The members of the Bureau of the European Committee of the Regions, the Committee’s executive body, discussed on Friday 11 September the functioning of the European Union in light of the response to the coronavirus pandemic crisis and a possible second wave.
Members from local and regional authorities, beginning with the Committee’s president, Apostolos Tzitzikostas (EPP, Greece), noted once again the extent to which the European response to the virus has rested with local and regional authorities. “From managing the return to school, to coping with the pressures on health services, to securing jobs and supporting SMEs, regional and local authorities continue to be the first line of defence during this tragic pandemic”, the President said.
In the eyes of local and regional authorities, the closure of national borders and restrictions on mobility are by no means a solution. Instead, the European response must include concrete mechanisms for cross-border regional cooperation, particularly on health. Members want to combat the trend toward centralised decision-making triggered by the pandemic and want to use the Conference on the Future of Europe to improve the EU’s democratic functioning.
“Now is the time to ensure that, in addition to national and European authorities, regional and local authorities are recognised once and for all as one of the three dimensions of our European House of Democracy”, said Mr Tzitzikostas, who wants to be the regional voice in the European institutional triangle.
The European Committee of the Regions presented its proposals “for renewing the European Union” (see EUROPE 12272/24) in mid-2019, based on the conclusions of the working group on subsidiarity (see EUROPE 12112/8). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)