latest negotiation results of the Cyprus Presidency with the positions already taken by the CoR in previous opinions (by Flo Clucas (ALDE /UK) on the MFF, by Catiuscia Marini (PES / IT) on the general regulation for structural funds, and by René Souchon (PES / FR) on the CAP reform). It also refines the CoR positioning on the issue of own resources. A dozen amendments were tabled by the PES Group in agreement with the rapporteur.
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he draft opinion of the President of the General Council of Finistère responds to a European Commission proposal on the new fund for the EU's maritime and fisheries policies for the period 2014-2020. As part of the Common Strategic Framework for cohesion funds, the EMFF will finance projects aimed at creating new jobs and improving the quality of life along European coasts, and thereby helping fishermen in the transition towards more sustainable fishing. The rapporteur proposes a series of legislative amendments to the draft regulation, including a better definition of conditions for the direct management of the International Maritime Policy, and an overall better involvement of regional and local authorities in defining and implementing the objectives of local development strategies as well as in managing funds. Pierre Maille defends the PES position -as taken up by the CoR opinion on the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy- which opposes the obligation to transfer fishing concessions considering that this should be done on a voluntary basis, and to abolish any fleet adjustment measures. Instead, the rapporteur proposes that the reduction in financial aid must reflect stock trends. Moreover, he calls for the EMFF to properly address working conditions on ships and provide funding to ensure that adequate standards are met and young fishermen get appropriate start-up aid. Last but not least, he underlines the need to invest in technology and innovation in the sector. In the NAT commission, the draft opinion was adopted by an overwhelming majority but, considering the ongoing inter-institutional discussions on the future CFP and consequently on the EMFF, further plenary amendments are expected (Read more under interview, p. 11).
Re-use of Public Sector Information and Open Data: Anne KARJALAINEN (PES/Finland)
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he draft opinion of the Member of Kerava City Council responds to the European Commission proposal for the review of the Directive on the Re-use of public sector information and a Communication on Open Data. They both constitute part of the 'Digital Agenda for Europe', whose overall aim is to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits from a digital single market based on fast and ultra fast internet and interoperable applications. The Open Data Strategy for Europe, which is expected to deliver a €40 billion boost to the EU's economy each year, deals with general information that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone - either free or at marginal cost. The European Commission proposes concrete measures for the re-use of public sector information, including the revision of the relevant 2003 Directive. The new elements introduced refer to the principle of reuse, (as a general rule, of all documents made accessible by public sector for any purpose), the charges for re-use (marginal), the format of data (commonly-used, machine-readable), the scope of the Directive (now covering libraries, museums and archives) and the regulatory oversight to enforce these principles. The draft opinion underlines the role of local and regional authorities in promoting public sector information re-use, and stresses and the need for their active involvement in a broad collaboration aimed at improving the interoperability of government systems and improving the provision of public services. The rapporteur calls for support to local public sector operators in terms of resources, know-how or funding in order to enable them to open up existing public sector data to developers and businesses, thus providing new business opportunities and creating jobs. At the same time, Anne Karjalainen calls for action to lift obstacles and resolve problems encountered by local and regional authorities and developers when using public sector information. Moreover, she stresses that, deciding what documents in a Member State should be public must continue to be an exclusive competence of the Member State itself. Last but not least, the rapporteur warns that extending the scope of the directive to cover libraries, archives and museums should not affect their ability to manage their core activities by significantly reducing their options for developing financially viable activities using collections in cooperation with public and private sector operators. The opinion received only 4 amendments, two of which were accepted by Anna Karjalainen. The rapporteur will in any case introduce via amendments in plenary the issues related especially to the independent regulatory authority and exclusive rights for largescale digitalisation projects (Read more under interview, p. 10).
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Protection of the licit economy: Christophe ROUILLON (PES/France)
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iven the tight inter-institutional calendar, the Mayor of Coulaines has been appointed rapporteur-general on this dossier and will submit his draft opinion directly to the CoR plenary. His draft opinion responds to a European Commission package of a general communication on the fight against corruption and a legislative proposal on freezing assets which have originated from illegal activity. The draft directive on the specific issue of confiscating proceeds of fraud and organised crime lays down minimum rules for Member States on different forms of confiscation under different conditions. The rapporteur welcomes a strengthened European institutional framework on the issue. However, he stresses that a careful balance needs to be struck between the interests of society in fighting corruption and the fundamental rights of those suspected of illegal activity and therefore subject to such confiscations. He underlines that local and regional authorities have a key role to play in this field both as a level of authority which manages substantial public funds, and as the level closest to the citizens that is responsible for providing the framework for trust and a stable business environment. The involvement of local and regional actors in the development and implementation of these policies is therefore crucially important in order to make them successful. The rapporteur also proposes the development of 'codes of conduct' or similar instruments for local or regional officials and elected personnel (Read more under interview, p. 10).
New approach to financing EU external action: Lotta HAKANSSON HARJU (PES/Sweden)
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he draft opinion of the Member of Järfälla Municipal Council responds to the European Commission communication on 'Global Europe' and a package of six proposals for updated EU financing instruments aimed at providing a more coherent set of rules for planning and implementing EU external action. Such rules cover the promotion of human rights, the preparation of countries for EU membership and the development aid for other parts of the world. In her draft opinion, the rapporteur stresses that local and regional authorities play an important role in the EU's development work, particularly when it comes to promoting decentralisation, democracy at local level and direct cross-border cooperation. She argues that LRAs can bring in their expertise in sectors that are key to economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development (public health, education, waste and water management, local entrepreneurship, transport and infrastructure, the environment and agriculture). The draft opinion was adopted by overwhelming majority by the CIVEX commission. For the plenary, the rapporteur will table some concrete legislative amendments to underline the CoR's constructive support for improved EU financing instruments in the important area of external action. The vote in plenary is expected to be uncontroversial (Read more under interview, p. 10).
Agenda for adequate, safe and sustainable pensions: Paul LINDQUIST (EPP/Sweden)
M DE VVITSS Mia
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he draft opinion of the Member of Lidingö Municipal Council responds to a European Commission White Paper addressing the challenges - including those linked to an ageing population - facing pension systems across the EU, the overall aim being more comprehensive and better coordinated support for national pensions and retirement. Unfortunately, the EPP rapporteur focuses too much on the economic sustainability of pensions, in line with the fiscal policy framework of the stability and growth pacts, and does not properly address the issue of adequate and sustainable pensions. Therefore, PES shadow rapporteur Mia DE VITS, former CoR rapporteur on the Green Paper on pensions, tabled at ECOS commission level amendments stressing the need to ensure decent living standards through first pillar public pension schemes and to promote an approach to retirement age limit which targets the needs of the individual member state while taking into account increased labour mobility. For the vote in plenary, further amendements and negotiations
are expected, in particular on the sensative issue of the portability of pensions.
Public procurement package: Catarina SEGERSTEN-LARSSON (EPP/Sweden)
Hen H en e k KOOL O
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he draft opinion of the Member of the Assembly of Värmland County Council responds to two European Commission proposals for directives regulating public procurement and focusing on five main areas: simplification, flexibility, strategic use to meet new challenges, greater access to markets for SMEs, and sound procedures and management. The rapporteur is rather critical of the proposals and insists that they make the management of tenders too complex, especially for local and regional authorities. For this reason, she calls for further simplification of the regulatory framework, with a wider flexibility in the awarding criteria and in the use of the negotiated procedure. Amendments tabled to the draft opinion at ECOS commission level by PES member Jean-Louis DESTANS, stressing that public procurement needs first of all serve the general interest, were adopted. However, other crucial parts of the text were deleted by the vote on the modalities by which the directives are to be carried out, the PES Group abstained from the final vote. PES Group shadow rapporteur Henk KOOL, former CoR rapporteur on the Green paper on public procurement, will submit further amendments for the plenary and the PES Group will support the opinion only if acceptable compromises are reached.
Programme for the competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs: Witold KROCHMAL (EA/Poland)
G or Gab o BIH BIHARY ARYY
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he draft opinion by the Member of Wołów Town Council and Local Authority responds to a proposal for a regulation aimed at addressing key market failures that limit the growth of enterprises, particularly SMEs. The CoR draft opinion is largely centred on economic competitiveness, profitmaking and business interests, while ignoring social issues such as the need to promote job creation, protect social rights and ensure decent working conditions. Amendments tabled by PES member Gabor BIHARY, adding important references to vocational training, corporate social responsibility and the need to promote overall efficiency of the programme, were welcomed by ECOS members. Nonetheless, the PES Group abstained from the final vote, sending a strong political signal of the need for more social responsibility and a growth strategy that goes hand-in-hand with job creation. The draft opinion will therefore have to be amended in this direction in order for the PES Group to be able to support it.
The opinion was adopted by majority and PES Group shadow rapporteur Anne KARJALAINEN is expected to table legislative amendments for the plenary as the draft opinion did not include any in its initial version.
Energy Roadmap 2050: Ugo CAPPELLACCI (EPP/Italy)
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Heerman H mann n KUHN HN
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he draft opinion of the President of the Sardinia Region and incoming ENVE Chair responds to a European Commission communication aimed at framing a long-term European strategy for the energy sector, which can make a tangible contribution to the EU's 2050 decarbonisation objective. In his draft opinion, the rapporteur criticises that the central role of regional and local authorities - those who are in the front line when it comes to planning new infrastructure, granting authorisations and planning investments, public contracts, production and energy consumption - is not duly acknowledged in the Commission proposals. He therefore calls for their meaningful involvement in the process of framing the policy on decarbonising energy in terms of use, production and new technologies. He also calls for the revision of the roadmap in line with local and regional authorities' potential and needs, and for adequate resources and governance instruments to back LRAs. Another key demand is to create interim targets which allow for better monitoring of the implementation of the roadmap.
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Jens Christian n GJE GJE JESIN SING
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he draft opinion is very critical of the European Commission proposals, putting into question the harmonisation of legal data protection requirements and their compliance with the subsidiarity principle. The rapporteur calls for the full involvement of local and regional authorities in the data protection debate. She also criticises the choice of legal instruments (directive and regulation) and the allegedly blurred delineation between the scope of the one and the other instrument. Similar criticisms were expressed also through the amendments, in particular those tabled by PES member Jens Christian GJESING.
he plenary will vote on Luciano CAVERI's draft own-initiative opinion and the referral from the Cypriote Presidency, which is elaborated by Ugo CAPELLACCI, who was appointed rapporteur-general in his capacity as incoming ENVE President. The fact that there are now two separate opinions dealing with the impact of climate change on specific geographical types of regions (mountains and coastal areas), while leaving other types of regions out of the picture, shows that this approach is not appropriate for the Committee of the Regions, which should always adopt a European and generalised perspective in its political debates.
Revised EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region: Pauliina HAIJANEN (EPP/Finland)
Data Protection Package: Ursula MÄNNLE (EPP/Germany) he draft opinion of the Member of the Bavarian State Assembly responds to one European Commission Communication and proposals for one Directive and one Regulation. The package aims at strengthening EU data protection rules in order to protect individual data in all policy areas, including law enforcement, whilst reducing red tape for businesses and guaranteeing the free circulation of data within the EU. Key changes in the reform include: a single set of rules on data protection across the EU; increased responsibility and accountability for those processing personal data via the Regulation; the ‘right to be forgotten’, which will help people better manage data protection risks online; strengthened independent national data protection authorities; and finally, general data protection principles and rules for police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters via the Directive. The rules will apply to both domestic and cross-border transfers of data.
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n the ENVE meeting, a substantial number of amendments by PES/ENVE coordinator Hermann KUHN were adopted in order to strengthen the crucial dimension of developing renewable and sustainable energy sources and binding EU standards on energy efficiency. Members also discussed the sensitive issue on the role of new technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), with the PES urging for a cautious approach because of the unknown risks. Some further adjustments to this opinion may be necessary for the plenary.
Regional-specific approaches to climate change in the EU: Luciano CAVERI (ALDE/Italy) and Adaptation to climate change and regional responses: the case of coastal regions: Ugo CAPELLACCI (EPP/IT)
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he draft opinion of the Member of the Executive Board of Laitila City Council responds to a European Commission communication aimed at improving the focus of the EU Strategy by aligning policies and funding, clarifying the responsibilities of different actors and improving communication. In her draft opinion, the rapporteur welcomes the proposal to bring the objectives of the Strategy more in line with those of the Europe 2020 strategy. She also calls for greater involvement of local and regional authorities in the implementation of the Baltic Sea Strategy and for a clearer role for macroregions within the next cohesion programming period. Moreover, the rapporteur emphasises the need for close cooperation with non-EU countries within the framework of cross-border programmes. Finally, she reiterates that implementing macroregional strategies should not entail the creation of new rules, setting-up of new bodies or approval of new funding. The draft opinion was adopted by majority by the COTER commission and the vote in plenary is expected to be uncontroversial.
Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Ocean area: Paul O'DONOGHUE (ALDE/Ireland)
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he draft opinion of the Member of Kerry County Council and South West Regional Authority responds to a European Commission communication proposing a strategy consistent with the Europe 2020 Strategy, based on cooperation and financed by existing programmes. The rapporteur welcomes the proposal for a Strategy and the elaboration of an Atlantic Action Plan for 2014-2020, whilst stressing that the CoR expects a broader approach, fully incorporating the territorial dimension. He also proposes to take into account the experiences from the implementation of existing macro-regions. The draft opinion was adopted by majority by the NAT commission and the vote in plenary is expected to be uncontroversial.
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CoR Commissions: What's new? CIVEX (22 June, Dubrovnik, Croatia)
ECOS (25 June, Ancona, Italy)
EDUC (6 July, Palanga, Lithuania)
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The external meeting of the EDUC commission was held at the invitation of EA/EDUC coordinator Daiva MATONIENE, Deputy Mayor of Šiauliai (Lithuania), and was preceded by a conference on 'Sport for All – Interregional Cooperation'.
he ECOS commission adopted three draft opinions by majority: the first on the 2014-2020 Programme for Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs by Witold KROCHMAL (EA/Poland), the second on the Public procurement package by Catarina SEGERSTEN LARSSON and the third on an Agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions by Paul LINDQUIST (both EPP/Sweden) (Read more under Plenary, yp pages g 6-7).
EDUC members adopted by majority the draft opinions on the Reuse of Public Data and the Data Protection Package by Anne KARJALAINEN (PES/Finland) and Ursula MÄNNLE (EPP/Germany) (Read more under Interviews, page 9, and Plenary, page 5).
Lotta HAK H ANSSON N HA ARJU
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he CIVEX commission adopted by overwhelming majority the draft opinion on Financing EU External action for the period 2014-20120 by Lotta HAKANSSON HARJU (PES/Sweden) (Read more under Plenary, p.6, and Interviews, p. 10). Moreover, PES Group member Christophe ROUILLON, Mayor of Coulaines (France), had an exchange of views with CIVEX members on his working document on Protecting the licit economy. Due to the tight interinstitutional calendar, the draft opinion will be directly adopted by the CoR plenary under the rapporteur-general procedure (Read more under Plenary, p.6, and Interviews, p. 10). Finally, CIVEX members participated in a seminar on Local democracy and good governance. Organised in the framework of the European Commission’s Local Administration Facility Programme, which aims at increasing the capacity of regional and local authorities to prepare for EU accession, the seminar focused on exchange of experiences of EU Member States and Croatia on local self-governance and on lessons learned from projects to support good governance and the fight against corruption at local and regional level.
Alain Ala in n HUTTCHI CHIN NSON NSON
PES member Alain HUTCHINSON, Member of the Brussels-Capital Regional Parliament (Belgium), had an exchange of views with ECOS members on his working document on the Posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services. This is a politically controversial dossier, which is aimed at improving the way existing rules on posted workers are applied in practice. The ECOS commission also held an exchange of views on the working document on the Employment package: Towards a job-rich y recoveryy byy Marialuisa COPPOLA (EPP/Italy).
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They also discussed the working document on Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe, by Rogier VAN DER SANDE (ALDE/Netherlands). The rapporteur asks EDUC members concrete questions concerning the involvement of local and regional authorities in the shift towards a biobased economy, and the division of tasks amongst the different levels of governance. He also asks for concrete local and regional examples in terms of bioeconomy.
ENVE (28 June, Brussels)
COTER (2 July, Brussels)
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he COTER commission adopted by majority the draft opinions on the Common Strategic Framework (covering cohesion policy funds), by Marek WOZNIAK (EPP/Poland) and on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, by Pauliina HAIJANEN (EPP/Finland) (Read more under Plenary, p.7). COTER members also had an exchange of views on the working document on the Code of conduct on partnership (referring to the partnership principle in the implementation of the Common Strategic Framework Funds) by Stanislaw SZWABSKI, Chairman of the municipality of Gdynia (EA/Poland).
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ast but not least, the PES Group obtained the rapporteurship on EU state aid modernisation, a key political dossier. The relevant CoR opinion will be elaborated by Clemens LINDEMANN, District Executive of the Saarpfalz District Assembly (Germany).
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he ENVE commission adopted by majority the draft opinions on Energy Roadmap 2050 by Ugo CAPPELLACCI (EPP/Italy), and on Regionalspecific approaches to climate change, by Luciano CAVERI (ALDE/Italy) (Read more under Plenary, p.7).
of Europe’s environment and, consequently, stresses the need for coordinated EU action and a proper legal framework. He underlines that it is important to move beyond the current deadlock in the Council of Ministers on the proposal for a soil strategy. Moreover, PES member Nilgun CANVER, Councillor of London Borough of Haringey (UK), presented her working document on Towards a 7th Environment Action Programme. The document raises a series of key questions, such as the role of regional and local authorities in the implementation of EU environmental law, how information and knowledge exchange could be better promoted, and what role EU-level inspections and surveillance should and could play. p y
ENVE members also had an exchange of views on the working document on the Implementation of the Soil Thematic Strategy by Corrie MC CHORD, member of Stirling Council (PES/UK). The rapporteur recognises soil as essential resource for the sustainability
Both working documents will form the basis of draft opinions to be discussed at the September ENVE meeting.
NAT (14 June, Rovaniemi, Finland)
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AT members adopted by majority the draft opinions on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (Pierre MAILLE, PES/France) and on a Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Ocean (Paul O'DONOGHUE, ALDE/Ireland) (Read more under plenary, p. 5 and 7, and Interviews, p. 10).
20-22 June 2012
ENVE Chair Ilmar REEPALU, Mayor of Malmö (PES/Sweden), briefed members on the agreement signed between the CoR and the United Nations Environmental Programme (ENEP) at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, aimed at reinforcing synergies and contributing to the implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, including the promotion of the Covenant of Mayors. ENVE members discussed the results of the Rio conference, expressing some disappointment at the overall lack of binding political agreements, but were positive on the recognition of the contribution of local and regional authorities to a sustainable future.
Pierre ree MAILL LLEE
The external seminar focused on "The challenges of active ageing for sparsely-populated areas and cross-border health and social care". In the adopted conclusions, NAT members reiterated the necessity of investing in health promotion, education and disease prevention, while reminding the key role of local and regional authorities in the provision of social and healthcare services.
AND NOW OVER TO PES MEMBERS
Ann A nne KARJ KARJ ARJA RJJALA ALA ALAIN AIINE IN NEN NE
What concrete advantages can local and regional authorities draw from the re-use of public data information? Anne Karjalainen, Member of Kerava City Council (Finland): Broad opening up of public data not only creates new business activity but gives public authorities the opportunity to develop their own systems and processes, and to develop interfaces between those systems. The technology needed to open up public data is already well advanced, but at local and regional level this technology may not necessarily be mastered well enough and there may not be the tools required to find information available for re-use. Training courses on open public data should be organised for local
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and regional employees, which would enhance understanding of the importance of open data in their own organisation. Opening up of public sector information for re-use will also have a positive effect on the transparency, efficiency and accountability of public authorities and contribute to citizen empowerment and promote democracy. The information will then be verifiable and transparent. As a driving force, local and regional authorities have a key role to play in implementing the Digital Agenda for Europe, which includes this directive on public sector information. I want to encourage policy-makers at local and regional level to consider how they can promote open public data and re use of information in their own towns and regions for the benefit of individuals, local media, application developers and businesses.
The regions and cities are key players in providing effective protection for the licit economy within the EU. This process includes backing up the European Commission’s proposals for creating a common European area for cooperation on combating crime and reinforcing the means for investigating organised crime, as well as improving political practices, particularly as regards public procurement, by drawing up local codes of good practice, making it compulsory for elected decision makers to declare their assets and establishing a new status for elected representatives in order to protect their independence. Further goals are to create a platform for exchanging and spreading good anti-corruption practices which could also benefit partners in the neighbourhood policy who are members of ARLEM (Euro-Mediterranean Local and Regional Assembly) and CORLEAP (Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership) and to ensure that a CoR observer is appointed to the European Parliament’s “Anti-corruption” committee. The final objective is to follow Italy’s example and call for confiscated criminal assets to be allocated to local authorities to re-launch the legal economy, thereby cutting the life-line to organised crime
vital in coordinating the initiatives and actions of the various stakeholders and ensuring that they fit in with a locally and regionally formulated development policy with strong political roots. Local and regional authorities have expertise and experience in development work with local or regional governments and administrations, creating systems and platforms for political dialogue, broader and deeper party-political work, creating the conditions for civic participation and dialogue, in other words, building a deep and sustainable democracy. Deeper democracy and better local services require a willingness and ability to make systemic changes at all levels simultaneously. Political commitment, the release of resources, division of competences and decentralisation require consensus at national, regional and local level.
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Chr C hrrist h rist istoph is op e ROUI op oph ROUI OU LL LLO LON
From the point of view of local and regional authorities, which aspects of the proposal for a regulation on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) need to be better targeted?
What concrete actions can local and regional authorities implement on the ground in order to promote the implementation of European policies in the fight against corruption and organized crime? Christophe (France):
Rouillon,
mayor
of
According to the International Chamber of Commerce and the NGO Transparency International, corruption, organised crime and fraud are a major problem for the European Union. These activities result in a loss of EUR 120 billion per year, or 1% of the EU’s GNP. The illicit economy is pushing up States’ deficits, holding back public authorities’ efforts to overcome the crisis and undermining public confidence in their representatives and institutions. According to Eurobarometer, 75% of Europeans believe that corruption is a serious problem for the Member States. European taxpayers need to be assured that subsidies for actions carried out in the framework of the European social funds, territorial cohesion and the common agricultural policy in particular, are not being misappropriated. The Lisbon Treaty supplied the EU with new instruments for tackling cross-border crime with the creation of EUROJUST, the option for establishing a European Public Prosecutor and provisions for combating fraud and any other illegal activity that harms the EU’s financial interests.
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Pierre Maille, President of the Finistère General Council (France):
Coulaines
Lotttaa H Lot Lo HÅK HÅ ÅKA ÅK ANS NSSSON N ON
How can the exchange of experiences between local and regional authorities contribute to improving the effectiveness of action under “Global Europe”, the new EU funding approach on external aid? Lotta Håkansson Harju, Member of Järfälla Municipal Council (Sweden): The new strategy for funding the EU’s external action - “Global Europe” - is a new generation of financing instruments for development policy that will facilitate political dialogue and the implementation of measures. It is proposed that funding should be increased to EUR 70 billion, equivalent to some 7% of the EU’s overall budget. This is clearly something that will require commitment from local and regional levels - and their proper involvement by national and EU levels. Local and regional authorities can safeguard long-term democratic development and should be provided with adequate resources to put them on an equal footing with initiatives from wellresourced national or international non-profit organisations. Local and regional authorities are
The EMFF aims to facilitate the efficient implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. It will not be possible to define it properly until the CFP regulation is adopted, on which differences remain with regard to some measures: transferable individual concessions, prohibition of discards, time taken to reach maximum sustainable yield, etc. Regions that depend on fishing would like to maintain economic activity centred on fishing. They are hoping for measures that will enable the fishing fleet to be improved and modernised without increasing fishing capacity: reducing energy consumption, cutting pollution, improving the safety and comfort of sailors to make the profession more attractive to young people. They want support measures during the period where a reduction in activity is needed to allow stocks to recover and maintain maximum sustainable yield. Funding joint work between scientists and fishermen to get a better picture of the state of stocks is important. Local authorities would like to participate, within local action groups, in the drafting and implementation of local development programmes: the rules governing convergence of different cohesion funds in a given area need to be clarified.
News of the Party of European Socialists themes of the PES Fundamental Programme. The debates focused on four broad themes: work and employment, education and skills, social inclusion and housing. Other key topics that were addressed are youth unemployment, gender equality, childcare, cohesion, public services, solidarity and healthcare.
© Party of European Socialists
Key speakers were PES Group member Albert BORE, Leader of Birmingham City Council, László ANDOR, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Pervenche BERÈS MEP, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Ruairi QUINN, Irish Minister for Education and Skills, and Claire ROUMET, Secretary General of CECODHAS Housing Europe. The debates will be moderated by Caroline GENNEZ, Chair of the PES Advisory Committee on the Fundamental Programme.
related to its political declaration and the revision of the PES Statutes. The PES Group was represented by Alain HUTCHINSON, who successfully defended amendments tabled by the PES Group aimed at strengthening its position within the PES.
Alain Ala in n HUT HUTTCHI CHINSO N N NSO
The PES Congress met in Brussels on 28-29 September and elected its new president, Sergei STANISHEV, Leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and former Prime Minister, who had been the Party's interim president since Poul Nyrup Rasmussen's resignation last November for health reasons. Serrgei g ST STANI ANI NISHE NI SHEV SHE HEV
On 3 September, Alain HUTCHINSON represented the PES Group at the first meeting of the PES Advisory Committee on the Fundamental Programme. Chaired by Caroline GENNEZ, former President of the Flemish socialist party Sp.a (Belgium), the Committee is an expert group, assigned the task to prepare and deepen the next stages towards the Fundamental Programme. After an extensive bottom-up consultation, the PES Group in the CoR contributed to the elaboration of the Programme with a comprehensive text, which reflects the concerns and aspirations of locally and regionally elected socialists, social democrats and progressives (Read more under 'Features', page 3). Preparations for the PES Congress intensified after the summer break, with the PES Presidency meeting on 14 and 28 September in order to finalise the proposals to the Congress
The PES Congress also revised the Statutes and adopted a political resolution. Furthermore, the Congress elected Jean-Christophe CAMPADELIS, MP (PS/France) as PES First VicePresident, and Elena VALENCIANO (PSOE/ Spain), Jan ROYALL (UK/Labour), and Katarina NEVEDALOVA MEP (S&D/Slovakia) as VicePresidents. The Irish Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi QUINN, was re-elected as PES Treasurer. The new PES Secretary General is Achim POST, International Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). He replaces Philip CORDERY, who stepped down after being elected member of the French Parliament (Assemblée Nationale) last June. Within the framework of the Congress, the PES Group organised its annual seminar in the form of a roundtable on 'Equal Societies', one of the
The Congress was preceded by the Annual Conference of PES Women, focusing on 'Effectively addressing youth unemployment among women'. Debates were structured around the causes of this phenomenon and the means of ensuring employment for young women. Mercedes BRESSO, First VicePresident of the CoR, intervened in the first roundtable, underlining that young women are often faced with multiple obstacles when it comes to entering or remaining in the labour market, despite the fact that they are better qualified than their male counterparts. It is worth noting that PES Women elected their new Executive and and Bureau. Zita GURMAI MEP was re-elected President of PES Women and she will be assisted in her tasks by four new vice-presidents, each of whom is responsible for a specific region.
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POLITICAL BALANCE IN THE CoR 33.7% 12.7% 36.6% 4.9% 6.1% 5.8%
POLITICAL GROUPS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
PES ...................................................................116 EPP ...................................................................126 ALDE .................................................................. 44 EA ...................................................................... 17 NA ...................................................................... 21 To be appointed .................................................. 20
TOTAL CoR
w w w.p es.cor.europa.eu 12
MEMBERS (FULL)
344