ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
(4) B ased on the strategic risk analysis for European Integrated Border Management referred to in Article 30(2), the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 118 developing a multiannual strategic policy for European Integrated Border Management. That delegated act shall define policy priorities and provide the strategic guidelines for the following four years in relation to the components set out in Article 3. (…) (6) In order to implement the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4, the Member States shall establish their national strategies for integrated border management through close cooperation between all national authorities responsible for the management of borders and return. Those national strategies shall be in line with Article 3, the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4 and the technical and operational strategy referred to in paragraph 5. (7) Forty-two months after the adoption of the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4, the Commission shall carry out, with the support of the Agency, a thorough evaluation of its implementation. The results of the evaluation shall be taken into account for the preparation of the following cycle.

(4) By [tbc] the Commission shall present the European Parliament and the Council with a draft multiannual strategic policy for the first multiannual strategic policy cycle b ased on the strategic risk analysis for European Integrated Border Management referred to in Article 30(2). Within [tbc] of its presentation by the Commission, a meeting between the European Parliament, the Council and Commission shall be convened to discuss the draft multiannual strategic policy. Following that discussion , the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 118 developing a multiannual strategic policy for European Integrated Border Management. That delegated act shall define policy priorities and provide the strategic guidelines for the following four years in relation to the components set out in Article 3. (…) (6) In order to implement the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4, the Member States shall establish their national strategies for integrated border management through close cooperation between all national authorities responsible for the management of borders and return and in consultation with relevant regional and local authorities of the sub-national territories concerned . Those national strategies shall be in line with Article 3, the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4 and the technical and operational strategy referred to in paragraph 5. (7) Forty-two months after the adoption of the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4, the Commission shall carry out, with the support of the Agency, a thorough evaluation of its implementation. The results of the evaluation shall be taken into account for the preparation of the following cycle. The Commission shall communicate the evaluation to the Council, to the European Parliament and to the European Committee of the Regions.
43.

suggests that the possibility be considered of assessing the impact of actions already undertaken by teachers' groups and associations of or for young people, so that these bodies can exchange and develop good practices which can be included in the EU's programmes for action. The most effective way of raising young people's awareness of active citizenship is through practical experience, by putting them in a situation where they feel that their decisions matter and directly impact on their lives. Students' councils in schools offer considerable scope for putting this into practice; at a higher level, there are children's and young people's local councils. The influence of the latter is particularly noticeable in small towns and villages;
10.

considers that the rural world will change substantially due to the impact of energy and climate policies and the more efficient use of raw materials which can give it a more important role in the primary economic sector, and that these changes must be taken into account right now to ensure that they are sustainable and integrate economic, social and environmental concerns in a harmonious manner. In addition, crop rotation is still of great interest for rural areas because it reduces dependence on soy bean imports, improves soil quality, reduces the use of fertilisers, brings back stable economic activity to rural areas and restores the EU's trade balance. Regrets, however, that the CoR opinion on capping and greening was not taken into account in the decisions taken by the heads of state and government on 26 June last because they weaken both the diversity and sustainability of rural areas;
34.

is aware that the risks of power cuts still remain. The CoR can therefore not overlook the fact that in order to guarantee continuity of electricity supply, some types of public aid should be allowed, firstly for the establishment of smart energy networks that encourage flexible production and consumption of energy on a decentralised basis, secondly for setting up energy-efficient storage, and finally for the building of flexible environment and climate-friendly plants to play a balancing role. These so-called ‘back-up’ power stations, for which state aid in the form of compensation payments may be necessary, should nevertheless not compete with renewables and should use the most modern technologies so that their CO2 production is kept to a minimum. By contrast, the CoR believes that the construction of new coal-fired power stations should no longer receive state aid. Before considering reserve capacities, the CoR recommends giving consumers greater encouragement to use electricity outside peak periods. The Commission believes that there is a 10% margin of manoeuvre;
16.

underlines the key role played by practical cooperative projects in creating the real added value of macro-regional strategies. During practical implementation, more attention should be paid to ways of generating new and innovative project activity that meets macro-regional strategic objectives in a focused way. At the moment, project cooperation is guided more by the rules for financial instruments, leaving very little room for innovation. This approach is not the best way to support the implementation of macro-regional strategies. In future there will need to be flexibility both within and between individual financial instruments, as well as scope to improve coordination of different financial instruments. More effort should also be made to simplify the rules governing financial instruments. In this context, it emphasises the particular importance of the INTERREG-B programme, aimed at implementing cooperation projects within the macro-regions in the period 2014-2020;
27.

believes that the following measures by the European institutions set out in the Communication are of great importance: — corporate governance based on employee financial participation. This should help to enhance the quality and efficiency of work, ensuring a long-term orientation, which is a major consideration for potential investors. Such an approach to corporate governance means greater job security, which is important for local and regional communities; — clear and comprehensive reporting on corporate governance and reliable information channels enable investors to take the right decisions, keeping in mind the needs of SMEs, which have greater difficulties in taking investment decisions due to their more limited access to consultancy; — defining accountancy standards conducive to long-term investments and making it possible to apply simplified accountancy standards to listed SMEs while maintaining an adequate level of investor trust; — a self-standing accounting framework for non-listed SMEs, which should activate cross-border groups, the emergence of which is being held back by the fact that SMEs are subject to national accountancy standards; — eliminating the preference for debt financing of companies over equity financing, by enabling deduction of the costs incurred in raising equity, or by ending deduction of interest costs; — ending legal differences between countries, which are hampering long-term cross-border investments and thus affecting the ability of firms to get established and grow, particularly SMEs, and especially those in poor financial condition.
15.

points out the analysis in the 6th Cohesion Report which stated that ‘regional disparities have widened during the last few years because the economic crisis has affected regions differently’ (6). In fact, not only the crisis itself, but also policy decisions, notably austerity measures as part of the European Semester, have had very different impacts on European regions. For example, financially strong regions could mitigate the effects of the crisis and comply with requirements of the European Semester, while on the other hand, financially weak regions had to cut public investments as a consequence of austerity measures, which led to economic difficulties. This analysis leads to the conclusion that there is a territorial impact even in policy areas and external factors which previously have not been considered in a territorial perspective, such as banking or fiscal policy. The CoR notes that the crisis has particularly deepened disparities between regions and has most affected the countries whose development is lagging behind. It therefore stresses that for policies to have a unified impact they must be implemented on the principle of restoring balance and a territorial approach. This means applying an even-handed approach to austerity measures;
8.

after consulting stakeholders, considers that while the Erasmus+ programme and the Youth Guarantee are essential tools for achieving strategic objectives, the problems are far more complex and EU action in the area of youth affairs already goes beyond these two effective tools which, though seemingly effective, are actually insufficient, given that the Youth Guarantee is still not being properly applied. With regard to vulnerable young people in particular, there is a clear need for initiatives to support young people coming out of care systems and who, at the age of 18, may find themselves without any kind of oversight to guide them in their transition to adulthood. Consequently highlights the need to make other information on the results of youth policy accessible in an appropriate format, particularly in relation to subjects such as youth unemployment, and social inclusion, amongst other things. This would also help determine whether it would not be appropriate to provide for specific assistance from the European Structural and Investment Funds, as from the current programming period. Given the complexity and magnitude of the challenges at hand, youth policy should be mainstreamed into all EU policies taking a horizontal approach, as these policies can not only seek solutions for the pressing problems faced by young people, but also serve as a launch-pad for generating new economic growth. In addition, the rediscovery of the values of long-standing traditions and occupations may provide new job opportunities. Substantial efforts are still needed to promote the exchange of best practice in youth involvement and youth work between Member States and local and regional authorities. Moreover, the economic case for education and training, which was debated at the meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council of 12 December 2014 (1) within the context of the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy, should now be translated into concrete investments in education as part of the EU’s long-term youth and growth agendas;
Service providers should ensure that their subscribers are properly informed about the conditions of enjoyment of online content services in Member States other than the Member State of residence of the subscribers. The Regulation enables right holders to require that the service provider make use of effective means in order to verify that the online content service is provided in conformity with this Regulation. It is necessary, however, to ensure that the required means are reasonable and do not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve this purpose. Examples of the necessary technical and organisational measures may include sampling of IP address instead of constant monitoring of location, transparent information to the individuals about the methods used for the verification and its purposes, and appropriate security measures. Considering that for purposes of the verification what matters is not the location, but rather, in which Member State the subscriber is accessing the service, precise location data should not be collected and processed for this purpose. Similarly, where authentication of a subscriber is sufficient in order to deliver the service provided, identification of the subscriber should not be required.

Service providers should ensure that their subscribers are properly informed about the conditions of enjoyment of online content services in Member States other than the Member State of residence of the subscribers. The Regulation enables right holders to require that the service provider make use of effective means in order to verify that the online content service is provided in conformity with this Regulation. It is necessary, however, to ensure that the required means are reasonable and do not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve this purpose. Examples of the necessary technical and organisational measures may include sampling of IP address instead of constant monitoring of location, transparent information to the individuals about the methods used for the verification and its purposes, and appropriate security measures. Considering that for purposes of the verification what matters is not the location, but rather, in which Member State the subscriber is accessing the service, precise location data should not be collected and processed for this purpose , provided that the location is not outside the EU . Similarly, where authentication of a subscriber is sufficient in order to deliver the service provided, identification of the subscriber should not be required.
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — ICT Standardisation Priorities for the Digital Single Market

COM(2016) 176 final

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — European Cloud Initiative — Building a competitive data and knowledge economy in Europe

COM(2016) 178 final
6.

draws attention to the fact that ecosystem values are not properly accounted for in decisions concerning natural resources. Environmental costs are currently externalised in food production, leading to a situation where food produced in a more sustainable manner seems to be more expensive, mainly due to higher manufacturing costs; instead, the concept of ecosystem services offers an important opportunity for developing a policy framework to underpin the sensible use of biodiversity and other natural resources. Currently, costs associated with diet-related illness, and damage to water, soil, wildlife and climate, are regarded as externalities. As such, these costs are not accounted for in the final price of foods, regardless of the fact that they are paid for indirectly (and often unconsciously) by the whole of society. Within this context, the European Commission should promote the implementation of measures that allow the real price of food to be reflected, in order to stimulate a sustainable economy;
12.

considers that P2P and small-scale projects in general have a great European added value and contribute considerably to the overall objective of CBC programmes by means of overcoming border obstacles and integrating border areas and their citizens. The following specific benefits of such projects should be underlined: — Helping to develop larger projects and substantially supporting effective cooperation within the whole CBC programme by: — improving the necessary professional and intercultural skills of beneficiaries and building capacities at local and regional level, — covering the areas of legal and administrative cooperation, — providing room for experimentation — small-scale projects are great instruments to test innovative ideas and tools in CBC, and — serving as ‘incubators for bigger projects’ — contributing to greater quality in big projects through prior testing in small projects. — Learning about the culture of neighbouring areas. Promoting intercultural skills among the citizens of border regions. — Promote the ability of people to study, work and do business across borders. — Facilitating communication between people. These projects often help overcome the language barrier by stimulating language learning. — Developing interpersonal contacts and building up partnerships. Many cross-border partnerships (also of smaller organisations) are initiated and then developed into long-term cooperation by P2P and small-scale projects. — Mobilisation of wider civil society and even encouragement of a cross-border civil society as an important contribution to territorial cohesion. — Exchange of experiences. These projects create a great platform for sharing experiences and best practices between all CBC players from civil society to local and regional authorities. — Addressing local problems. Finding local solutions. P2P and small-scale projects help implement common visions. Many problems can be solved only through cooperation at local level. — Dealing with topics of everyday relevance (e.g. ensuring better public services) and apolitical approach to forming people’s own present and future. — Building trust. There is a lack of trust in Europe today. These tangible P2P projects are a great instrument in restoring trust across borders and in Europe. They constitute an investment for the future. — Removal of stereotypes and prejudices caused by the sometimes-difficult history of border areas or even present developments. CBC and especially people-to-people projects help heal the ‘scars’ produced by borders. They advertise the principle of tolerance and respect. They can play a significant role in reconciliation along the problematic borders in the Western Balkans and in the countries of the Eastern Partnership. — Promoting the European idea. It is in the cross-border interactions of people and in working together with your neighbours where the benefit of European integration is felt. These projects supported by the EU can help regenerate enthusiasm about Europe;
29.

underlines the fact that language barriers are still an important obstacle to cross-border cooperation, especially in border areas without a longstanding tradition of cooperation. Despite education policy being a national competence, the EU can have a significant impact through its ETC programmes. It is therefore particularly important to leave enough flexibility to design cross-border programmes to fund educational, cultural and other activities that bring together citizens in border regions. The CoR regrets that given thematic concentration objectives and a focus on economic growth and innovation, which underestimates the impact that cooperation involving citizens can have on the achievement of the European project, this is unfortunately not always the case; the CoR insists that ETC programme implementation authorities must be given the freedom to decide on their investment priorities in accordance with their own regional development strategies, without being restricted by thematic concentration arrangements that might not fit the particular cross-border context;
29.

stresses, in this context, that the mission of the Cohesion Policy remains extremely valid, since it enables all EU citizens, especially from the less developed territories, to benefit from the advantages offered by EU integration. By using its tools the less developed regions are able to unlock and exploit their endogenous potential, while the stronger ones are better equipped to respond to global challenges. In this respect, Cohesion Policy is the most tangible expression of European solidarity, offering equal opportunities and a better quality of life to people in all EU regions. The CoR, highlights, therefore, that future Cohesion Policy should not be treated as a gift but as an indispensable pillar of a single market linking diverse countries and regions with uneven levels of development;
30.

underlines the need to address the crucial issue of data, in itself and in the context of Artificial Intelligence, and the way it is handled by local and regional authorities. The Committee could contribute in this regard by facilitating the exchange of best practices and deepening the reflection on the management of personal and public data by local and regional authorities. The CoR further highlights the role of open data in spreading digital innovations for the territories, as a democratic counterpart and a source of revitalisation of citizens’ engagement. At the same time, it calls for serious reflection on the principles of data circulation in the light of the challenges of protection and sovereignty of data of general interest vis-à-vis digital giants;
40.

In the light of the above considerations, the CoR: — calls on the Commission to ensure that the mechanisms to protect the rule of law, in particular the annual monitoring system, give due consideration to the risk of fundamental rights violations and of moves away from democratic principles in the Member States, including at local and regional level, — calls on the Commission to continue its ongoing monitoring of possible breaches of the independence of the judiciary and possible media interference by public authorities, — suggests building on and reinforcing the media monitoring initiatives previously launched by the Commission, — calls for the funds currently allocated for civil society and independent media in the multiannual financial framework to be significantly increased and suggests that part of the funding be allocated to local independent media, — suggests that a special section of the annual report on the rule of law be dedicated to the risks of violations by non-State actors, and in particular large private economic operators active in the digital economy, — calls for the intention to restart the process of EU accession to the ECHR to be followed through, — calls for funding conditionality to be seen as a solution only in cases of serious and systemic breaches, and calls for measures to ensure that LRAs are not unfairly hit by the sanctions, — calls on the Commission to prioritise the activation of the system for monitoring the Member States and to allocate sufficient financial and human resources to setting up this tool, — calls for the implementation of the proposals set out in this opinion, aimed at stepping up the involvement of the CoR, LRAs and civil society in promoting a culture of respect for the rule of law.
30.

underlines that the value of data is in the re-use thereof, including in AI applications. Cross-sectoral, secure data sharing fosters AI innovation. The CoR urges the Commission to use the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and to assess the pertinence of a further, AI-specific regulatory framework, for the easy and reliable sharing and re-use of data between businesses and public authorities (B2G), especially when it can serve the public interest, such as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has also shown how important it is for public authorities to use business data. The potential should be exploited as it can reduce the administrative burden on businesses and in many cases, in the context of the platform economy for example, it is the only way in which public authorities can meet their legal obligations;