Regions and the Future of Europe

The paper suggests that the Intergovernmental Conference should examine how regions could play a bigger role in the enlarged EU.

Abstract

Regions have pressed for over 20 years for a fuller role in EU policy-making because of their roles in implementing EU policy and as linkage points between EU and citizens.

The Convention’s draft constitution has shown sensitivity to regional concerns on the demarcation of competences and by strengthening the regional dimension of subsidiarity especially through the Committee of the Regions (CoR) but also by opening up the new ‘early warning system’ for national parliaments to regional input.

But there are important differences on regional priorities between the CoR, as a corporate body representing all regional and local governments, and the influential new grouping of ‘Regions with Legislative Power’ (RegLeg), which sought – and failed to get – for itself a special higher status in EU decision-making.

These differences could weaken the regional cause at the IGC. Legislative regions are sceptical about the capacity of the CoR to pursue their interests adequately. But the Convention’s decision to strengthen the CoR, and not to give special status to legislative regions is unlikely to be overturned.

Two courses of action should follow: First, the legislative regions need to work quickly to put procedures in place with their central governments to make use of the early warning system.

Second, the CoR needs to change its working style and decision-making procedures in order to provide an effective platform for all its members: It needs more strategic policy focus, organisational recognition of groupings like RegLeg, and imaginative new procedures to make use of its enhanced powers on subsidiarity work.

Read more in the

C.A.P. Info Newsletter.