A new roadmap for Europe's regions and cities.
Date: 2007-05-30
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU regional policy, regional and local authorities, regional development

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A new roadmap
for Europe's regions
and cities

E U RO P E A N   U N I O N

Comittee of the Regions

REGIONE LAZIO
REGIONE LAZIO

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:05 PM  Page II

Complesso Monumentale di Santo
Spirito – venue for the meeting of the
CoR Bureau and political groups

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A new roadmap
for Europe's regions
and cities

E U RO P E A N   U N I O N

Committee of the Regions

REGIONE LAZIO

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A deﬁning moment

The 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome was a very special occasion for the Committee of the
Regions and, looking back, I sense it may well prove to be a defining moment in the history of our
assembly.

I think I can speak for all members of the CoR present at the commemoration ceremony and plenary
session in Rome on 23 March in saying that we were privileged to participate in a truly unforgettable
event. 

The Auditorium Conciliazione, placed at our disposal by the President of Lazio, Piero Marrazzo,
provided  a  splendid  backdrop. And  the  setting  was  more  than  matched  by  the  quality  of  the
contributions by our key-note speakers, who included European Commission President José Manuel
Barroso, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, German
Minister of State for Europe Günter Gloser, Spanish State Secretary for the EU Alberto Navarro,
European Economic and Social Committee President Dimitri Dimitriadis, the Mayors of Rome,
Warsaw, Istanbul, Stockholm, Luxembourg, Maastricht, Dubrovnik, Wroclaw and Lyon, the regional
presidents  of  Catalonia,  Andalusia,  Asturias,  Tuscany,  Sicily,  Friuli-Venetia-Giulia,  Madeira,
Aquitaine, as well as representatives of the European Youth Summit.

We were also greatly honoured by the presence of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the
ceremony (together with his colourful military escort) and European Parliament President Hans-Gert
Pöttering at the official reception. It would perhaps be remiss not to also mention here the wonderful
contribution made by the Santa Cecilia choral singers: their rendition of the European and Italian
anthems was spell-binding and really set the scene for the ceremony.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:06 PM  Page 3

This publication is not designed to be simply a souvenir of the event, however. The main idea was
to collect all the key political messages together and put them on the record. Many of us who were
in Rome felt a real sense of renewed political momentum and, re-reading the quotes collated here,
I can see why.

The statements are not only a reminder of everything achieved by Europe over the past 50 years, but
everything that we can achieve in the next 50 years if we work together constructively.

The messages also serve to highlight just how far local and regional authorities have come and
where they, as well as the CoR, fit into the modern system of multi-level government. Two days after
our own Declaration for Europe, that question was emphatically answered by EU heads of state and
government in the Berlin Declaration.

In my view the Berlin Declaration represents nothing less than a watershed moment for those of us
who represent the sub-national sphere. Not only did it recognise the important role of regions in
enriching the identities and diverse traditions of Europe, but it also made clear reference to the fact
that "tasks are shared between the European Union, the Member States and their regions and local
authorities".

We  have  re-printed  extracts  from  the  Berlin  Declaration  in  these  pages,  alongside  our  own
Declaration for Europe. Re-reading them, it's clear that they belong together.

I was very pleased that our declaration later received official recognition from German Chancellor
Angela Merkel, in her capacity as President-in-office of the European Union.

I hope you enjoy this publication. I hope that it will enhance your sense of pride in being able to
contribute to Europe's prosperity and to its cohesion. Last but not least, I hope it that it will show
that 2007 really does mark the triumphant return of local and regional authorities to the forefront
of European affairs. We represent the level of grassroots democracy where local solidarity is put
into practice and we are ready to make a firm commitment to create a new bond of trust between
the Union, its various levels of governance and its citizens.

Michel Delebarre,
President of the Committee of the Regions

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Piero Marrazzo, President of
Lazio Region, greets Romano
Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy

A new and important thrust forward for a united Europe and a decisive revival of the
constitutional  process  can  come  from  the  territories;  from  the  regions,  cities  and
municipalities of Europe. From all those local institutions that, in the field, day by day,
create processes of integration. If our continent really wants to speak out with a single
voice, it must learn how to listen to the voice of its territories … Our voice within the
European  institutions  shows  that  the  energy  which  comes  from  below  is  capable  of
bringing community politics nearer to their citizens’ needs and requirements. We must
push down on the accelerator pedal.

Piero Marrazzo,
President of Lazio, Italy

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Voices of 

Member States
and EU institutions

Giorgio Napolitano, President of Italy,
and assembled dignitaries stand for
'Ode to Joy', the anthem of
the European Union

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:10 PM  Page 7

Hans-Gert Pöttering,
President of the European Parliament

The  new  Europe  we  are  building  is  one  where
regional and local authorities will matter more,
not  less,  in  years  to  come.  The  bodies  you
represent will be extremely important in delivering
Europe on the ground. The European Parliament
welcomes the real contribution you make … in
improving  the  quality  of  European  decision-
making  and  in  helping  close  the  gap  between
citizens and the European institutions.

José Manuel Barroso,
President of the European Commission

In order to face this future confidently, we must
show  Europeans  that  we  are  prepared  to  invest
political  capital  in  European  integration.  For
Member States, 2007 will be the year when they
renew their commitment to the European project.
You, the regional and local players, must convey
this  message  to  the  people,  to  whom  you  are
close: the past 50 years of progress are the best
reason to have faith in 50 years of progress in the
future. 

In its Declaration for Europe, the Committee of the
Regions calls for the foundations to be laid for a
bond  of  trust  between  the  Union,  its  different
levels of governance and its citizens. I believe this
to  be  a  sine  qua  non  for  the  success  of  our
collective project. We are proving to those people
who sometimes harbour doubts about the validity
and  effectiveness  of  Europe,  that  by  facing  our
shared  challenges  together  and  deploying  our
coordinated  capacity  for  action,  we  can  truly
influence the world around us.

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Romano Prodi,
Prime Minister of Italy

Europe is a Union of states and peoples, but also – as
the developments since Maastricht show – a Union of
local communities; I have always considered that the
development of this local and regional dimension has
helped to flesh out the idea of European citizenship,
with substance and content. And that it has an even
more crucial part to play in future. The regional and
local authorities are becoming increasingly more
involved in the front line of European policies; at the
same time, through the Union, they themselves are
becoming players in the globalisation process. The
European  Union  is  helping  to  internationalise  the
local  authorities,  while  the  local  authorities  are
helping Europe to become an influential global player.

Massimo D'Alema,
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Italy

Fifty  years  ago  Europe  was  a  choice,  brilliantly
implemented by high-calibre, far-sighted political
leaders. A  choice  which  brought  reconciliation
within  Europe  after  the  Second World War,  the
removal  of  economic  barriers  and  the  single
market,  social  and  territorial  cohesion  and  the
single  currency.  Now,  faced  with  the  global
challenges before us, Europe has become a need.

Günter Gloser,
Minister of State for Europe, Germany

I  believe  that  we  will  be  able  to  win  back  the
support of European citizens for the integration
process if we explain to them that we can only
deal  with  international  challenges  by  working
together.  The  Committee  of  the  Regions  is  an
essential  link  in  ensuring  that  the  Community
legislative  process  reflects  local  and  regional
circumstances  and 
in  particular  people's
expectations.  Together,  we  Europeans  are  in  a
position to take our future into our own hands and
to shape it actively.

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Linda Lanzillotta,
Minister of Regional Affairs, Italy

Of the many processes and phenomena that have
occupied the Union in the past decades and in the
crucial years of monetary union, one of the greatest
and  most  significant  has  been  the  vitality  of  sub-
national  tiers  of  government  and  the  very  active
involvement  of  the  regions.  We  can  rely  on  the
regions  to  look  to  Europe's  next  fifty  years  with
optimism and forward political thinking.

Bronisław Geremek,
MEP and former Foreign Minister, Poland

The advantages and beneﬁts of decentralisation
are  undeniable  and  difﬁcult  to  ignore:  the
governance of societies is more effective and
more democratic if decisions are taken at the
closest  possible  level  to  the  people  and  the
communities they affect. Each of us is, above
all, a citizen of his own "country in miniature",
his municipality, his town, his region. He views
his country through the prism of local life which
closely  affects  him  and  concerns  him.  By
placing a major part of government power close
to the people, decentralisation allows him to
take part in the effective exercise of power.

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Danuta Hübner,
Commissioner for Regional Policy

the  Union  visible 

The  underlying  philosophy  of  the  policy  is  that
economic  growth  is  dependent  on  investment  in
physical and in human capital. Assisted regions and
cities  are  more  capable  of  diversifying.  Cohesion
policy  makes 
to  citizens,
enterprises and local authorities. Simply put, people
who find a new job, use a better transport system or
live in a cleaner natural environment, feel that the
Community  action  matches  their  expectations.  In
turn, through the participation in the cohesion policy
design and making, they also feel empowered and
capable of contributing to the Union's future.

Jean Asselborn,
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of
Luxembourg

Regional  and  local  authorities  now  play  an  ever
greater  role  in  the  implementation  of  Community
policies,  be  they  of  a  legislative,  regulatory  or
budgetary  nature.  A  substantial  part  of  EU
programme budgets is directly administered by local
and  regional  authorities  in  Member  States.  The
success of the Lisbon process also depends on the
active  participation  of  the  regions  at  EU  level,
through  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  and  at
Member State level.

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Alberto Navarro,
State Secretary for the EU, Spain

We cannot resign ourselves to a Europe that is no
more than a huge market or free trade area. We need
a Europe that is a leading player, not just a spectator;
that promotes our values and defends our interests;
that  protects  its  citizens,  keeping  them  safer  both
inside and outside its borders. We want a political
Europe  that  speaks  with  one  voice.  We  need  a
socially cohesive Europe, because solidarity is a sign
of identity, of how we see the world. Europe will be
built with its citizens, or not at all. It is precisely in
this  area  that  the  regions  and  local  bodies,  as
institutions which are closer to the public, and, thus,
the Committee of the Regions, play a fundamental
role.

Dimitris Dimitriadis,
President of the European Economic and Social
Committee

If we seek the cohesion of our citizens, we must
talk about one Europe with a human face: a face
sculpted  by  all 
the  daily  concerns  and
expectations. Europe must identify itself with every
citizen. Europe must be near its citizens.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:17 PM  Page 12

From Rome

Committee of the Regions
Declaration for Europe

E U RO P E A N   U N I O N

Committee of the Regions

Extracts from the Declaration

We, the members of the Committee of the Regions (CoR),
elected representatives of the regions, local authorities and
cities  of  Europe,  recognise  the  invaluable  contribution
made by the European Union to peace, democracy and
prosperity over the last fifty years and are proud to have
made our own contribution…

Thanks to the European project:

– the people of Europe daily reap the benefits of a huge
border-free  area  of  political,  economic  and  monetary
stability…

– the  spread  of  democracy  and  the  development  of  the
incomparable
European 
social  model  provide 
opportunities for individual and collective fulfillment…

– European  integration,  based  on  the  principles  of
cooperation, partnership and rule of law, enables people
to live in safety…

– the  economic  and  social  cohesion  policy,  a  modern
expression of European solidarity, has gradually helped
to improve people's standard of living…

– the people of Europe benefit from the respect for cultural
and linguistic diversity and the recognition of local and
regional identities.

...We consider the following areas to be priorities:

– promoting European values, including respect for human
beings, their freedoms, rights and dignity; the principles
of  solidarity  and  responsibility;  the  rule  of  law  and
equality before the law;

– cultural  diversity;  the  consolidation  of  the  European
social model; and the development of local and regional
autonomy  and  civil  society...  These  values  lay  the
foundations for a bond of trust between the Union, its
different  levels  of  governance  and  its  citizens,  and
establish the key features of a common European identity;

– completing the single market…

– democratically  strengthening  the  political  life  of  the

Union…

– adapting the Community's remit, in areas where citizens
clearly sense the added value of a European approach, in
compliance  with  the  principles  of  subsidiarity  and
proportionality.

– the cohesion of the European Union, to be able to meet

the challenge of globalisation more successfully.

In  our  capacity  as  representatives  of  the  level  where
grassroots  democracy  and  local  solidarity  are  put  into
practice...  we  are  convinced  that  devolution  and  multi-
level  governance  are  among  the  best  routes  towards
European integration.

We  are  ready  to  unite  our  efforts  to  ensure  that  Europe
becomes a strong political entity...

To this end, we are determined to:

– continue to contribute to the development of an ever-
closer union of the peoples of Europe, whilst respecting
local and regional diversity, identity and autonomy

– pursue direct dialogue with our fellow citizens regarding
the  achievements  of  the  European  Union  and  the
challenges to come; and affirm the role of the CoR in the
EU decision-making process

– make our contribution in the form of financial and human
resources in order to support EU policies in areas that are
crucial to our citizens and to future generations…

– promote  and  share  the  experience  we  have  already
acquired in new forms of citizen participation, enhancing
regional  cultural  and  economic  potential,  managing
diversity and inter-regional cooperation in the Union, at
its borders and with the rest of the world

– support the heads of state and government in bringing the
constitutional process and the necessary reform of the
Treaties to a rapid conclusion, without losing the ground
gained  by  and  for  local  and  regional  authorities,
especially with regard to monitoring of subsidiarity and
territorial cohesion in the EU.

Rome, 23 March 2007

To read the Declaration in full:

www.cor.europa.eu/rome_declaration.htm

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:18 PM  Page 13

to Berlin

Declaration on the occasion of the
ﬁftieth anniversary of the signature of
the Treaties of Rome

Extracts from the Declaration

For centuries Europe has been an idea, holding out hope of
peace  and  understanding. That  hope  has  been  fulfilled.
European  unification  has  made  peace  and  prosperity
possible. It has brought about a sense of community and
overcome differences. Each Member State has helped to
unite Europe and to strengthen democracy and the rule of
law. Thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of
Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe
is now consigned to the past. European integration shows
that we have learnt the painful lessons of a history marked
by bloody conflict. Today we live together as was never
possible before.

In the European Union, we are turning our common ideals
into reality.

We are striving for peace and freedom, for democracy and
the rule of law, for mutual respect and shared responsibility,
for prosperity and security, for tolerance and participation,
for justice and solidarity.

We  preserve  in  the  European  Union  the  identities  and
diverse traditions of its Member States.

We are enriched by open borders and a lively variety of
languages,  cultures  and  regions.  There  are  many  goals
which we cannot achieve on our own, but only in concert.
Tasks are shared between the European Union, the Member
States and their regions and local authorities.

We  are  facing  major  challenges  which  do  not  stop  at
national borders. The European Union is our response to
these  challenges.  Only  together  can  we  continue  to

preserve  our  ideal  of  European  society  in  future  for  the
good of all European Union citizens. This European model
combines economic success and social responsibility. The
common market and the euro make us strong. We can thus
shape  the  increasing  interdependence  of  the  global
economy and ever-growing competition on international
markets according to our values. Europe's wealth lies in the
knowledge  and  ability  of  its  people;  that  is  the  key  to
growth, employment and social cohesion.

We  will  fight  terrorism,  organised  crime  and  illegal
immigration together. We stand up for liberties and civil
rights also in the struggle against those who oppose them. 

We are committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in
the world. 

We want to drive back poverty, hunger and disease. 

We want to continue to take a leading role in that fight.

We  intend  jointly  to  lead  the  way  in  energy  policy  and
climate protection and make our contribution to averting
the global threat of climate change.

With European unification a dream of earlier generations
has become a reality… Today, 50 years after the signing of
the Treaties of Rome, we are united in our aim of placing
the European Union on a renewed common basis before
the European Parliament elections in 2009.

For we know, Europe is our common future.

Berlin, 25 March 2007

www.eu2007.de/en/About_the_EU/Constitutional_Treaty/BerlinerErklaerung.html

To read the Declaration in full:

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:19 PM  Page 14

A packed house at the prestigious
Auditorium Conciliazione – venue
for the CoR plenary session and
50th anniversary commemorative
ceremony

Voices of

Regions & Cities

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:20 PM  Page 15

Walter Veltroni,
Mayor of Rome, Italy

of 

and 

training, 

responsibility: 

takes  on  more 

employment, 
energy 

The  path  we  must  follow  is  that  of  a  Europe
in
which 
international decision-making, in social issues,
issues 
the
sustainable
environment, 
development, immigration and urban transport
networks.  In  short,  in  all  areas  which  affect
people's everyday lives. In all these areas, local
authorities, cities and regions have a leading role
to  play,  buttressed  by  those  principles  of
diversity, solidarity and subsidiarity which can
only  be  fully  implemented  by  enhancing  the
autonomy and strengthening the role of Europe's
regions and major metropolitan areas.

Paolo Fontanelli,
Mayor of Pisa, leader of the Italian delegation in the
Committee of the Regions

The  50th  anniversary  of  the Treaties  gave  the
Committee  of  the  Regions  a  great  chance  to
highlight the growing role of local authorities in
the  European  Union.  The  high  level  of  the
representatives of the European institutions and
Member  States  attending  the  celebrations
organised  in  Rome  by  the  CoR  made  it  an
extraordinary 
added
event.  With 
contribution  by  representatives  of  European
Youth, demonstrating their active and creative
participation in the integration process and a
will to get their ideas across, the result was a
great success.

the 

Kadir Topbas,
Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey

Our common future depends on the common
actions, collaboration and solidarity of the cities
of the EU. This solidarity will transform into our
collective  power  and  pooled 
inﬂuence,
providing us access to the whole world. One of
the key priorities of local authorities working
towards achieving and maintaining sustainable
development  must  be  planned  urban
development.  This  is  a  crucial  quality-of-life
issue.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:22 PM  Page 16

Bo Bladholm,
Lord Mayor of Stockholm, Sweden

The  city's  duty  is  to  make  life  easier  for  our
residents,  not  to  manage  them.  We  must
therefore  offer  the  best  possible  and  most
efﬁcient services for the taxpayers' money. We
share  that  duty  with  other  major  cities  in
Europe.  We  also  share  many  of  the  same
challenges – to generate economic growth for
more jobs, to prevent pollution and congestion,
to increase integration of immigrants and to give
our children and young people the ﬁnest start
in  life  in  order  to  succeed  in  the  knowledge
society. We share the challenge of sustainable
development

Gerd Leers,
Mayor of Maastricht, Netherlands

How far should decentralisation go? As mayor
of a city at the heart of the Maas-Rhine Euregio,
I can give but one answer – short and to the
point: as far as possible! I back the introduction
of a special statute for the Euregios, setting out
their  speciﬁc  rights  and  obligations  and
providing a policy framework tailored to their
area that reﬂects regional circumstances. Such a
statute must also provide for a direct working
relationship between the European Union and
local  and 
regional  authorities,  without
interference from national governments. That is
the only way to make a reality of the European
ideal of prosperity and well-being for all.

Gérard Collomb,
Mayor of Lyon, France, and President of EUROCITIES

Local  authorities  are  key  partners  in  the
implementation of Community policies. Due to
their  experience  on  the  ground  and  their
innovative policies; they are also in a position to
contribute  to  the  actual  formulation  of  these
policies. They play a key role in improving the
dialogue between the public and the European
institutions.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:22 PM  Page 17

José Montilla,
President of Catalonia, Spain

I’d like to say that the contribution of regions of
Europe is vital for the future of Europe. We’ve
already made a huge contribution over the past
few years, regions and cities have already made
a  great  contribution  to  the  building  of  this
Union  that  is  today  celebrating  its  50th
anniversary. This is a Union we hope to be able
to deepen.

Riccardo Illy,
President of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, and President of
the Assembly of European Regions

I believe that regions have a fundamental role to
play  in  making  the  most  of  linguistic  and
the  real
cultural  differences,  which  are 
competitive advantage of Europe in respect to
other countries in the world.

Claudio Martini,
President of Tuscany, Italy, and President of the
Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions

Only by cooperating and working together can
the  regions  achieve  real  results  in  European
projects. Rather than regionalising Europe, we
now  need  to  focus  on  "Europeanising"  the
regions,  which  must  make  an  active
contribution  to  strengthening  the  European
project by acting as a link with our citizens at
grassroots level.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:25 PM  Page 18

Dubravka Suica,
Mayor of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Vice-President of
the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the
Council of Europe

The  'new'  Europe  envisioned  by  the  Robert
Schuman Declaration in 1950 was the platform
for  a  world  free  of  all  the  old  constraints.  It
offered  a  coalition  of  not  only  countries,  but
minds with the same purpose … from European
to local level, it is we, the citizens of Europe
that must present a united front in order to make
a  positive  contribution  to  the  notion  of
solidarity, which is one of the cornerstones of
European unity.

Vicente Alvares Areces,
President of Asturias, Spain

take  up 

As  a  member  of  the  CoR,  representing  a
traditionally coal-producing region, with a large
number  of  thermal  power  stations  and  other
installations  with  a  signiﬁcant  level  of  CO2
emissions, I believe that we, the regions and
cities,  must 
the  challenge  of
implementing  practical  energy  efﬁciency
projects, in this way helping the EU to rely on
regional  players  in  meeting  these  ambitious
goals. Energy efﬁciency is more than a simple
policy instrument: it is also a challenge for the
Union's citizens. Local and regional authorities
are  absolutely  crucial  to  the  success  of  the
future Community energy policy.

Pat Cox,
President of the International European Movement,
former President of the European Parliament

At  a  time  when  the  world  faces  many
challenges:  climate  change, 
international
terrorism, conﬂicts, and globalisation, Europe
needs to ensure its voice can be heard. And the
rest of the world expects to hear Europe's voice.
Therefore, I disagree with those who argue that
the EU does not need the new provisions in the
Constitution  and  can  continue  with 
the
arrangements  in  the  Treaty  of  Nice.  The  EU
needs  to  strengthen  its  ability  to  act  on  the
global stage and the current constitutional crisis
needs to be resolved soon.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:32 PM  Page 19

Rafał Dutkiewicz,
Mayor of Wrocław, Poland

Poland  wouldn't  achieve  as  much  dynamic
growth without the massive support of local and
regional  authorities.  Decentralisation, 
in
keeping with the subsidiarity rule, is the basis
for an effective cohesion policy in Europe.

Alain Rousset,
President of the Regional Council of Aquitaine, France,
and President of the Association of French Regions

The regions of Europe hold for the most part the
key to the success of the Lisbon and Göteborg
strategies. These strategies are indeed at the heart
of  employment  and 
innovation  policies.
However,  there  is  no  denying  today  that  our
regions suffer from Europe's lack of inspiration
and dynamism. It is high time to do away with
the self-interests of Member States, which have
once  again  been  all  the  more  visible  in  the
handling of the Airbus and Galileo affairs. It is
also  high  time  for  our  nation  states  to  stop
dissimulating EU money by making use of it as
state  grants  and  that  the  role  of  ofﬁcials  and
representatives elected at the local and regional
levels gains recognition so as to really involve
Europe in 'street-level' politics.

Manuel Chavez Gonzalez,
President of the Regional Government of Andalusia,
Spain

The European Union and singularly one of its
more accomplished expressions, the policy of
cohesion, do not have another objective than to
improve our citizens' life. The latter constitutes
an essential reference axis for the policies of the
EU. And it is because these policies combine
the economic growth, territorial balance, social
cohesion  and  the  improvement  of  the  living
conditions of the men and women who live in
the EU. If we, the regions of Europe, would like
to contribute to this phenomenal project which
celebrates its 50 years now, we should not fail.
We  have  the  responsibility  to  provide  a  new
momentum so that in 50 years, Europeans can
celebrate the ﬁrst century of the United Europe.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:32 PM  Page 20

Voices of

the Committee of the Regions

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:33 PM  Page 21

CoR President Michel Delebarre chairs a round table
debate with Germany's Minister of State for Europe,
Günter Gloser, President of Lazio Piero Marrazzo, CoR
First Vice-President Luc Van den Brande, and the
Presidents of the CoR's four political groups

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:35 PM  Page 22

Luc Van den Brande,
First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions
and member of the Flemish Parliament, Belgium

The challenge for the European Union is: fur-
ther integration in combination with more de-
centralisation, more regions', more cities' and
communes'  involvement.  Multilevel  gover-
nance will become a crucial tool for managing
this combination while at the same time gua-
ranteeing continuity for the integration process.
We  need  a  different  political  structure  to  the
one developed during industrial times charac-
terised by centralisation and equalization. Citi-
zens of today are part of their neighbourhoods,
their districts and feel at home in their commu-
nes. These levels should be taken into account
when managing the European Union to give it
and its citizens weight in the world.

Isidoro Gottardo,
President of the European People's Party group in the
Committee of the Regions and member of the
Regional Assembly of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

European  regions  and  cities  have  been  given
great opportunities thanks to Europe's cohesion
and solidarity in the last decades; they are ready
now to contribute to the development of Europe
by delivering growth and jobs. Europe has given
us  a  better  future  and  we  say  yes  –  as
representatives  of  the  regional  and  local
authorities  closest  to  citizens  –  to  a  stronger
Union based on the principle of subsidiarity.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:36 PM  Page 23

Mercedes Bresso,
President of the Party of European Socialists group in
the Committee of the Regions and President of
Piedmont, Italy

the 

local  and 

We  must  look  to  the  future  and,  with  the
regional
contribution  of 
authorities,  ﬁnd  new  ways  of  addressing  the
most  serious  of  problems  of  the  day,  such  as
climate change, the ﬁght against inequalities,
population  change,  and  the  challenge  of
economic globalisation. As the CoR rapporteur
on  the  European  Union's  communication
policy, I also believe it is worthwhile stressing
the  importance  of  continuing  to  explain  and
communicate 
the
integration process to the European people, in
particular  the  young  people  who  have  been
involved in the Committee's work and in the
celebrations for the European Union's ﬁrst 50
years of life.

the  bigger  picture  of 

Ivo Opstelten,
President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for
Europe group in the Committee of the Regions and
Mayor of Rotterdam, Netherlands

In the 20th century the EU was a guarantee of
peace,  democracy  and  prosperity.  These
objectives  are  still  essential,  but  in  the  21st
century the concerns of citizens have evolved.
The EU needs to explain why it is still necessary
in this century and it must do it in a simple way.
A one-page Mission Statement would achieve
this.

Maria Corrigan,
President of the Union for Europe of the Nations-
European Alliance group in the Committee of the
Regions and member of Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown
County Council, Ireland

Young people are the key to our future: we as
members of local and regional authorities need
to engage with youth to ensure that their views
and  opinions  are  communicated  to  ensure  a
stronger European Union in 50 years' time.

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:36 PM  Page 24

The Presidency's
Pledge

Angela Merkel signs the
Berlin Declaration with
Hans-Gert Pöttering and
José Manuel Barroso

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:37 PM  Page 25

Letter from Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
to Michel Delebarre, President of the Committee of the Regions

As President-in-Ofﬁce of the European Council, I am pleased that the Committee of the Regions is stating
its commitment to direct dialogue with the European public about the achievements of the European
Union. This dialogue about Europe is also high on the German Council Presidency's agenda.

In the Berlin Declaration, three EU institutions – the Council, the Parliament and the Commission –
paid tribute to the values underlying European uniﬁcation, for which the Committee of the Regions also
expresses support in its declaration.

The Berlin Declaration also highlights the cultural diversity that enriches Europe, and the signiﬁcance
of regional and local authorities:

"We preserve in the European Union the identities and diverse traditions of its Member States. We are
enriched by open borders and a lively variety of languages, cultures and regions. There are many goals
which we cannot achieve on our own, but only in concert. Tasks are shared between the European
Union, the Member States and their regions and local authorities."

It is encouraging that the Committee of the Regions has declared its support for a rapid conclusion to
the constitutional process.

The German EU Council Presidency will continue to campaign for the substance of the Constitutional
Treaty – and thus the explicit recognition of local and regional autonomy and the strengthening of the
subsidiarity principle – to be maintained.

Angela Merkel,
Chancellor of the Federal
Republic of Germany

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:37 PM  Page 26

The Santa Cecilia choir performing 'Ode to Joy',
the anthem of the European Union

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:37 PM  Page 27

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:38 PM  Page 28

CoR President Michel Delebarre presents the
assembly's Declaration for Europe to Günter Gloser,
Germany's Minister of State for Europe

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:39 PM  Page III

2742-brochureEN  6/5/07  4:39 PM  Page B

Catalogue N°: QG-02-23-016-EN-N
ISBN: 978-92-895-2538-1

doi: 10.2863/09256

Published May 2007
Edited by the Communication Press and Protocol Unit
Jacques Delors Building
Rue Belliard 99 - 101
B-1040 Brussels

E U RO P E A N   U N I O N

Comittee of the Regions