Resolution of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘European Commission's work programme and the Committee of the Regions' priorities for 2005’
Date: 2005-02-24
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Commission, European Committee of the Regions, European Constitution, competitiveness, economic and social cohesion, globalisation, governance, legislative programme (EU), sustainable development

5.7.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 164/87

Resolution of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘European Commission's work programme
and the Committee of the Regions' priorities for 2005’

(2005/C 164/12)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

HAVING REGARD TO the Commission's work programme for 2005 (COM(2005) 15 final);

HAVING REGARD TO the Strategic Objectives 2005-2009 (COMC2005) 12 final);

HAVING REGARD TO the operational programme of the Luxembourg and UK presidencies for 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the priorities of the Luxembourg presidency;

HAVING REGARD TO the 2004-2006 multi-annual strategic programme of the six presidencies;

HAVING REGARD TO the protocol on the arrangements for cooperation between the European Commis-
sion and the Committee of the Regions (DI CdR 81/2001 rev. 2);

HAVING REGARD TO the resolution of the Committee of the Regions on revitalising the Lisbon Strategy
(CdR 518/2004);

HAVING REGARD TO the European Parliament resolution of 23 February 2005 on the Commission's stra-
tegic guidelines/Legislative and work programme for 2005;

WHEREAS the European Commission has committed itself to promoting new forms of governance;

WHEREAS regional and local governments are the authorities responsible for implementing an important
part of EU policies;

WHEREAS regional and local governments help to define the EU's priorities, which greatly enhances the
democratic legitimacy of EU policies;

adopted the following resolution at its 58th plenary session of 23 and 24 February 2005 (meeting
of 24 February):

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

General observations

its

stresses

commitment

3.
European
Commission to assess jointly the results of the implementation
of the cooperation protocol in force since 2001 and to begin
work as of now to prepare a new cooperation protocol
between the two institutions;

alongside

the

the Constitutional Treaty;

1.
considers that the priorities of the Committee of the
Regions are identical with those of the Commission, in particu-
lar regarding the contribution to the campaign for the ratifica-
strengthening of
tion of
economic, social and territorial cohesion; commitment to the
Lisbon Strategy for growth and employment, solidarity and
sustainable development;
the area of
freedom, security and justice; and commitment to enlargement
of the Union and the European neighbourhood policy, which
must
involve the active participation of regional and local
governments;

the strengthening of

the

4.
calls upon the European Commission from now on to be
mindful of the spirit and the letter of the Constitutional Treaty
in the preparation of Community legislation,
for example
regarding the application of subsidiarity and proportionality
principles, and to formalise these in the new cooperation
protocol;

5.
shares the Commission's view that it is unrealistic to
argue for more Europe with less money; the new areas of Com-
munity policy require additional resources commensurate with
publicly stated aims;

2.
underlines the role and the place of regions and cities in
the enlarged European Union and asks that European policy,
beyond the promotion of Economic, Social and Monetary
Union, concentrate today more than ever on the accomplish-
ment of a real political Union based on the support of its citi-
zens and on the European Constitution signed on 29 October
2004 in Rome;

stresses the importance of promoting cultural diversity
6.
in the European Union; looks forward to actively pursuing its
priorities to respect and promote cultural and linguistic diver-
sity as a source of wealth to be preserved;

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Official Journal of the European Union

5.7.2005

Ratification of the Constitutional Treaty

considers that

the ratification of

the Constitutional
7.
Treaty is a vital stage in the political integration process as part
of European integration, has committed itself to this process,
therefore, by joining in the Thousand Debates for Europe initia-
tive and invites local and regional governments to become
information and awareness
even more
campaign on the European Constitution;

involved in the

considers it necessary to better inform citizens about
8.
European integration and the European Constitution and there-
fore invites the European Commission to re-invigorate this
campaign;

recalls the vital role of the local and regional press in the
9.
necessary network of
information and communication to
promote and explain Community action and the Union's
values, and in consequence invites the European Commission
to involve the Committee of the Regions in the new communi-
cation strategy;

European Governance

concerning the

itself
inter-institutional

10. welcomes the priority strategic objective that the Euro-
‘Better
set
pean Commission has
lawmaking’ action and the
cooperation
initiated on the issue; regrets, however, that the local and
regional dimension has not been adequately recognised in this
initiative and urges the presidencies of the Council, the Euro-
pean Parliament and the Commission to involve it more
closely; also regrets that
the European Commission in its
annual planning document does not consider the added value
provided by a preventive consultation of local and regional
governments regarding respect of subsidiarity;

not only for the strategic direction of the policies concerned
but also for the future of the multi-level governance needed in
the view of the challenges the European Union is facing. The
costs of not achieving the objectives set out with this strategy
will also be driven by a missing involvement of regional and
local actors in agenda–setting and implementation;

considers that

the success of

the Lisbon Strategy
15.
depends on the political
involvement of local and regional
actors in shaping and implementing it; regrets, however, that
regional and local governments, as well as the Committee of
the Regions, are not included in the Lisbon Strategy's new
approach to governance; insists on the integration of the local
and regional dimension not only into the national action plans
but also when deliberating the new approach to governance;
the
invites the Commission, therefore,
regional dimension in the conception and implementation of
the Strategy at Union level and at the level of Member States;

to take account of

for

change

16. welcomes the idea of a Partnership for Growth and
jobs and the central underlying concepts of focusing Europe's
actions, mobilising support
and simplifying
It cautions, however, against basing the Lisbon
reporting.
action plan exclusively on actions at Member State and at Euro-
pean level and losing a balanced approach between the
economic goals, sustainable development and the modernisa-
tion and advancement of Europe's social model; furthermore
considers that the new social agenda must be an integral part
of the Lisbon Strategy's social pillar;

Knowledge-based society

11.
requests an explicit involvement of its representatives
in the minimum consultation procedures, as is the case for civil
society;

12. welcomes the introduction of a new method of impact
analysis for all the European Commission's major initiatives,
but notes that it does not take sufficient account of the impact
on regional and local governments;

calls upon the European Commission to renew the
13.
signing of tripartite conventions and contracts and to extend
the use of this instrument to other Community policies;

17. welcomes the announcement of the European Commis-
sion concerning the EU Framework Programme for research,
technological development and demonstration activities for the
period 2007-2013 (FP7) and the Framework Programme for
Competitiveness and Innovation to reinforce the momentum
towards the realisation of a knowledge-based society. The
Committee of the Regions stresses the need of a regional
chapter in FP 7 to stimulate regional initiatives that contribute
to the European Research Area. It furthermore underlines the
necessity to provide for a mechanism to enable all regions to
benefit from increased investment in research and innovation
by interactive ‘learning’;

Re-invigoration of the Lisbon strategy

14. welcomes and shares the focus on delivery in the
proposals for the revision of the Lisbon strategy, as stated in
the CoR resolution on the renewal of the Lisbon Strategy. It
perceives the Mid-Term Review as a crucial moment in time,

18.
supports the view of the European Commission that
achieving the EU's goals for lifelong learning is essential for
creating a knowledge economy in the EU, and stresses that
lifelong learning should be viewed both in terms of competi-
in
tiveness and developing people's capacity to take part
economic life and in terms of promoting people's personal
development through education and training and their capacity
to take part in social and civic life;

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 164/89

aims to contribute actively to the framing of the new
19.
initiative to continue the eEurope agenda,
i2010, which will
promote a borderless European information space and stimu-
late innovation through investment in research, the develop-
ment and deployment in ICT. It underlines in particular the
need to ensure that all groups of society benefit from new
Technologies, not only in terms of economic growth, but also
in terms of participation, transparency and accessibility;

25.
stresses the importance of solidarity for the success and
the full application of the subsidiarity and proportionality prin-
ciples. To ensure that the transfer of tasks and responsibilities
from Europe to the regions or from the state to the regions is
fair and effective, it should be accompanied by a transfer of
resources and a transfer of powers: ‘vertical’ solidarity between
the centre and the peripheries, but also a horizontal solidarity
between stronger (richer, better performing, more able) regions
and weaker regions;

20.
looks forward to the updating of the regulations in the
audiovisual sector, more specifically of the Directive ‘Television
without Frontiers’. The audiovisual media is not only a cultural
industry or primary importance but also central to the develop-
ment of European social values, the growth of regional and
local cultural identity and the functioning of democratic socie-
ties;

reiterates its conviction that the development of trans-
26.
port infrastructures is a vital agent in European integration: by
facilitating trade (a source of economic growth), by contri-
buting to territorial cohesion and by building a Europe of
‘proximity’. Re-adjusting the balance of transport modes is an
indispensable prerequisite for the sustainable development of
trans-European networks, with a particular stress on the regu-
lation of the maritime, rail and air sectors;

Territorial cohesion

Sustainable development

21.
reiterates its conviction that the reference criterion for
the European Union's work programme in 2005 must remain
the strengthening of economic, social and territorial cohesion
in order to promote a harmonious development of the Com-
munity as a whole and a narrowing of
further
increased by the last enlargement, between the levels of devel-
opment of various regions and the lagging behind of the most
disadvantaged regions;

the gaps,

27.
calls on the Commission to recognise the role of local
and regional government when drawing up the seven thematic
strategies emanating from the sixth environmental action
programme and encourages the European Commission to
examine the merits of greater use of urban development agree-
ments or tripartite agreements as in the case of the thematic
strategy on the urban environment, to complement current
legislation;

commits itself to supporting the attainment of this
22.
the cohesion
priority through an extensive examination of
policy reform aimed at achieving a greater consistency between
Community sectoral policies with a substantial
territorial
impact and the cohesion objective;

28. welcomes the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol
and calls upon local and regional authorities to fully support
the achievement of the targets set out in the protocol;

23.
recalls the indissoluble link that exists between an effec-
tive regional policy at European level and the implementation
of the Lisbon agenda. The prosecution of the EU regional
policy, which involves all the regions, will encourage future
growth and competitiveness in all the regions of Europe; the
Union's competitiveness depends on the competitiveness of
each of its regions;

24. worries for the future of regional state aids especially in
connection with cohesion policy and stresses the risk that the
Competitiveness Objective is relativised or neglected only in
order to find a minimalist compromise during the negotiations
of the financial perspectives; requests to avoid any inconsis-
tency between the Convergence Objective and regional state
aids granted to less developed regions; consequently calls upon
the European Commission to add to the rules; on state aids a
scheme differentiating between regions, so that public invest-
ments can be targeted to correct actual market malfunctions
and thus achieve the goal of territorial cohesion;

29.
endorses the Commission's strategic approach to rural
development and underlines that the added value of a Euro-
pean strategy must be clearly identified and that it should be
up to the Member States, the regions and local authorities to
flesh out the implications of this framework in respect of rural
areas and rural development policy;

advocates that the proposal for a Solidarity and Rapid
30.
Reaction Instrument follows a holistic approach covering all
aspects of civil disaster protection, such as preventive measures,
rescue services and follow-up measures and that it provides the
means to facilitate integration and coordination of highly
specialised forces from different Member States and regions;

31. welcomes initiatives to support sustainable develop-
ment and stresses in particular that Community actions and
funding for improving the environment should have knock-on
effects at the national, regional and local levels;

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Official Journal of the European Union

5.7.2005

32.
encourages the EU to champion a sustainable model of
food production and distribution which takes account of envir-
onmental resources, the preservation of biodiversity and the
quality of products and means of production;

33. welcomes the recognition by the European Commis-
sion of the need to propose a horizontal, integrated approach
to European Union maritime policy;

at the local and regional levels, and encourages to this end an
exchange of Best Practice experiences and twinning with local
authorities;

41.
considers it appropriate to give greater prominence to
the contribution of local and regional democracy in the demo-
cratic consolidation process in the western Balkans, for which
the protection of ethnic minorities is a precondition;

Area of Freedom, Security and Justice

34. welcomes the European Union's proclaimed intention
to consolidate the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, for
example by applying the Community method, and therefore
endorses the strategic objective of security for the citizens set
by the European Commission;

security and justice

supports the overall aims of the Hague Programme on
35.
in the EU,
strengthening freedom,
profoundly regrets the lack of any mention of the involvement
of the European Union's local and regional governments in the
implementation of the policies concerned and urges the Euro-
pean Commission to bear in mind this institutional, political
and operational reality in the various action plans which will
be drafted over the next few month;

36.
renews its recommendation to use structural funds to
sustain and develop instruments implementing the Area of
Freedom, Security and Justice and invites the European
Commission to put into practice the spirit of the Third Cohe-
sion Report;

37. welcomes the enhanced focus on stepping up the fight
against terrorism, whilst always bearing in mind that it should
not translate in practice into a violation of civic liberties, and
calls for the envisaged reinforcement of networks and capabil-
ities to include local and regional authorities;

calls upon the European Commission to consider the
38.
CoR's proposal on the new Community action plan to promote
an active European citizenship;

The European Union enlargement process

recalls its commitment

39.
to the enlargement process,
particularly to ensuring intercultural political dialogue between
the representatives of local and regional governments of the
Member States and the accession and pre-accession states;

40.
calls upon the European Commission to more actively
promote democratic devolution in the enlargement process and
the pre-accession policy,
regard,
increasing pre-accession aid to bolster administrative capacity

recommends,

in this

Brussels, 24 February 2005.

the

that

regrets

establishment of a

42.
Joint Mixed
Committee Croatia–Committee of the Regions is not envisaged
in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the
European Communities and their Member States and the
Republic of Croatia and asks the European Commission to
propose an operational solution as soon as possible;

Neighbourhood policy

43.
endorses the European Commission's commitment to
the neighbourhood policy and fully shares its analysis of its
challenge for the security, stability and prosperity of the Euro-
pean continent;

44.
calls upon the European Commission to take account
of the contribution of cross-border and interregional coopera-
tion both in the provisions of the new neighbourhood instru-
ment and in the action plans, and asks to be involved in the
drafting, implementation and evaluation of this new policy;

45.
calls upon the EUROMED conference, on the tenth
anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration, to grant local and
regional assemblies a more active involvement in the Euro-
Mediterranean partnership and recalls its proposal to create a
body which would represent the devolved sub-state assemblies
of the Member States and the partner countries in the Mediter-
ranean basin;

stresses the strategic importance of a partnership with
46.
Russia and the opportunity to examine the possibilities for
cross-border cooperation at local and regional level with the
autonomous region of Kaliningrad;

considers that

the democratic processes initiated in
47.
some neighbouring countries, such as the Ukraine and Georgia
recently, should be supported by the European Union and
stresses the importance of an economic, administrative and
cultural cooperation to which the union's regional and local
governments could make their contribution;

48.
instructs its president to submit this resolution to the
European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council,
and the Luxembourg and United Kingdom presidencies.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB