Brussels, 16/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 16 May, the Assembly of the European Regions (AER) held, in Paris, its third summit on the crisis and the regions, providing an opportunity to confirm their wish to gain in legitimacy in this context. On this occasion, the head of the association, Michèle Sabban, said she hoped that, through the summit, one would discover the role of the regions is not simply to accompany policies defined at higher ranks. When it comes from above, she said, it is too technical, too administrative, Agence France Presse reports. Sabban regrets, moreover, that the European Commission “hears us but, for now, does not listen to us”, while the AER is “far more legitimate than the Council of the Regions where the government representatives are appointed” (our translation).
The summit, attended by the European budget commissioner, Janusz Lewandowski, will give rise to ten AER recommendation for overcoming the crisis in the regions. EUROPE will come back to this. (MD/transl.jl)