Cohesion policy — dialogue with regional and local authorities

 

SUMMARY OF:

Communication (COM(2003) 811 final) — dialogue with associations of regional and local authorities on the formulation of EU policy

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THIS COMMUNICATION?

• It seeks to formalise a systematic dialogue* between the European Commission and the local and regional authorities in the preparation of new EU policies.
• This dialogue underpins the importance and status of local and regional authorities in the EU.

KEY POINTS

This communication:

• stresses that this systematic dialogue is in addition to all the other online consultation approaches to which local and regional authorities and their associations (such as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions — CEMR, the Conference of peripheral maritime regions and Eurocities) respond;
• sets out clearly the role that the Committee of the Regions (CoR) plays in the systematic dialogue;
• draws up a set of criteria to identify the associations that may participate in the dialogue.

Subsequent developments

• In 2012, the CoR and the European Commission, signed a renewed cooperation agreement (protocol) that promoted a territorial dialogue through the Committee of the Regions with local and regional authorities as a way of further involving them in the EU policy-making process.
• The protocol recognises the benefit of CoR platforms and networks as an access point to local and regional authorities. They permit the Commission to broaden its analysis of local and regional aspects in impact assessments where necessary.
• In 2015, the Commission published its agenda for better regulation*. This underpins its approach to open, transparent and better consultation on new and existing legislation through expert groups, the REFIT platform* and the regulatory scrutiny board that oversees impact assessments. The CoR is now represented in the REFIT platform.

BACKGROUND

• The principles of subsidiarity and proportionality are recognised in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union, as well as in Articles 2, 5 and 6 of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity.
• Since the adoption of the communication, the EU has been enlarged on 3 occasions. It now comprises 28 countries and more than 92,506 sub-national governments including
  • 91,252 municipalities,
  • 935 intermediary level sub-national governments and
  • 319 regional or federated level sub-national governments.

* KEY TERMS

MAIN DOCUMENT

Communication from the Commission — Dialogue with associations of regional and local authorities on the formulation of European Union policy (COM(2003) 811 final, 19.12.2003)

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 240/2014 of 7 January 2014 on the European code of conduct on partnership in the framework of the European Structural and Investment Funds (OJ L 74, 14.3.2014, pp. 1-7)

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Better regulation for better results — An EU agenda (COM(2015) 215 final, 19.5.2015)

last update 25.10.2016