17.8.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 272/1

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its resolutions of 4 June 2015 on its priorities for 2015-2020 and of 8 December 2016 on the European Commission Work Programme 2017;

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the Protocol of cooperation with the European Commission of February 2012;

1.

stresses the need for a European Union able to restore citizens’ confidence in the European project; a Union that is more bottom-up and focused on providing proportionate, effective and prompt solutions to the major common challenges that cities, regions and states cannot tackle by themselves;

2.

commits to contribute to the Reflecting Europe Process on the Future of Europe, inter alia, through a CoR opinion building on the White Paper on the Future of Europe and by organising citizens’ dialogues in local communities, aiming at debating matters of European interest of these communities;

3.

will accompany the process of the UK decision to leave the European Union by highlighting the specific issues affecting local and regional governments across the 27 remaining Member States and by examining, from a local and regional perspective, questions relevant to the EU’s future relationship with the local and regional governance level in the UK, including with the devolved nations;

4.

emphasises the urgent need for an EU long-term strategy which would succeed the Europe 2020 Strategy, aim at ensuring smart, sustainable, inclusive, resilient and competitive growth and provide direction for the European Semester, the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework and the EU’s policies;

5.

also points out the need to take into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the United Nations and welcomed by the Commission, and to this end calls for a revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to superimpose the 2030 Agenda strategy on that of Europe 2020 and revise the key strands in the light of the new SDGs;

6.

reminds the European Commission of the need for a European strategy on demography, offering a broad, coordinated and inclusive response to demographic changes, and for the strategy to have sufficient financial resources to enable it to address the challenges for which it is intended;

7.

expects the proposal on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) post-2020, which the Commission is due to present before the end of 2017, to ensure that EU long-term spending is predictable, to propose a reform of the EU’s own resources, to guarantee the unity of the EU budget, to present further simplification measures as well as to set a duration of 5+5 years with a compulsory substantial mid-term revision after the first five years;

8.

strongly opposes any scenario for the EU27 by 2025, as contained in the White Paper on the Future of Europe, which would scale down the EU’s efforts in relation to cohesion policy. On the contrary, invites the Commission to present a comprehensive legislative proposal for a strong and effective Cohesion Policy post-2020 and recalls, as requested on previous occasions, the need for a new chapter within the 7th Cohesion Report assessing territorial cohesion implementation. The legislative proposal should be based on the principles of subsidiarity, partnership and multilevel governance, reflecting the needs and potential of local and regional authorities and the results of the simplification exercise, be based on a single set of rules and take into consideration the extensive consultations with all relevant stakeholders involved; invites the Commission to perform a thorough territorial impact analysis of the draft legislation and expresses its preparedness to cooperate with the Commission on this matter; calls for the proposals on cohesion policy post-2020 to include the harmonisation of the ESIF management procedures so that the regions can act as managing authorities vis-à-vis the European Commission;

9.

invites the Commission to constantly review and monitor the added value of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and its impact in terms of cohesion and to break the reporting on Key Performance Indicators and Key Monitoring Indicators down by beneficiaries and by regions at NUTS II level, and to publish these indicators. Further clarity and guidance is urgently needed for local and regional authorities on how to combine EFSI with other EU schemes such as the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and above all to encourage greater involvement of regions and local authorities in the management of this fund, in particular in the establishment of financing platforms at regional or multiregional level, in synergy with cohesion policy measures; is opposed, however, in principle to shifting of resources from cohesion policy to centrally managed programmes;

10.

calls on the Commission to present a refined Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) post-2020 proposal which would encourage initiatives to implement the comprehensive network and link up the TEN-T network in border regions, improve connections with peripheral areas, and focus on the so-called missing cross-border links; calls for the Motorways of the Seas to also ensure connections with remote areas, in particular between islands and regional centres; underlines the need for synergy among the financial resources of the EFSI, the CEF and the ESI Funds in order to ensure the best use of all available EU funding;

11.

reiterates its requests to include the elaboration of the 2050 territorial vision in the Commission’s 2018 annual work programme; underlines the need for a new territorial vision since the European Spatial Development Perspective Agreement of 1999 needs to be brought up to date;

12.

stresses the need to follow-up on the implementation of the Urban Agenda for the EU in order to systematise the results of the thematic partnerships, to outline the elements of better governance and to make them transferable into the upcoming legislative proposals for post-2020 MFF. This approach should feed into the preparation of the future Cohesion Policy post-2020 and the post-Europe 2020 strategy;

13.

expects in this context a specific follow-up to the Urban Thematic Partnership on housing. This follow-up could take the shape of a European agenda on housing, which would coordinate housing issues which are up until now addressed only through sectoral policies such as the Urban Agenda, sustainable development, cohesion policy, competition policy or social initiatives such as the European Pillar on Social Rights in a horizontal manner;

14.

expects the Commission to present before the end of 2017 its proposals for the following Framework Programme for Research and Innovation which should build upon Horizon 2020 and maintain a strategic view on issues that affect Europe’s future, not subject to short-term budgetary solutions, as well as strike a balance between excellence and cohesion with a view to bridging the innovation divide against the backdrop of current social challenges;

15.

draws attention to the model set by the Knowledge Exchange Platform for increasing outreach and impact of publicly funded research results;

16.

reiterates the need to create a common framework for recognition of informal and non-formal education in order to facilitate the creation of relevant national procedures;

17.

looks forward to contributing to the successful implementation of 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage by linking it up with local and regional cultural as well as tourism strategies;

18.

calls on the Commission to put forward concrete measures to address obstacles to investment and bridge the investment gap; underlines in particular that the level of public investment — over half of which is made by cities and regions — remains too low, in part because of constraints introduced by budget regulation mechanisms at EU and national level; urges the Commission to introduce measures making the Stability and Growth Pact more growth-friendly and more conducive to long-term and strategic investments, starting with the separation of regional/national co-financing from the Stability and Growth Pact calculation in order to ensure that Structural Fund resources are consistently in line with these rules, in view of their common objective; also reiterates its call on the Commission to assess the impact of the ESA 2010 rules on the ability of local and regional authorities to invest and to provide clarification over the treatment of public-private partnerships under Eurostat rules;

19.

in line with the Cork 2.0 declaration, reiterates its request for a White Paper on a Rural Agenda for the EU to serve as a starting point for a post-2020 rural development policy, and calls for practical measures for the ‘rural proofing’ of EU policies; the recognition of rural territories as development and innovation hubs which contribute to achieving the goal of territorial cohesion;

20.

calls for a renewed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020 to contribute to relaunching growth and job creation in rural areas and to preserving high quality, security and safety of food in Europe; be more consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals and address the urban-rural divide; stresses in this regard the importance of CAP simplification, introducing greater flexibility in its management, reducing burdens on producers, moving towards a policy focusing more on innovation and competitiveness, providing targeted support to young farmers; advocates maintaining a differentiated approach for the outermost regions in the CAP, allowing for the application of specific measures necessary for the development of the farming sectors in these regions;

21.

expects the Commission to support the Member States and their local and regional authorities in their efforts to modernise health systems’ organisation and provision and to stimulate European cooperation in this field, e.g. by establishing a programme similar to the Erasmus programme for healthcare professionals;

22.

calls on the Commission to streamline the principle of disaster resilience to its Funds and policies so that the resilient and sustainable development of our economies is not compromised;

23.

calls for a sustainable EU food policy which will address food quality, food production, agriculture, fisheries, rural development, environment, health, nutrition, employment and consumer policy in a comprehensive manner, promoting more sustainable mode of production and consumption patterns;

24.

calls on the Commission to revise the 2010 tourism strategy and launch an integrated EU tourism policy with a multiannual work programme and secure a dedicated budget line for funding European tourism projects post 2020; reiterates in this context its intention to set up an interinstitutional Tourism Contact Group, inter alia, to support the launch of regional tourism investment platforms assisting tourism destinations and their SMEs in getting access to funds for their projects and activities;

25.

urges the Commission to pursue an ambitious agenda in the field of blue economy and sustainable ocean management and to translate the Declaration to be adopted under the Maltese Presidency into policy guidelines; reiterates the importance of access to funding for emerging marine industries which have the potential to deliver jobs and economic growth across Europe; in this context reminds the Commission about the CoR’s call to create a knowledge and innovation community, which would encourage the transfer of ideas from marine research to the private sector;

26.

endorses the call for a new EU Alcohol strategy which should cover areas such as consumer information, marketing and road safety; notes also that it is essential to extend Joint Action Plans and/or put in place a new one for children and young people;

27.

supports the continuing implementation and boosting of the Youth Guarantee and the launch of the European Solidarity Corps; stresses the importance of the territorial dimension of both initiatives; underlines the importance of involving the private sector in such schemes both in their design and their funding so as to help better match youth skills with labour market needs;

28.

urges the Commission to enhance its communication tools with young citizens and streamline them with those of the rest of the institutions; highlights the importance of the involvement of local and regional authorities in the planned revision of the European Youth Strategy for the period beyond 2018;

29.

highlights the need to strengthen efficiency, ownership and legitimacy of economic governance and coordination in the EU; calls on the Commission to work with the EP and the Council on a Code of Conduct for the involvement of local and regional authorities in the European Semester based on the CoR proposal;

30.

urges the Commission to involve the CoR in a structured manner in the follow up of the parts of the White Paper on the future of the EU related to the further integration of the Economic and Monetary Union;

31.

reiterates its call for strengthening the social dimension of the EU and of the Economic and Monetary Union; expects that a legislative proposal for a European Pillar of Social Rights would allow labour rights and labour mobility in a changing labour market to be addressed while respecting the principle of subsidiarity; this proposal should not be restricted to soft law alone, complementing the existing acquis, but should contain measures with the same force as those taken in connection with the Economic and Monetary Union, as this would help increase citizens’ perception of a more social EU that is capable of resolving their problems;

32.

advocates further simplification of state aid rules, specifically as concerns Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) through a substantial review of the relevant Decision and Framework (‘Almunia package’); also calls for a broader scope for the General Block Exemption Regulation specifically as regards SME access to finance and to support to both micro-enterprises and start-ups;

33.

calls for a thorough evaluation of the implementation of public procurement legislation, including the remedies directive, which could lead to adjustments and simplification so as to accommodate the needs of smaller local and regional entities, without endangering legal certainty;

34.

reiterates its call for a revised and strengthened Small Business Act (SBA) for Europe; restates its own commitment to promote SBA implementation through its European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) scheme as well as the Start-up and Scale-up initiative; in this context, calls for reduction of administrative burden and creation of smart regulation;

35.

commits to working with the Commission within the newly established Broadband Platform to monitor the deployment of faster and better high-speed broadband in all European regions, and in particular in rural and sparsely populated areas, and to identify early additional measures to eliminate the digital divide, as well as neutralising additional costs for accessing broadband networks in the outermost regions;

36.

requests the Commission to clarify the scope of application of the services directive in the sharing/collaborative economy; also looks forward to Commission proposals to safeguard the rights of the workforce in new forms of employment specific to the sharing/collaborative economy; expects the Commission to support the establishment of a ‘Forum of collaborative economy cities’ with the CoR as a key interested party;

37.

urges the Commission to ensure that the local and regional dimension of EU trade policy-making is considered when negotiating new trade agreements and requests continued access to relevant negotiation documents via the reading room procedure as established for the TTIP negotiations;

38.

invites the Commission to support the CoR’s request for a progressive institutionalisation of the role of local and regional levels of government in the global climate governance through the establishment of formal agreements with the UNFCCC Secretariat;

39.

calls on the Commission to take account of the territorial impacts and implications that the implementation of EU trade policy may have in regions and local authorities, in terms of both jobs and the environment, and therefore asks to be more closely involved in the drafting of future trade policy;

40.

calls on the Commission to ensure consistency between the most recent and upcoming climate and energy policy proposals, the Paris Agreement and the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable resources; suggests that more emphasis should be placed on initiatives or campaigns that are based on the involvement of local and regional authorities and which contribute significantly to achieving the targets set for cutting greenhouse gas emissions;

41.

reiterates that adaptation to climate change should be mainstreamed into existing policies and financing tools and calls on the Commission to offer appropriate empowerment options to regions and cities in the light of the revision of the EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change; reiterates its commitment to work with the Commission to further develop the concept of locally and regionally determined contributions to encourage action to fight climate change at the local and regional level;

42.

with a view to the proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union, invites the EC to encourage the Member States to institutionalise a dialogue between national, local and regional authorities when drafting their national climate and energy plans;

43.

looks forward to close cooperation on the Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), also through the joint Technical Platform for Cooperation on the Environment and calls for greater involvement of LRAs in the upcoming dialogues between the Commission and the Member States; wishes to contribute to fitness-checks and reviews of key environmental Directives to be launched by the Commission in 2018, also by means of an Outlook Opinion;

44.

is committed to contributing actively to the Action Plan for improved implementation of the EU Nature Directives; calls on the Commission to implement the Action Plan and the awaited actions foreseen in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 in a timely manner, and to come forward in 2018 with a proposal for a legal and financial framework for a Trans-European network for Green Infrastructure (TEN-G);

45.

calls within the context of the implementation of the circular economy package for the setting of prevention and recycling targets for commercial and industrial waste, beyond municipal solid waste;

46.

calls on the European Commission to adopt a flexible and differentiated approach based on the precautionary and the polluter-pays principles in the reviews of the Drinking Water Directive and the Urban Waste Water Directive and the legislative proposal on water-reuse;

47.

warns the Commission that the globalisation of the Covenant of Mayors must not remove focus from the essential involvement of the local and regional levels and the need to develop the aims and methodology of the Covenant both within the EU and beyond; therefore urges the Commission to take the necessary measures to safeguard the representation of different subnational structures of different sizes in the Covenant’s structures as well as to preserve the partnership and multilevel governance principles; looks forward to playing an active part in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM)’s Founder’s Council;

48.

highlights the need for close partnership and cooperation between the CoR’s group of Covenant of Mayors Ambassadors and the Political Advisory Board of the European Covenant of Mayors;

49.

endorses the European Parliament’s report of 25 October 2016 with recommendations to the Commission on the establishment of a single EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, incorporating the existing instruments, and calls for it to be applicable to all levels of government;

50.

strongly supports the efforts at EU level to implement a comprehensive and efficient reform of the Common European Asylum System, and stresses the need for a holistic approach to asylum and the integration of asylum seekers which fosters sustainable policies, involves the EU institutions, the Member States and their local and regional authorities and is based on the principle of solidarity and reciprocity;

51.

calls on the Commission to put forward legislative measures in order to put in place additional legal pathways for people to come to the EU — whether to seek international protection, humanitarian shelter or work, education, research or investment opportunities; legal migration is one of the four pillars of migration management according to the EU Agenda for Migration of 2015 and such measures would help to tackle not only long-term economic, social and demographic challenges and labour shortages in the EU, but are also an important element in fighting human trafficking;

52.

invites the Commission to further simplify and speed up the funding procedures and give regions and cities direct access to the financial resources designed to address humanitarian crises and integration of third country nationals;

53.

urges the Commission to help share the best practices that the CoR has highlighted in the area of deradicalisation of returning fighters and the prevention of new radicalisation;

54.

highlights that programmes under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund should be implemented mainly by local and regional authorities and that better cooperation with the national managing authorities should be established to this end;

55.

encourages the Commission to continue stepping up funding from the EU Trust Fund for Africa and enhance operational cooperation with partners in North Africa on migration management;

56.

stresses the CoR’s concrete contribution, through its joint consultative committees (JCCs) and working groups (WGs) with candidate and potential candidate countries, to the Commission’s enlargement policy goal of fostering stability and prosperity; invites the Commission to continue to co-organise the annual Enlargement Day together with the CoR;

57.

calls on the European Commission to continue to make progress on the issue of unaccompanied minors in the migration process, the management of which is primarily a matter for the regions, and to encourage Member States to share the burdens and responsibilities between the European, national and regional levels in a spirit of solidarity; therefore eagerly awaits the new comprehensive strategy, which is to be implemented as a follow-up to the Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors (2010-2014), so that the situation of missing and unaccompanied children is taken into account;

58.

reaffirms the role of local and regional authorities in fighting corruption and entrenching democracy and the rule of law in society, urging that more support be provided for decentralisation, capacity building and local administration reforms in the neighbouring countries;

59.

calls on the Commission to further support bottom-up cooperation with adequate administrative and financial resources, reiterating the need to roll out new tools for capacity building in the accession and ENP countries in view of the urgent need to replace the former Local Administration Facility;

60.

urges the Commission to step up cooperation with the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) and the CoR’s Ukraine Task Force, especially when implementing regional programmes and new initiatives;

61.

welcomes the Commission’s support for the Nicosia Initiative, its capacity-building project aimed at strengthening the Libyan municipalities’ socio-economic situation through bilateral cooperation with European local and regional authorities;

62.

calls on the Commission to further develop the increasing role of local and regional authorities as active players and partners in development cooperation, notably in the context of the proposal for a new European Consensus for Development and of the future of the Africa, Caribbean Pacific-EU Partnership Agreement;

63.

welcomes the proposed External Investment Plan package for Africa and EU Neighbourhood countries aimed at mobilising investments and boosting job creation in partner countries and calls on the Commission to involve the CoR in the design of the plan as the voice of local and regional authorities in the EU;

64.

reiterates its call for a fully-fledged EU strategy on international cultural relations; in this context, stresses the added value of prioritising the further development of cultural diplomacy with a view to introducing it into the EU’s foreign policy;

65.

looks forward to being fully involved in the future debates on how to improve the democratic governance and effectiveness of the European Union which should be launched with the White Paper on the Future of Europe; recalls the need to involve local and regional authorities via the CoR in any formal steps which may be envisaged to reform the EU Treaties;

66.

once again underlines the importance of continuing to promote gender mainstreaming in all European Commission policy areas;

67.

welcomes the Commission’s engagement to organise an EU-wide information and awareness raising campaign on EU citizenship rights, and to propose initiatives aimed at helping citizens to vote and stand as candidates for the European Parliament elections in 2019;

68.

reiterates its call to revise the existing legal framework of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to make it more accessible and user-friendly and in particular to improve the provisions on the follow-up of successful ECIs in order to mobilise the full potential of this instrument to mobilise citizens;

69.

recalls that the Better Regulation Agenda must be carried out in the spirit of multilevel governance and stresses the specific role played by local and regional authorities in a range of areas affected by EU regulation, as well as their role as the ones that implement this legislation and manage EU funds; underlines that their specific responsibilities provide them with good opportunities to evaluate existing regulatory frameworks and identify possible changes;

70.

calls on the Commission to implement Territorial Impact Assessments (TIA) as a standard practice in the impact assessment of legislation that could potentially have asymmetrical territorial effects and in the wider better regulation agenda;

71.

expects ever closer cooperation with the Commission and the European Parliament in monitoring subsidiarity;

72.

instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU and the President of the European Council.