Brussels, 19/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The 36th session of the Committee of the Regions provided an opportunity for the representatives of EU local and regional authorities to take part in the debate on the new forms of governance and to give their opinions on EU social policies.
- In its opinion on "new forms of governance" (Tope Report, ELDR, London), the Committee calls for a "relationship on the basis of a horizontal and equal partnership between spheres of government". For the Committee, the subsidiarity principle "should not be seen as a hierarchical principle for the distribution of powers between vertical levels, in which local and regional government may be seen as "lower" and therefore less important". The Committee of the Regions, moreover, welcomed the decision by the European Council of Nice to convene in 2004 a new IGC responsible for defining the responsibilities of different spheres of government.
- The Committee of the Regions considers it should have been involved in the preparation of the Social Agenda adopted by the European Council of Nice and asks to take part in the Summit to be devoted, in the spring, to the link between economic and social policies. The report by Martine Buron (PES, France) and Roberto Pella (EPP/Italy), adopted last week by the Committee, stresses that social exclusion and employment have an undeniable regional and local dimension. "Local and regional authorities are directly faced with social problems and have unequalled experience and expertise in this field", explained rapporteur Martine Buron. The Committee, moreover, insists on the need to establish local and regional indicators to evaluate the success or failure of social policy "as close as possible to the citizens".
- The Committee considers that the framework programme of the European Commission for equal gender opportunities presents shortcomings that will prevent effective implementation. The report by Diane Bunyan (PES, UK) stresses that the actions and the budget proposed (EUR 50 million for five years) are "insufficient for resolving problems". The Committee also regrets that the Commission communication "does not contain enough detailed information about the way in which the strategy is to be implemented". The Committee of the Regions also announces that it will be conducting a comparative study into gender balance in decision-making in local and regional government in the existing Member Sates and the applicant countries. The European Commission adopted its framework programme in June on equality between men and women from 2001 to 2005.
The Committee of the Regions adopted many other opinions on rural tourism, the postal services, innovative actions by the ERDF, etc.
