European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič presented the institution’s work priorities during the 153rd plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on Thursday 9 February. On the agenda: the war in Ukraine, increasing the Union’s energy independence, and competitiveness.
“Cities and regions have an important role to play as Europe faces a year which is turning out to be every bit as challenging as the last year”, he said. He particularly welcomed the CoR’s involvement in the ‘Fit for future’ platform (see EUROPE 13027/8).
This recognition is welcome... but it is not enough. Jelena Drenjanin (EPP, Swedish) called for a “more structured recognition” by the EU, especially in the run-up to the European elections. “We need mutual trust in order to secure the needed strong support for European policies starting in our cities and regions”, she said.
Energy: more influence from local authorities
The same applies to energy. Gunārs Ansiņś (Renew Europe, Latvian), for example, argued for each region to think about its own energy independence, according to local means and conditions while paying special attention to energy efficiency.
But Šefčovič highlighted that Next Generation EU had paved the way for major financial support in relation to energy efficiency. “Paradoxically, the problem here is not financing but labour shortages and permits”, he said. He said that local and regional authorities should work with the Commission to speed up the process of obtaining permits, especially for strategic projects in terms of energy independence.
Meanwhile, as the Commission prepares to propose legislation on critical raw materials (see EUROPE 13032/2), Isolde Ries (PES, German) stressed the need to open mines in the EU. “Your role will be crucial [...] to help us to work with the public opinion”, the Vice-President agreed. “We have to find ways on how to move from the ‘not in my neighbourhood’ into ‘please in my neighbourhood’ approach”. He added that this would include reassuring the local population that the mines will meet high environmental standards and that the benefits will be shared.
Regions in the front line to help Ukrainian cities
Finally, the Vice-President applauded the involvement of local and regional authorities in the European effort to support Ukraine. “Cities and regions have played a crucial role in this effort, especially in taking in the millions of refugees fleeing the violence”, he said. Similarly, he welcomed the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine (see EUROPE 13073/18), launched at the initiative of the CoR in June 2022. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)