Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions — 60th anniversary of the signature of the Treaty of Rome
Date: 2017-02-09
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EEC Treaty, commemoration, deepening of the European Union








C_2017207EN.01000501.xml










30.6.2017   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 207/5





Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions — 60th anniversary of the signature of the Treaty of Rome
(2017/C 207/02)
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

We, the members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR):







1.


join in the celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Rome as a key moment for a wide reflection on the future of the European Union (EU), and reiterate that the Union’s raison d’être is to ensure respect for the fundamental rights, peace, prosperity, stability and new EU-wide opportunities for all of its citizens;










2.


call for a Europe able to strengthen the trust of its citizens and to be better able to meet the challenges ahead of us both within the EU and globally, and take decisions for joint action in a spirit of solidarity while respecting the principle of subsidiarity;










3.


recall that Europe’s identity is historically rooted in its regions, cities and villages; and that the contribution of local and regional authorities to the European integration process has been constantly increasing in economic, cultural and political terms;










4.


recalls the acknowledgment of the gap between citizens and the EU addressed 25 years ago in the Maastricht Treaty, which created, inter alia, European Union citizenship and the European Committee of the Regions. Nonetheless, the key role of devolved local and regional bodies envisaged by the Lisbon Treaty still needs to safeguard subsidiarity and participation in the European legislative process. Therefore it is imperative to improve the current situation where all too often local and regional bodies are still merely the addressees of EU policies rather than genuine protagonists in their development, above all in terms of legislation, despite the effort and political and institutional commitment of the European Committee of the Regions in its relations with the other European institutions;










5.


believe that, as the EU’s assembly of regional and local representatives, the CoR stands for a Union united in its cultural and linguistic diversity in a globalised world; we are fully committed to promoting European democracy and active citizenship, to contributing towards the anchoring of fundamental rights and the protection of minorities, to strengthening security and to promoting equality and to securing harmonious and sustainable development in line with our objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion;










6.


stress the urgent need to strengthen the democratic link between the European Union and its citizens, by ensuring that the Union provides effective and prompt solutions to the major common challenges that cities, regions and Member States cannot tackle by themselves, i.e. enhancing the EU’s competitiveness; strengthening cohesion; making the EU a safe space where freedom, security and justice are guaranteed for all; giving young people real prospects for the future, in work and in education; addressing the migrants and refugees’ crisis; safeguarding the Schengen Area; tackling climate change and disaster resilience; promoting a low carbon economy and supporting the Energy Union; strengthening the Union’s role as a key global player, and in particular in achieving the Sustainable Development Objectives of Agenda 2030; combating unemployment; fighting against terrorism;










7.


emphasise that the ‘four freedoms’ of the EU’s Single Market, i.e. free movement of people, services, goods and capital, represent concrete achievements for EU citizens and an indispensable element of the European political project; they constitute an indivisible set of rights that cannot be considered piecemeal, otherwise we would overshadow values that underlie the EU’s existence itself; express, therefore, their concern at attempts by some Member States to limit their application, particularly that of free movement of people;










8.


reaffirm nevertheless that the ‘single market’ should also guarantee social progress and that the rules of the main economic freedoms and competition do not take precedence over fundamental rights, starting with the fight against discrimination, poverty and unemployment;










9.


consider that the celebration of the Treaty of Rome must be the opportunity to achieve the direct participation, critical thinking and active interest of the citizens of the Union in shaping the Union’s future, with decisions taken at the closest possible level to them; believe that such a process should be participatory and representative, where all citizens enjoy equal opportunities to participate, contribute and commit to the Union. As such, local and regional authorities are ideally placed to drive this process forward and to help make a Citizens’ Europe a reality;










10.


believe in particular that it is important to obtain an accurate picture of citizens’ aspirations and hopes towards the EU on the one hand, and their concerns and frustrations on the other; thus we welcome the third EU Citizenship Report 2017 based on the information provided by citizens through surveys and a public consultation;










11.


therefore, highlight that the EU:






—


must be able to address the imbalanced impact of globalisation on European lives by strengthening the principles of a Europe based on social justice, economic strength and solidarity;










—


should be empowered by its Member States to act, together with its local authorities and regions, when major challenges hit society and citizens, with appropriate governance instruments and adequate financial means;










—


must ensure a decentralised approach in its communication, by which it informs on its policies and processes in an accessible way relating clearly the relevance of EU level decisions to the realities on the ground in different parts of the EU; in this context, the role of the Europa Direct information centres and other European information networks bringing together regions and local authorities is crucial;










—


needs to have clearer and more transparent division of political responsibilities, ensure accountability of its institutions and guarantee the openness of its decision-making processes to the citizens, which may imply the need for further treaty reforms;










—


should examine institutional reforms to reinforce the involvement of the regions and local authorities, reflecting their legislative role in implementing the principle of subsidiarity and in ensuring bottom-up democratic governance in a Europe of the citizens, regions, territories and local authorities;














12.


in view of preparing our input into the upcoming political discussions on the future of our Union, commit to:






—


launching an extensive process of citizens’ dialogues to hear views, proposals and concerns directly from those at the grassroots throughout the EU. This process will be accompanied by a political consultations involving European and national associations of regional and local authorities and other stakeholders across all Member States with a view to developing concrete innovative and practical solutions to the challenges ahead;










—


sharing the results of these parallel processes with the other EU institutions with a view to contributing to a future Convention preparing Treaty changes for the future of the European Union;










—


increase its efforts in promoting the rights linked to the EU citizenship and our common values, as well as citizens’ participation in the democratic life of the Union;










—


exploring ways to further reinforce its dialogue with the European institutions, notably the European Parliament;










—


deepening dialogue and discussion with the European institutions, in particular the European Parliament, drawing inspiration from initiatives such as ‘Improving the functioning of the European Union building on the potential of the Lisbon Treaty’ or ‘Possible evolutions and adjustments of the current institutional set up of the European Union’ with a view to making the Committee of the Regions even more active and effective in the European legislative process;














13.


stress the importance of ensuring the rights of young people across Europe. A more accessible EU will foster open dialogue between peoples of all generations. With regards to the founding principles of peace and prosperity, a responsive EU will speak to the aspirations of young people;










14.


instruct our President to forward this resolution to the European Parliament, European Council, the Council, the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, national and regional parliaments and governments as well as local governments.





Brussels, 9 February 2017.


The President of the European Committee of the Regions

Markku MARKKULA