PRESENTATION / Role
The Committee of the Regions - An introduction
Europe begins in its regions and
cities
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Fact Sheet on the Committee of the Regions
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The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political
assembly that provides local and regional authorities with a voice at the heart
of the European Union.
Established in 1994, the CoR was set up to address two
main issues. Firstly, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at
local or regional level, so it makes sense for local and regional
representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Secondly, there
were concerns that the public was being left behind as the EU steamed ahead.
Involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of
closing the gap.
The Treaties oblige the Commission and Council to
consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas
that have repercussions at regional or local level. The Maastricht Treaty set
out 5 such areas - economic and social cohesion, trans-European infrastructure
networks, health, education and culture. The Amsterdam Treaty added another five
areas to the list - employment policy, social policy, the environment,
vocational training and transport - which now covers much of the scope of the
EU's activity.
Outside these areas, the Commission, Council and
European Parliament have the option to consult the CoR on issues if they see
important regional or local
implications to a proposal. The CoR can also draw up an opinion on its own initiative, which enables it to put issues on the EU agenda.
There are three main principles at the heart of the Committee's work:
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Subsidiarity
This principle, written into the
Treaties at the same time as the creation of the CoR, means that decisions
within the European Union should be taken at the closest practical level to
the citizen. The European Union, therefore, should not take on tasks which are
better suited to national, regional or local administrations.
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Proximity
All levels of government should aim to
be 'close to the citizens', in particular by organising their work in a
transparent fashion, so people know who is in charge of what and how to make
their views heard.
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Partnership
Sound European governance means
European, national, regional and local government working together - all four
are indispensable and should be involved throughout the decision making
process.
Members and
Mandate
The Committee of the Regions has 344 members and the
same number of alternate members. They are all appointed for a four-year term by
the Council, acting on proposals from the member states. Each country chooses
its members in its own way, but the delegations all reflect the political,
geographical and regional/local balance in their member state. The members are elected members of or key players in local or regional authorities in their home region.
The Committee organises its work through six specialist
Commissions, made up of CoR members, who examine the detail of proposals on
which the CoR is consulted and draw up a draft opinion, which highlights where
there is agreement with the European Commission's proposals, and where changes
are needed.
The draft opinion is then discussed at one
of the five CoR plenary sessions which take place each year. If a majority
approves it, the draft is adopted as the opinion of the Committee of the Regions
and is sent on to the Commission, Parliament and Council.
The CoR also adopts resolutions on topical political issues.
There are four political groups represented in the CoR, reflecting the main European political families: the Party of European Socialists (PES), the European People's Party (EPP), the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and Union for Europe of the Nations - the European Alliance (UEN-EA)
Bringing the EU Closer to the Public
While the major part of the Committee's work is its participation in the legislative process, that is not the end of its role.
CoR members live and work day to day in their home
regions and continue with their local or regional government responsibilities,
whether as regional president, mayor of a major city or county councillor. This
keeps them in touch with the views and concerns of the people they represent,
and they are then able to bring these to the heart of the EU process when they
come to Brussels for meetings of the CoR.
It also means they are well placed to let people back
home know what is going on in the EU and how "Brussels" operates. The way the
CoR organises its work is also aimed at 'bringing the EU closer to the people' -
literally so, by organising conferences and meetings of its commissions and
Bureau away from Brussels, in the regions of the 27 member states.