Resolution of the Committee of the Regions on the next Intergovernmental Conference (IGC)
Date: 1999-06-03
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European treaties, enlargement of the Union, institutional reform, intergovernmental conference (EU), principle of subsidiarity

C 293/74

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Official Journal of the European Communities

13.10.1999

instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Commission, the European Parliament,
the Council, and the parliaments of the Member States.

Brussels, 3 June 1999.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

Resolution of the Committee of the Regions on the next Intergovernmental Conference (IGC)

(1999/C 293/16)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the decision of its bureau of 10 march 1999 to entrust the commission for institutional
affairs with the preparation of a resolution on the next intergovernmental conference (IGC);

having regard to the draft resolution adopted by the commission for institutional affairs at its meeting on
27 april 1999 (CdR 54/99; rapporteurs: Mr Van den Brande and Mr Koivisto) and adapted in the
meantime by both rapporteurs as instructed;

having regard to the conclusions of the cardiff european council of 15/16 june 1998, which state that
questions relating to the practical implementation of subsidiarity need to be discussed further;

having regard to the conclusions of the vienna european council of 11/12 december 1998, which
strengthened the consultative role of the committee of the regions in matters relating to subsidiarity,

adopted the following resolution at its 29th plenary session on 2 and 3 June 1999 (meeting of 3 June).

1.
European integration has achieved enormous momen-
tum in the last ten years: witness the completion of the single
market, the Treaty of Maastricht and the introduction of
Economic and Monetary Union.

the institutional issues not resolved by this Treaty, which have
to be resolved before enlargement’. At the same time, there is
a need for further reform in the European Union.

The last IGC did not, however, solve all the problems

2.
needing to be solved prior to the forthcoming enlargement.

The protocol on the institutions and the declaration by
3.
Belgium, France and Italy, which are appended to the Treaty
of Amsterdam, single out the composition of the European
Commission, the reweighting of Member States’ votes and the
greater use of qualified majority voting in the Council of
Ministers as problems which the next IGC must solve.

5.
The Committee of the Regions feels that the institutional
reforms must urgently be put into effect in the interests of
speedy enlargement. In the ongoing reform process, however,
in addition to institutional issues, critical reform moves must
also be taken to further strengthen internal security and law,
to develop a Community identity in foreign and security policy
and to secure a Europe that is democratic and close to the
people. In view of the wide-ranging debate on reform which is
set to take place over the coming years, the Committee would
like consideration to be given also to the points listed below
which affect it.

Immediately after the entry into force of the Amsterdam
4.
Treaty, the Cologne European Council will, as mandated in
Vienna in December 1998, decide on ‘how and when to tackle

5.1.
The subsidiarity principle should be discussed further
so that the European Union, Member States, national enti-
ties/regions and local authorities can contribute to its correct
practical application within their respective areas of responsi-
bility. This has already been pointed out in a declaration on

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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subsidiarity made by Germany, Austria and Belgium which is
appended to the Treaty of Amsterdam and which expressly
states that ‘action by the European Community in accordance
with the principle of subsidiarity not only concerns the
Member States but also their entities to the extent that they
have their own law-making powers conferred on them under
national constitutional
law’. The Committee calls for the
amendment of EC Treaty Article 5 to take account of the
special role of regional and local authorities in respect of the
principle of subsidiarity (1).

5.2.
The Committee of the Regions considers that the
forthcoming reforms must include an accurate allocation of
powers between the European Union and the Member States.
This will contribute to the acceptance of decisions taken by
majority. The European Union must focus on those tasks
which are properly European. The timetable and purpose of
further reforms must be clearly defined. The opinion of the
Committee of the Regions on the subsidiarity principle entitled
‘Developing a genuine culture of subsidiarity. An appeal by the
Committee of the Regions’ (2) must be the basis for this
discussion.

(1) CdR 305/97 fin — OJ C 64, 27.2.1998, p. 98.
(2) CdR 302/98 fin.

Brussels, 3 June 1999.

5.3.
The Committee of the Regions, along with the Euro-
pean Parliament, must be involved from the outset as a
fully-fledged partner in the preparations for the new IGC and
must be able to play an active role in the negotiations and
decisions.

5.4.
The Committee of the Regions wishes to be recognized
as a body within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EC Treaty.

5.5.
Committee members should be required to be elected
members of a regional or local authority or be politically
accountable to an assembly elected by direct universal suf-
frage (1).

5.6.
The Committee of the Regions should be granted the
express right to bring proceedings before the European Court
of Justice in order to defend its powers, and regions with
legislative powers should also be given the power to institute
proceedings (1).

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER