Commissie nodigt steden en regio's uit voor dialoog (en)

dinsdag 13 januari 2004

In line with the thinking in its White Paper on European Governance1 and the developing culture of consultation and dialogue the Commission adopted a Communication2 setting out the framework for the dialogue on policy formulation that it wishes to initiate more systematically with the associations of regional and local authorities. For the Commission such dialogue will serve two purposes: provide it with more channels for assimilating regional and local experience and reality and at the same time function as a mechanism for improving the general public's understanding of Union activities and policies.

Michel Barnier, Commission Member for Regional Policy and Institutional Reform, said: "I have always firmly believed that the regional and local authorities should be able to count on the Union's consulting them under some kind of standard arrangement both upstream and downstream of the decision-taking procedure. On my proposal the Commission has today opened an additional channel of dialogue with the regions and the local authorities. Yes, it is another dialogue, but not a superfluous one. I am convinced of the need for a more regular, more organised and more policy-geared dialogue that will genuinely enrich the Commission's proposals."

In preparing today's decision the Commission has engaged in an extensive reflection exercise with interested parties3 on how to bring in as far upstream as possible of the decision-taking procedure the regional and local authorities that help implement or are affected by Union policies. It has accordingly decided to give them the opportunity of making their views known through their national and European associations at annual hearings to be organised in connection with presentation of the Commission's annual work programme and of big policy initiatives with an impact, whether direct or indirect, at regional and local level.

The Commission will invite to each of the dialogue meetings associations representative of the Union's full diversity. It expects that these organisations' representatives will provide it with a collectively constructed opinion and also that they will relay the Commission's proposals and intentions back to their organisations. The Commission will ask the Committee of the Regions to take on an intermediary role in helping it identify the relevant associations for each hearing to be organised.

The new dialogue will replace neither contact for specific purposes and ad hoc consultation between Commission departments and the associations nor the consultation procedures laid down by the Treaty and in EU Regulations.

Background

The idea for this more systematic dialogue appeared for the first time in the wishes expressed by regional and local players in the consultation on the White Paper on European Governance. In its Report on European Governance4 and in its Communication on a reinforced culture of consultation and dialogue5 the Commission said it would be adopting such a Communication6.

In preparation for the Communication the Commission last March adopted a working document that was put on the Internet for a public consultation exercise from 28 March to 23 May7. Many national and European associations of regional and local government authorities sent comments and reactions. The fullness and quality of these was a big help in drawing up the present Communication.

7 ;http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/consultation/index_en.htm

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