Political achievements of the Committee of the Regions under the presidency of Luc Van den Brande 2008-2010.
Date: 2010-12-20
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU action, European Committee of the Regions, president of an institution

EUROPEAN UNION

Committee of the Regions

Political achievements of the Committee of the Regions
under the presidency of Luc Van den Brande
2008-2010

In February 2008, for my presidencial mandate, I proposed an

intense political programme for the Committee of the Regions.
Pursuing  this  aim  of  emphasising  the  political  nature  of  our
assembly has enabled us not only to boost the added value of our
consultative work with the European institutions, but also, and most
importantly, to trace our progress since the CoR was created, and
to define a long-term vision of our work. This will highlight the crucial
role of local and regional authorities in framing European policies.

As well as the European agenda, to which the Committee has
successfully responded by producing high added value opinions,
we have reacted speedily to unforeseeable political imperatives,
such  as  difficulties  linked  to  the  economic  crisis  and  the
implementation of the Lisbon Treaty.

Thanks to the genuine commitment of our members, our political
structure and administration, we have come up with immediate
responses to major challenges such as the financial crisis and
climate change, with all their economic and social repercussions
at local and regional level. Our offer to forge partnerships with
the  other  institutions  has  been  warmly  welcomed,  and  our
contributions have often been heeded and appreciated by our

partners, opening the way to the multi-level Governance.

It  is  my  hope  that  our  assembly  of  regional  and  local
representatives will continue to be seen as a solid, legitimate
partner in the European policy debate, and that it will go on to
boost its political presence and specific added value still further
within a modernised European Union political system.

This brochure gives you an overview of the CoR's work and
achievements  under  my  presidency,  built  around  the  political
programme that I submitted to you at the beginning of my term
of office.

Luc Van den Brande.

The quotes indicating the theme of each section were taken from the President's Political Programme presented at the February 2008 Bureau 
and from the President's speech "Let's Build Europe in Partnership".  

02

“Improving relations with the European Commission
particularly in the pre-legislative phase, making the most
of the tools provided by structured dialogue and more
broadly by the consultation culture”
“Improve and above all build on the structural dialogue
with the European Commission so that it becomes an
indispensable tool for examining plans and policy
approaches in the pre-legislative phase”

The Structured Dialogues, hosted by the Committee of the Regions, were an opportunity

for the European Commission to consult associations of local and regional authorities
on topics that have a direct impact on citizens such as cross border health care. Other
issues that are essential for the EU’s multi-level governance model were also covered, such as
maritime policy and the future of cohesion policy.

• In  July  2008  José  Manuel  Barroso,  President  of  the  European  Commission,  met  with 
CoR  President  to  talk  about  the  relations  between  the  European  Commission  and  the
Committee of the Regions. Mr. Barroso also attended the November 2008 plenary session of
the Committee of the Regions, presenting the recovery plan for the European economy and
the European Commission’s work programme for 2009.  For the first time his address was
followed by a question and answer session with members of the Committee of the Regions. 

• To promote a debate on the European Commission’s annual policy strategy, President Barroso
and the CoR President jointly organise a lunch every year, inviting the presidents of major
European associations.  

• The CoR, working together with the European Commission, made significant improvements
to the follow-up on the CoR’s opinions. The Commission regularly pass on their response to
our opinion. Any remarks are communicated to the rapporteur, Chairman and members of
the CoR Commission responsible for the opinion, and are then made available to the general
public on the CoR website. There is now a procedure in place so that impact assessments
sheets are used to summarise the political impact of each CoR opinion. These sheets are
translated into all official languages and are made available on the CoR webpage.

03

“Developing a constructive relationship with EU
rotating presidencies”

Prior to each Council Presidency, high-level preparatory meetings take place between the

Committee of the Regions and representatives of the upcoming presidency. For the
Slovenian presidency during the first semester 2008, the CoR president held a meeting
with Mr Jansa in his role as president of the European Council. For the French Presidency, the
CoR President met the French Secretary of State for EU Affairs, Mr. Jouyet. Simmilar preparatory
meetings were held prior to the Czech presidency with Mr Cyril Svoboda and Mr Jiri Cunek,
both Ministers for regional development, as well as with Mr Alexander Vondra, Deputy Prime
Minister for EU Affairs. Preparatory meetings were also held during the Swedish presidency and
were attended by Cecilia Malmström, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs, and Mats Odell, Minister
for Local Government and Financial Markets.

• The Committee of the Regions was asked to provide the Slovenian Presidency with an opinion

on “Clusters” and participated in a ministerial meeting on regional policy in Brdo.

• The French presidency asked the Committee of the Regions for two opinions relating to their
priorities. The CoR was also invited to participate in the ministerial meeting in Marseille on
the Union for Mediterranean on 3 November 2008. 

• The Czech presidency of the EU asked the CoR for two opinions.One of these opinions led
the CoR President to play an active role - for the first time in the Committee’s history at the
Summit of Heads of state and government on the Eastern Partnership on 7 May 2009 in
Prague.

• During the Czech Presidency the Committee of the Regions was invited to attend an informal
ministerial meeting on Regional Affairs in Mariánské Lázně. The Committee was also asked to
participate in drafting of conclusions of this ministerial meeting.

• The Swedish Presidency asked the CoR to provide an opinion on e-government. The CoR

was also invited to attend the ministerial meeting in Malmö on e-administration.

04

“To improve the CoR’s work and optimise its capacity to
influence the EU legislator, strong cooperation with
the EP and its committees is needed”

Aiming to improve the quality of the relationship with the European Parliament without

the  need  for  rigid  formal  agreements,  CoR  President  proposed  a  “toolbox  of
instruments” which would be used for cooperation between the institutions’ committees

and commissions on a case-by-case basis. 

• The Chairman of EP’s Conference of Committee’s Chairs was invited to meet with the chairs
of the CoR’s six commissions in May 2008. CoR President was then invited to address the
Conference of Committee’s Chairs of the European Parliament in July 2008 which further
reinforced the bond between the two bodies. 

• At the Prague summit a live TV debate with the representatives of the European political
parties was organised to discuss the future of Europe and the role of regional and local
representatives in the European elections in June 2009.

• In a joint effort to increase participation in the 2009 European Elections, the CoR President
and Hans-Gert Pöttering, the former President of the European Parliament, signed an open
letter calling for local and regional authorities to encourage Europeans to vote.

• Following an initial bilateral meeting with president Van den Brande on 22 September 2009,
the current president of the European Parliament, Mr. Jerzy Buzek, spoke at the October 2009
plenary  session  of  the  Committee  of  the  Regions.  Mr  Buzek  emphasised  the  role  of
decentralisation and subsidiarity in meeting the challenges of the economic crisis and adapting
to climate change.

• To coincide with the institutional renewal of the EP, the Committee of the Regions published
a brochure presenting its past achievements and future aspirations to inform newly elected
MEP’s institutions about the work carried out by the CoR’s six commissions. 

• The CoR was invited by Danuta Hübner, the newly elected chair of the EP REGI Committee,
to attend the hearing of the new Commissioner for Regional Policy, Mr. Pawel Samecki. 
CoR  was  also  invited  attend  other  hearings  of  Candidate  Commissioners  of  Barroso  II
Commission.

05

“Implementing the Lisbon agenda goals for growth and
jobs through the involvement of regional and local
authorities and making their voice heard by the
European Council”

The term “Lisbon Paradox” was coined by the Committee of the Regions to shed light

on the following paradox: despite the fact that local and regional authorities see the Lisbon
goals as their top priority, they still do not feel adequately supported by the Growth and
Jobs Strategy. A resolution was adopted on the issue, and stated that ownership of the growth
and jobs agenda can only be achieved if different levels of government work together to meet
this task. 

• On 27 November 2008 the CoR adopted a Resolution on the financial crisis which stressed

the impact the crisis was having on local and regional authorities.

• At the request of the European Council, the Committee of the Regions prepared a study on
regional and local involvement and added value for growth and jobs. The Slovenian President
invited the president of the CoR to present the CoR’s report during the 2008 Spring Council.

• Jointly with the Slovenian Presidency, the Lisbon Monitoring Platform organised a Territorial 
Dialogue for Growth and Jobs in Slovenia in February 2008. The same exercise has been 
organised with the Czech presidency and will be organised with Spanish presidency.

• CoR President advised the 27 Lisbon coordinators to promote national meetings with local
and regional authorities during the drafting of the national reform programmes. He asked 
Mr. Barroso to consider the involvement of local and regional authorities in the national reform
programmes as an asset.

• A broad consultation was launched during the Prague Summit on the future of the Growth
and Jobs Strategy after 2010. The results of this consultation will be incorporated into the new
opinion on the Future of the Lisbon Strategy and will then feed into the political message that
the CoR will present at the 2010 Spring European Council. 

• In November 2009 President Van den Brande participated in a conference on Growing
together for a sustainable Europe – local and regional implementation of the strategy for
growth and jobs after 2010. The conference was held in Göteborg, Sweden.

EUROPEAN UNION

Committee of the Regions

Consultation of European Regions
and Cities on a New Strategy
for Sustainable Growth

A new Lisbon Strategy after 2010

Final Report

06

“Fleshing out the idea of the
European Entrepreneurial Regions”

The  new  pilot 

scheme  – 
the  European
Entrepreneurial Region Award – was launched on
7 October 2009. Every year the project will reward up
to three EU regions with the best political vision for supporting
an entrepreneurial environment. The label aims to recognise
forward-thinking  regions  regardless  of  size  and  economic
wealth, while at the same time encouraging local and regional
authorities to Think Small First, supporting the implementation
of the Small Business Act.The regions will be assessed on the
quality, efficiency and long-term success of their entrepreneurial
vision  and  the  political  will  they  have  to  implement  it. 
More information can be found at www.cor.europa.eu/eer

07

“Facing the challenge of
climate change and
the diversification and
sustainable use of
energy resources”

The Committee of the Regions has supported and promoted the Covenant of Mayors, a

European Commission scheme encouraging municipalities to commit to the EU targets
of reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption and go beyond them. At the request
of the European Commissioner for Energy Mr Andris Piebalgs, the Committee of the Regions
drafted an outlook report on how to enlarge the Covenant of Mayors to include regional
authorities. Members of the Commission for Sustainable Development (DEVE)  contributed to
the final draft of the Covenant.  The initiative was launched in 2008 and continues to have the
CoR’s full support. 

• During the 2009 Open Days, the Committee of the Regions initiated a meeting between the
Covenant of Mayors, represented here by the CoR president and EU Commissioner Andris
Piebalgs, and its US counterpart the Conference of US Mayors, represented by its vice-
president Ms Elisabeth B. Kautz. As a result of the meeting, mayors from both sides of the
Atlantic pledge to work together to highlight the key role played by local and regional levels
in adapting to climate change.

• Encouraging local and regional authorities to get involved on the climate change issue, the
Committee organised a Forum during its April 2008 plenary session on water scarcity, energy
efficiency  and  urban  sustainable  development.  Representatives  from  local  and  regional
authorities and civil society were invited to join in the debate.

• In light of the Copenhagen Conference COP15, the Committee of the Regions adopted the
resolution Regions and Cities on the Road to Copenhagen in plenary on 18 June 2009. 
This resolution calls for greater co-operation at various levels of government in developing
climate change policies, given that it is local and regional authorities that are working on the
front lines to combat climate change. 

• The European Council and the European Commission recognised the CoR’s role on the issue
by allowing the Committee of the Regions to represent the interests of European regions
and cities within the official EU delegation to the UN COP15 conference. 

08

The  Committee  of  the  Regions  adopted  a  new  strategy  on  subsidiarity  screening. 

The CoR will be involved in the three distinct phases where subsidiarity screening takes
place: (1) before a proposal is launched (ex ante) through the collection of impact
assessments from local and regional authorities, (2) once a proposal has been presented and
before it is adopted as legislation through consultations of the Subsidiarity Monitoring Network
or as part of the early warning system, giving the CoR the chance to cooperate with national
parliaments, and (3) at the final stage, after legislation has been adopted (ex post), when bringing
an action before the Court may be considered.

• The 3rd Edition of the Subsidiarity Forum (“Assises”) was organised together with the French
Senate in Paris on 24 October 2008 to discuss the importance of developing a culture of
subsidiarity in the European Union; the national Parliaments participated in the Assises.

• The 4th Edition of the Subsidiarity Forum was held in Milan on 8 May 2009. The message
which came out of the conference was that work would continue until true multi-level
governance  is  in  place  that  recognises  the  role  of  the  institutions  closest  to  the  public.
The  conference  was  attended  by  Mr  Gianfranco  Fini,  President  of  the  Italian  Chamber 
of Deputies.

• A series of meetings was held with national parliament speakers from Slovenia, France, Croatia,
Greece, Hungary, the UK, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland in order
to propose cooperation agreements on subsidiarity screening, in particular regarding European
legislative acts that have an impact on the regions.This monitoring is part of the early warning
mechanism provided for in the Lisbon Treaty and is delegated to national parliaments.

• The Committee of the Regions together with RELEG, the political network for regions with 
legislative powers, and CALRE, the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies,
held a conference on subsidiarity in May 2008 in Brussels.The President attended their annual
General Assemblies.

“Whilst the CoR continues to
contribute to better law-
making in Europe, by
monitoring the correct
application of the
subsidiairity principle of
EU legislation, it will have
to prepare its own
proceedings in order to
implement its new rights
on this matter”

“It will also focus on the role
of the regional assemblies
and governments, together
with national
parliaments”

“A new edition of the Assises
of Subsidairity led by the
CoR would be welcomed,
so as to tackle the
implementation of the new
Treaty”

“Use the subsidiarity
network above all to assess
the impact of any draft
provisions on local and
regional authorities”

09

“Europe is synonymous
with multi-level
governance”

Under the Presidency of Luc Van den Brande – and in line with his 2008-2010 political

programme – the Committee of the Regions has done a great deal of reflecting on multi-
level governance. Debates have been held in all six of its commissions and a cycle of four
workshops on multi-level governance involving approximately 50 academics were also organised. 

• The CoR drafted a White Paper on multi-level governance which identifies concrete proposals
for strengthening the involvement of Europe’s regions and cities in future EU decision-making.
The White Paper was adopted at the CoR’s plenary session on 17-18 June 2009. 

• Following the adoption of the White Paper, the CoR launched a broad consultation process
and started discussing the proposals and ideas presented in the White Paper with the newly
elected European Parliament and its other institutional partners, as well as with all authorities,
associations and interested parties.

• The communications campaign to promote the White Paper was formally launched at the
conference  on  multi-level  governance,  organised  by  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  in
partnership with the College of Europe in Bruges, on 22 September 2009.  At the conference,
Mr Felipe González, President of the Reflection Group on the Future of the European Union,
explicitly supported CoR President’s political vision of the need to Build Europe in Partnership.

• The Committee of the Regions is geared up to monitor, every three years, the development
of multi-level governance within the EU’s governance model. This could eventually lead to the
adoption of a European Charter on multi-level governance, which will establish the foundation
for inclusive governance procedures in Europe.

10

Aiming to close the information gap, the Committee provided a communication toolkit

for its Members and for the local and regional authorities they represent. This toolkit
should  help  them  to  send  Europeans  clear  and  convincing  messages  on  the

opportunities and advantages provided by the European Union every day.

• The Committee of the Regions put in a request for the Eurobarometer to start referring to
local and regional authorities.  The results were positive as 59% of those questioned believed
that the role of local and regional politicians should be taken more closely into account when
drawing up policies at European level.

• The success of the Open Days both in 2008 and 2009 reflects the interest of the public in
the CoR’s work. The 2009 Open Days were attended by 6000 people, as well as 250 of our
partners – which included 213 regions/cities from 33 countries.

• Improving the way the CoR communicates via the web was another of the presidency’s
objectives. The CoR is currently in the process of thoroughly updating its website, having already
introduced new elements to establish the website’s visual identity. The idea is to make the
CoR’s website the point of reference for information on Europe’s Regions and Cities.

“The CoR’s strategy to
communicate Europe
has to be further
decentralised, going
local, including the
candidate countries”

11

“The CoR will promote
dialogue with regional
and local levels of
neighbourhood
countries, over and
above its role of
assisting the RLAs from
candidate and pre-
candidate countries”
“The CoR will be active
within the Euro-
Mediterranean
partnership,
structuring a
permanent dialogue”
“Continue to offer
support to the local
and regional
authorities in the
candidate countries”

The Committee of the Regions proposed that a local dimension should to be added to

the Union for the Mediterranean, a partnership which brings together EU Member States
and 16 non-EU countries across the Mediterranean. In the Committee’s opinion on the
Union  for  the  Mediterranean  and  its  implications  for  regional  and  local  authorities,  a 
Euro-Mediterranean  Regional  and  Local  Assembly  (ARLEM)  was  proposed  to  fully  take
advantage of the territorial dimension. 

• Taking on board the Committee of the Regions’ call for local and regional authorities to play
a greater role in the European Neighbourhood Policy, the European Commission asked the
CoR to propose an Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Local and Regional Assembly.

• Upon  request,  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  gained  observer  status  at  the  Euro-

Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.

• The Committee of the Regions outlined its wish to work in city diplomacy in a more systematic
and structured way. After a symbolic decision by leaders of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek
Cypriot communities to open the Ledra Street crossing in Nicosia, Mr Luc Van den Brande
honoured this decision by renaming the Atrium of the CoR Committee building “Open Ledra
Street”. Furthering this commitment to the peace process, two representatives of Nicosia’s
Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities took the floor in the Committee of the
Regions’  76th  plenary  session  in  October  2008. This  was  the  first  time  in  history  that
representatives from both communities had participated side by side in a EU institution.

• The  European  Development  Days  in  Strasbourg  in  2008  focused  on  decentralised
cooperation and development. The Committee of the Regions held a workshop on the topic
as part of the event and started a cooperation with the European Commission in this field.

12

• In its Communication of October 2008 entitled Local Authorities: Actors for Development,
the  European  Commission  recognised  the  role  of  local  and  regional  authorities  in  the
development process. The Assises of Decentralised Cooperation took place in December
2009 and this was the first time that discussions had been held on the issue. The Atlas of
Decentralised  Cooperation  -  an  electronic  tool  developed  jointly  by  the  European
Commission and the Committee of the Regions - was presented at the meeting. The Atlas
serves to map the projects carried out by local and regional authorities in the EU, the aid
contributions they make, as well as the local and regional authorities receiving support in
developing countries. The Committee of the Regions also suggested setting up an electronic
stock  exchange  to  ensure  that  projects  related  to  decentralised  cooperation  are 
better coordinated. 

• The Committee of the Regions organised a forum in June 2009 on the Eastern Partnership.
The two-day forum provided an opportunity to share experiences and encourage local
projects  involving  the  Eastern  Partnership  countries,  businesses  and  non-governmental
organisations, associations and EU institutions, as well as national, regional and local authorities.

• In an effort to strengthen relations between European and Russian Regions, CoR President
visited St Petersburg during a four-day official visit in September 2009. This was an opportunity
to expand on the CoR’s work on the EU’s external relations and its political and trade relations
with the Russian Federation. The visit also helped to establish ties with north-west Russia, a
region which is at the forefront of the process of cooperation between Russia and the EU.

13

“Assisting and
cooperation with RLAs
of candidate and pre-
candidate countries”

In  July  2008,  CoR  President  travelled  to  Croatia  to  hold  talks  with  the  Prime  Minister

Ivo Sanader, Foreign Minister Gordan Jandroković and Deputy-Prime Minister for Regional
Development, Reconstruction and Return Slobodan Uzelac, as well as other leading national,
regional and local politicians. Recently, the Working Group on Croatia within the CoR was
upgraded to a Joint Consultative Committee.

• The CoR is on standby to support Iceland following the country’s decision to join the EU. 
The CoR President met Mr Halldorsson, president of the Icelandic Association of Local
Authorities, and offered him assistance in ensuring that Iceland is prepared to successfully
adapt to this new challenge.

• Cooperation with Turkey, Western Balkans and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

has been strated or further developped.

“The CoR shall continue,
in cooperation with the
Council of Europe, to
monitor regional and
local elections
organised in
neighbourhood
countries”

As a part of the cooperation process between the CoR and the Congress of Local and

Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Committee of the Regions regularly
participates  in  election  observation  at  local  and  regional  level.  In  2008-2009  the
Committee of the Regions was involved in the observation delegation of local elections in Serbia,
the Former Republic of Macedonia and in the first municipal election in Yerevan, Armenia. 

• To further strengthen relations between the Committee of the Regions and the Congress of
Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, a revised cooperation agreement
was signed on 12 November 2009 in Brussels between the presidents of the two institutions. 

14

The Committee of the Regions adopted its own-initiative opinion on the budget reform

in response to the European Commissions’ public consultation. The CoR called on the
EU to look at new ways of financing itself in order to respond effectively to future
challenges, guarantee territorial cohesion and strengthen public trust. Regarding the financial
system, the Committee called for a move from a 7-year planning system to a more flexible
budgetary programme period (5+5 years) which would be linked to the democratic cycle of
the European Parliament.

The subject of the EU budget review was also discussed in many of the workshops organized
during the Open Days - European Week of Regions and Cities that took place in October 2008
under the theme "Regions and cities in a challenging world" and in 2009 under the title "Global
Challenges - European  Responses", both of which attracted more than 6000 participants.

“Participating in the
inter-institutional
exercise for the EU
budgetary review”

15

“Improving the quality
of life of citizens,
including facilitating
cross-border
cooperation for civil
protection and access
to better quality health
services”

In partnership with the Slovenian EU presidency, the Committee of the Regions organised a

Conference of Presidents in Brdo. The aim was to raise political awareness of the benefits of
the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), the European legal
instrument designed to facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and regional projects
such as economic development, environmental protection, mobility and healthcare services.

• The Committee of the Regions set up an Expert Group on the EGTC, providing a pool of
expertise on the issue. The objectives of the group include monitoring the adoption and
implementation of provisions at Member State level, sharing best practices and identifying the
potential use of the EGTC as a tool for cohesive territorial development. In continuing its
efforts to promote the setting up of EGTCs, the European Commission and the Committee
of the Regions, in partnership with the Slovenian Presidency, organised an inter-institutional
conference on the EGTC in Brussels on 19 June 2008. Since its launch, several EGTCs have
successfully been created such as the West-Vlaanderen/Flandre-Dunkerque-Côte d’Opale
EGTC, the Hungarian and Slovakian EGTC and the Duero-Duero and Pyrénées-Méditéranéee
EGTC, all of which serve the interests of their citizens.

• Considering that two-thirds of EU legislation is implemented on regional and local level, the
CoR has actively been involved in the implementation of the "Better Regulation" and "cutting
red tape" objectives. In September 2008, Johanna Maij-Weggen, Queen's Commissioner for
the Province of Noord-Brabant (EPP/NL), was nominated as an observer to Stoiber's high
level group on reducing administrative burdens, on behalf of the Committee of the Regions.
The group aims to reduce the administrative burden on businesses arising from EU legislation
by 25% by 2012 and thus contribute to the improvement of the regulatory environment for
the benefit of all citizens.

16

The CoR opinion on Integration policy and intercultural dialogue was prepared at the

request  of  the  French  EU  presidency  and  adopted  at  the  plenary  session  on  26
November 2008, on the closing day of the CoR's forum on Intercultural dialogue at the
heart of Europe's cities and regions. The forum was co-organised with the European Commission
during the Year of Intercultural Dialogue. The Committee of the Regions also organised the
following Forums as part of its plenary sessions: 

“The involvement of the
civil society in CoR
plenary sessions
should be developed”

Cities of the Future, 8-10 April 2009 
Third Inter-institutional forum - Communicating Europe: Going local, 17-19 June 2009
Europe's Creative Regions and Cities: 100 Young Talents, 20-21 April 2009
Fourth Inter-institutional forum - Communicating Europe: Going local, 21-22 April 2009
Forum on Regional and Local Dimension of the Eastern Partnership, 16 June 2009

• The Committee of the Regions continued to serve as the meeting place for Regions and
Cities in Europe, hosting conferences and events organised by regional offices and other
partners and open to CoR members, elected representatives and civil society, together with
the  academic  and  business  worlds.  Many  of  these  events  provide  a  fertile  base  for  the
Committee's consultative work and help to promote the CoR's views across the EU. 

• In the process of preparing the White Paper of Multi-level governance, the Committee of the
Regions called on the academic community to participate and give their view on the matter.
A cycle of four so-called "Ateliers on multilevel governance" were organized with
around 50 scholars attending from throughout the European Union and beyond, all with
different academic backgrounds. The Ateliers were an ideal 'laboratory' to experiment with
new  concepts,  to  exchange  views,  and  to  develop  innovative  ideas  about  the  possible
strengthened multilevel governance structures for the future European Union.

• Other efforts to include the public in the CoR's work have been the public debate organized
in Dunkerque, France on the theme "What are the needs of Europe? What are the wants of
Europe? For the European Elections 2009". Designed as a meeting of exchange, all participants
were welcome to ask questions, discuss their experiences and communicate their expectations
of Europe.

17

The European Commission’s Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion was presented at the

2008 Open Days by the then commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner. A broad
public consultation was launched, aiming for a common understanding of how to better

exploit European territorial diversity to deliver growth, jobs and competitiveness.

• Under the Czech presidency of the EU, the CoR jointly organised the European Summit of 
Regions and Cities with the Mayor of Prague in the Czech capital city on 5-6 March 2009.
European Commission President Barroso and Commissioner Hübner, together with some
600 elected representatives, took part in this major event on the European regional policy
agenda. The initial findings of the public consultation on the Green paper were also presented
at the event.

• To underline the importance of the Committee of the Regions’ opinion on regional policy
the CoR was invited to attend informal ministerial meetings on the future of regional policy
and territorial cohesion by the French, Czech and Spanish presidencies.

“Shaping the economic,
social and territorial
cohesion policy beyond
2013”

18

“The CoR will play special attention to
urban policies, through tailored events,
bearing in mind their role in achieving
the Lisbon goals”

The January 2009 Bureau meeting, chaired by president Van den Brande,

was held in Plzeň due to the Czech Presidency. The discussion focused on
urban development policies and how these policies can contribute to the
sustainable development of European towns and cities. Taking as a starting point
the fact that the challenges facing towns and cities in Europe in the 21st century
are  many  and  their  interactions  complex  –  demographic  change,  social
inequalities, climate change and energy efficiency, urban governance, urban mobility
– the ensuing discussions stressed the need to foster an integrated approach to
urban development. The Committee of the Regions has also in the past asked
for these urban issues to be covered by a specific portfolio within the European
Commission.

During the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009, the Committee of
the Regions jointly organised a two-day forum with the European Commission
on  Europe’s  Creative  Regions  and  Cities  on  20-21 April  2009. The  forum
showcased the creativity of Europe’s regions and cities and demonstrated the
importance of creativity and innovation for economic development.

19

Catalogue N°: QG-02-23-029-EN-N 
ISBN: 978-92-895-2662-3
doi: 10.2863/76326

EUROPEAN UNION

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