The Committee Of The Regions And Its Political Priorities

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ISBN 13 : 9789289508339
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (83 download)

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Download or read book The Political Priorities of the European Committee of the Regions 2015-2020 written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Committee of the Regions brings together political representatives from the levels of government closest to citizens of the European Union: regional, municipal and local councils. This proximity to local experience gives it a unique position on the EU's landscape, and the Committee's political programme for 2015-20 shows its closeness to the concerns of ordinary people. These priorities were agreed unanimously in the June 2015 Plenary for the first time for the entire five year mandate. The Committee's top priority is to kick-start Europe's economy. To achieve its goal of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the EU needs to involve local and regional authorities more deeply. Smart investment should be based on local needs, draw on best practice at the grassroots level and encourage a new entrepreneurial spirit across Europe. The EU's efforts to boost growth should consider the opportunities offered by new digital technologies.^The second priority is to ensure that growth is broadly based across Europe. The Committee will help to narrow the knowledge gap between regions and cities as a means of reducing the urban/rural divide. It will assess what impact EU legislation has on the ground, including the impact on cities. It will encourage cross-border cooperation, through the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). Cohesion policy is the one of the main tools that the EU has, and effective use of that policy is a central concern of the Committee. Developing trust of the EU at the local level is the third priority of the European Committee of the Regions. It will promote the role of local government in European policymaking, it will help the EU make the business environment friendlier, and it will explain the benefits of the Union at the local level.^Local governments in the EU can help stabilise countries in the EU's neighbourhood: this is the fourth priority of the European Committee of the Regions. It will help develop economic and political ties with the six post-Soviet states in the EU's Eastern Partnership. It will explore what can be done at the local level to promote cooperation with countries around the Mediterranean, and it will help would-be members of the EU to prepare for membership. What is the role of the EU citizen in all of this? The fifth priority of the European Committee of the Regions is to strengthen the EU's relationship with its citizens. A fuller, richer dialogue is needed between the EU's institutions, its citizens and local and regional authorities. The European Committee of the Regions will demonstrate how the EU can improve the lives of individuals and their communities.^Economic growth, a strong local economy, a stronger local voice in policymaking, a more stable international and regional environment, and a fuller voice in EU affairs: these are concerns that the average EU citizen has and that the European Committee of the Regions will pursue to achieve.