The other opinions due to be adopted on 17 and 18 June discuss how Community policy is implemented at local and regional level.

EU enlargement and decentralised cooperation: regions and cities forge EU external relations on the ground

The local and regional dimension of EU external relations and cooperation at local and regional level with non-EU countries are one of the main themes of this month's CoR plenary session.

CoR members will begin work on the preparations for a conference on decentralised cooperation that the Committee, along with the European Commission, will be holding next December. Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, will make a statement to members on 17 June and, on the same day, the French rapporteur, Jean‑Louis Destans (PES), will present his draft opinion on two Commission Communications, entitled One year after Lisbon: the Africa-EU partnership at work and The EU, Africa and China: towards trilateral dialogue and cooperation. You can find an interview with Louis Michel on this subject here.

CoR members will also be asked to express their views on possible future EU enlargement in a review of the progress made by candidate countries or potential candidates, with two opinions on the subject submitted by Jasmina Vidmar (SI/ALDE), member of Maribor City Council, and Gordon Keymer (UK/EPP), member of Tandridge District Council, respectively, for adoption at the plenary session. As the bulk of EU legislation is implemented by local and regional authorities, they are of crucial importance for making a country "EU-ready".

The contribution of local and regional authorities to the EU's external relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will also be at the heart of the forum on Eastern Partnership that the CoR has organised for 16 and 17 June. Click here to find out more about this event.

On the basis of his experience as the elected representative of an authority close to one of the EU's external borders, in this case with Belarus, Arnoldas Abramavičius (LT/EPP), mayor of Zarasai District Municipality, will present his work on the role played by local and regional authorities in cross-border territorial cooperation in the migration field. To watch the rapporteur present his opinion, click here for the Lithuanian version or here for the English version.

The road to Copenhagen – Using and protecting natural resources: global problems need local solutions

The way in which our natural resources are used and protected is to a large extent governed by local and regional authorities. That is why the global problem of resource management requires a local response. Two opinions at the June Plenary Session will address this issue.

In his draft opinion on A new impetus for halting biodiversity loss, René Souchon (FR/PES), president of Auvergne Regional Council, warns that local and regional authorities need to be more active in drawing up strategies to tackle biodiversity loss, and that they need to dedicate sufficient funding to make these programmes a success. "The failures of policies to stem biodiversity loss are due to the clear gap between the promises made and the action taken and the measures employed," he said. He calls in particular for tax breaks and subsidies to be made more "eco-conditional" – with an obligation on recipients to protect biodiversity and an end to subsidies that promote development that damages biodiversity. To watch René Souchon presenting his comments click here.

Citizens also have a key role to play in reducing levels of food waste, according to Mona Lisa Norrman (SE/PES), member of Jämtland County Council. Her draft opinion on The management of biowaste in the European Union suggests that the best way to manage biowaste is to reduce its production, and that local authorities have a key role to play in encouraging citizens to consume less and recycle more. "Efforts should be made to increase awareness among both producers and consumers of the link between consumption and production, as well as costs, waste, the environment and health. Measures should also be taken to curb the amount of food discarded by the food industry, shops, the healthcare sector and schools."

Maritime resources and their sustainability: a concern for numerous European regions

In the European Union the sea is a uniting factor for hundreds of local and regional authorities who share this environmental and economic resource. That is why Michel Delebarre, MP and mayor of Dunkirk and first vice-president of the CoR (FR/PES), will be presenting the point of view of regions and cities on the Commission's Maritime and coastal package at the CoR plenary session.

That is also why the Commission's proposed Community fisheries control system will be addressed by Sir Simon Day, member of Devon County Council (UK/EPP), who feels that the existing system is "inefficient, expensive and complex and does not produce the desired results". On 29 June Commissioner Joe Borg will, together with CoR President, Luc van den Brande, will hold a Structured dialogue on the subject and discuss it with European and national associations of local and regional authorities.

12/06/2009

policy

Urban Policy