Committee of the Regions and Luxembourg Presidency call for social cohesion and investment for growth to be top of the European agenda
President Markkula: "Relaunching the social agenda, pushing the European Fund for Strategic Investment on the ground and boosting employment are our shared priorities"
EU local and regional leaders discussed the priorities for the next six months under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU with the Luxembourg Minister for the Interior, Dan Kersch, during the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in Brussels on 8 July. The need to make European solidarity work through effective compromises has emerged as key task for the whole EU in relation to major challenges, such as Greece and migration.
"The Committee of the Regions shares the emphasis placed by the Luxembourg Presidency on the need to build a 'triple A' social Europe, its focus on turning the EUR 315 bn investment plan into real growth and jobs, as well as on boosting competitiveness through the digital agenda" said President Markkula, arguing that: "Regions and cities are crucial partners for delivering the EU's promises in all these sectors, a way of making sure that the strategies and plans created in Brussels do not end up being top-down exercises that have no real impact on the daily lives of our communities".
A call shared by the President of the EPP Group, Michael Schneider (DE/EPP): "The Investment Plan offers great potential. It is now fundamental that local and regional authorities get in depth information on how EFSI i can be used, in cooperation with the structural funds, so investment plans and projects can be implemented" he said. The relevant impact on growth and employment of better worker mobility within the EU was underlined by Agnes Durdu (LU/ALDE), on behalf of the ALDE Group: "We call for a measurable reduction of the administrative and fiscal burden for all citizens who cross a border to work. We also expect Europe to no longer tolerate a Member State limiting through unilateral measures the free mobility of workers across Europe". The need to ensure that EU Funds deliver growth and jobs on the ground was the focus of the intervention of Jerzy Zająkała (PL/ECR) who, on behalf of the ECR Group, called on the Council to launch new macro-regional strategies and to work more closely with the CoR: "Local and regional authorities cannot always use EU funds, not only because they lack the administrative capacity, but often because they do not have the money to co-finance projects. As the EU, we must find solutions so that the money allocated to some of our Member States can be fully put to use", he said.
During the debate, Mr Kersch underlined that: "Social cohesion is a pillar of the European project", adding that: "After the financial and economic crisis, the deepening of the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union becomes an absolute priority". His call for a European Union where nobody is left behind was sincerely welcomed by the President of the CoR PSE Group, Catiuscia Marini i (IT/PES): "Averting a Grexit is not just an act of charity towards a country facing a true humanitarian crisis, but a carefully thought-out political move aimed at sparing the EU from an imminent tectonic earthquake, whose magnitude would put a question mark over the entire architecture of the European project".
The importance of EU solidarity was echoed by President Markkula when addressing the challenge of migration: "The tragic events in the Mediterranean Sea call for resolute and continued action. The Committee is doing its utmost to set up migration and integration partnerships between cities and regions of both origin and destination. Our two partnerships with candidate countries from the Mediterranean (ARLEM) and the Eastern Partnerships (CORLEAP) provide concrete tools for exchanging views and best practices".
Finally, Mr Kersch, a former CoR member, insisted on the need to reaffirm the subsidiarity principle, which he considered was "all too often neglected in EU practice". A point which was fully shared by the Vice-President of the CoR European Alliance Group, Karim Overmeire (BE/EA): "Subsidiarity should be the guiding principle, and the role of local and regional governments should be strengthened in the process of European decision making" he said, adding that: "The democratic accountability of the EU has become an issue, as transparency is not guaranteed and crucial deals are struck behind closed doors".
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