Brussels, 01/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - In their highly critical response to the EU 2020 strategy consultation exercise, conducted by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) from 10 March to 28 April 2010, an overwhelming majority of regions and cities believe that the EUROPE 2020 project, as it stands, does not have the means to deliver on its promises. The 90 local and regional authorities from 21 member states expressed doubts over the strategy's action plan and instruments. They also criticise the lack of time for a well coordinated decision taken by all levels of government and other stakeholders to ensure an effective implementation of the strategy. This was the message sent in a letter by CoR Vice-President Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso to President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek and to heads of state and government ahead of the European Council on June 17-18. Valcárcel Siso also called on the European Council to ask all member states to activate existing institutional tools in order to involve their regions and cities in their countries' contributions to the EU targets and flagship initiatives as well as in the draft National Reform Programmes.
In his letter, Valcárcel Siso says that the cities and regions believe that the EU 2020 strategy can only be successful if: (1) its objectives, indicators and targets are flexibly adapted to existing socio-economic differences and disparities between regions and territories; (2) a new set of indicators, complementing GDP with broader measures of sustainability and quality of life, are used as a policy tool to stimulate growth, mobilising local resources; (3) the flagship initiatives are used as an opportunity to focus existing EU funding instruments on a limited number of priorities, overcoming the present fragmentation; (4) cutting red tape is made a priority; (5) EU, national, regional and local policies, including those under the responsibility of groupings of regions and cities (e.g. European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation, macro-regions), are implemented in a coordinated manner, to enhance synergies; (6) it is seen as complementary and mutually reinforcing with a strengthened cohesion policy for all EU territory.
The conclusions of the consultation of the cities and regions echo the European Parliament resolution on 20 May on the contribution of the cohesion policy to the achievement of Lisbon objectives and the EU 2020 strategy (see EUROPE 10143). This resolution supports the calls from the CoR, urging that the experience and contribution of cities and regions be taken into account in implementing the EU 2020 priorities, for example, with regard to climatic and demographic change, social integration and investment in sustainable development, energy, transport, water management, healthcare, etc. It says that any growth and employment strategy must be must be put into action in cooperation with the regions and cities and proposes that the Commission and Council take account of the CoR opinion on the 2020 strategy. (G.B./transl.rt)