Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European
Committee of the Regions (CoR), welcomed French
President Emmanuel Macron to the
CoR plenary session
for a debate on the renewal of democracy and
European values. The French president confirmed the
key role played by local and regional authorities
in the defence of European values and democratic
renewal and expressed his willingness to involve
the CoR in the work of the French Presidency of the
Council of the European Union (see the recorded
debate
here).
As European citizens seek to respond to various
economic, social, environmental and political
challenges, and on the eve of the launch of the French
Presidency of the Council of the European Union in
2022, President Macron's participation
sends a strong signal to all elected representatives on
the ground in Europe. The debate focused on the
partnership and trust between the Union and its
citizens, which are based on common values and the
defence of democracy. President Macron
(see the transcript of his speech
and
conclusion) underlined that regional elected representatives are
the heart of European democracy, welcoming the crucial
role they are playing in tackling the COVID pandemic.
He spoke of the need to build a 'European demos' with
local and regional authorities, including in the
possible context of the reforms needed to make the
European Union work better from the bottom up. He also
stressed the particularly important role of local and
regional elected representatives in overcoming key
challenges such as the energy transition, digital
transformation or social cohesion. He expressed his
intention to work with the CoR during the French
Presidency of the Council of the European Union to
promote fundamental European values and principles.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas
(see his
speech) said: "I thank President Macron for the opportunity
to discuss what unites us: the future of the European
project and the defence of our democratic values. The
European Committee of the Regions represents more than
one million elected representatives from nearly 300
regions and 90,000 municipalities and is an
indispensable element for grassroots democracy, which
is the future of the European project. It guarantees
the diversity of our territories in the service of
economic and social cohesion and ensures respect for
our values based on subsidiarity, the rule of law and
fundamental rights. I am reassured that, in these times
of uncertainty and change, Europe will soon find itself
under the leadership of France, the founding country of
Europe, the country of human rights and today the
country driving an ambitious agenda in favour of
European sovereignty."
Vasco Alves Cordeiro, 1st Vice-President of the CoR, added:
"Listening to Europe's citizens is vital to save the
European project, but acting is equally important to
avoid frustration and mistrust in it. The question is
more and more not whether we are listening to citizens,
but how far we are prepared to go to do what Europeans
want. We must show our determination and ability to
change our Union for the better before the next
European elections, and we must do so by anchoring it
in its cities and regions. Dialogue with citizens must
not be a short-lived listening exercise, it must become
permanent."
The transcript of President Macron's
speech
and
conclusion
is available here.
The video of the Plenary debate is available
here.
Contact:
Michele Cercone
Spokesperson of the President
Mobile: +32 (0)498 982 349
Michele.Cercone@cor.europa.eu