Athens, 07/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Committee of the Regions (CoR) has already carried out its own mid-term revision of the EUROPE 2020 strategy. Its verdict is damning over the level to which the regions have been taken into account in pursuing the objectives laid down. This will be an expensive error, in view of the growing gaps between the regions of Europe, said the president of the CoR, Ramon Valcarcel. A raft of recommendations has been adopted in the Athens Declaration by the presidents of the regions, meeting for their summit in Athens on 7 March. These recommendations will be put to the heads of state and government at their spring meeting on 20-21 March.
"Home-made" assessment. Opening the Summit of the Regions in Athens, Valcarcel said that the "economic and financial crisis has hit the citizens' perception of the EU hard. We need to reflect on the model, learning lessons from the mistakes we may have experienced." The mid-term review carried out by the Committee of the Regions, which pre-empts that of the Commission, should "give a local vision of the strategy for growth and employment", he went on to explain.
The mid-term review was carried out on the basis of around 1,000 contributions sent in by the local and regional authorities in the framework of a public consultation carried out by the CoR. On the basis of this uniquely local reading, seven recommendations have been sent in the Athens Declaration, with indications on how to turn the tide. Multi-level governance was a predominant feature in this. This is of genuine significance as the European regions apply, at their own costs and with no say in the chapters, many decisions taken at European level, the governor of the Greek region of Attica, Ioannis Sgouros, pointed out.
Recommendations. The second part of the EUROPE 2020 strategy should be devoted to a local dimension, laying down objectives which are differentiated on the basis of the specific natures of each region. Each of the regions should pursue a number of these objectives.
In addition, the national reform programmes should work on the basis of partnership, between the different levels of power. "It is not enough to consult the regions and go no further than to hear their opinions. We have to reach negotiated solutions", the vice president of the CoR, Mercedes Bresso, explained. The recommendations for each individual country should also be laid down at local level.
In general, multi-level governance should be translated in the EU's annual growth examination. The exercise of the European semester should take greater account of long-term investments. Budget cuts should not penalise the sectors which are vital in achieving the 2020 objectives, such as education and training, research and development, innovation and infrastructure.
The key initiatives should be levers for more political coordination between the various levels of power.
Unsurprisingly, at their own level, the regions argue in favour of "doing more with less", recommending a better quality of public expenditure. "The local and regional authorities should spend better and use innovative methods of funding", Bresso explained. An explicit reference was made to the principles of the OECD for effective public investment.
Administrative capacity is also vital for an effective roll-out of the EUROPE 2020 strategy, in particular by means of comparative assessment, an exchange of experience and peer learning between the regions and cities. The European territorial cooperation programmes and European territorial cooperation groups are useful instruments in carrying this out.
Taking inspiration from the Athens declaration, the CoR will make "concrete proposals to move the strategy forward, on the basis of good governance involving all levels of power" in December, when the Commission will present the future options for EUROPE 2020, Bresso concluded.
Greek experience. At the summit, particular attention was paid to the problems still facing the host country, Greece. Many stressed the need for a change of direction in European governance. The recommendations of the CoR will no doubt echo this. The Greek foreign minister, Evangelos Venizelos, stated that his country is also a laboratory, where the resilience of the European institutions is being put to the test. (MD)