CoR verwelkomt voorzitter van 'The Association of Icelandic Local Authorities' in Brussel (en)
EUROPEAN UNION Committee of the Regions |
Press Release |
The EU's assembly of regional and local representatives
COR/09/ 95
Brussels, 6 October 2009
Committee of the Regions welcomes Icelandic Association President to Brussels
CoR President, Luc Van den Brande, met today with Mr Halldor Halldorsson, Mayor of the city of Isafjordur and President of the Association of Icelandic Local Authorities , together with Iceland's Ambassador to the EU, Mr Jóhannesson, at CoR headquarters in Brussels on the occasion of the Open Days – the European Week of Regions and Cities.
The purpose of today's informal meeting was to establish links between the two bodies following Iceland's application to join the European Union. President Van den Brande also took this opportunity to discuss ways in which the CoR could work with local and regional Icelandic authorities in helping them to prepare the country to join the Union.
"The Committee of the Regions stands ready to work with Iceland's Association of Local Authorities in preparing the country's local authorities to join their counterparts from the 27 Member States in the EU's Assembly of 344 Local and Regional representatives." Said Luc Van den Brande at the conclusion of the meeting.
Iceland formally applied for admission to the European Union in July this year and the European Commission has been invited by the Council to submit its opinion on the application. It is expected that formal accession negotiations could be launched in 2010, possibly under the upcoming Spanish Presidency of the EU.
Visit the CoR's website : www.cor.europa.eu
The Committee of the Regions
Around two-thirds of EU legislation is implemented by local and regional authorities in the Member States. The Committee of the Regions was created in 1994 to give representatives of local government a say over the content of these laws. The CoR organises five plenary sessions a year, where its 344 members vote on opinions issued in response to proposed legislation. The European Commission, which initiates EU laws, and the Council of Ministers, which determines the final content of the legislation (usually in tandem with the European Parliament), are obliged to consult the CoR on a wide range of policy areas including the environment, employment and transport. The Lisbon Treaty will strengthen the position of the Committee of the Regions further. In future, the Committee must be consulted by the European Parliament on all issues that are important for regions and municipalities. The Committee can also appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers.
For more information, please contact:
Denis Clarke
Tel. + 32 (0)2 546 8731
To read previous press releases, click here .