Commissioner Pedro Solbes calls on local communities to take a more voluntarist approach to preparing for the introduction of the Euro - results of the 38rd meeting of the Committee

Brussels, 09/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - Invited to address the Committee of the Regions on the introduction of the Euro, Commissioner Pedro Solbes called on local and regional authorities to "take a more voluntarist approach" to develop the use of the Euro and familiarise citizens about its use. Many public authorities allow citizens to use the Euro in a greater number of operations but according to the Commissioner, they should go further by paying civil servants' salaries in Euros or using the single currency for public tenders.

According to the European Commission's latest report on preparations for the introduction of the Euro, which was adopted on Tuesday and presented by Mr Solbes to the Committee of the Regions, local authorities are generally quite well prepared for the changeover to the single currency. The Commissioner regretted, however, that the preparations had been put off to the second half of 2001. Several members of the Committee asked him questions about the difficulties faced by small communities, the Commissioner recognised that they had the greatest problems. He called on them to study and plan for the necessary changes. Many will not be changing their systems until 1 January 2002 but he stressed that they would have to be ready for that date. Local and regional authorities are invited to follow a few good examples, like the villages around Barcelona which have invited all local actors to group together in local committee to monitor the changeover to the Euro and coordinate information campaigns for the local population and SMEs (see EUROPE of 5 April, page 14). The Commissioner also highlighted the utility of practising using the Euro and information campaigns for school children.

In its thirty-eighth meeting, the Committee of the Regions adopted opinions on:

• The urban audit carried out by the European Commission - the Committee believes that the audit provides a useful, if partial, table of the development of European cities. The statistics are not always complete and cannot always be compared and for this reason the urban audit should not be the only information used to help define European urban policy, stresses the Committee.
• Maritime safety and pollution of the seas - the Committee wants local and regional authorities to be involved in these policies.
• Rules governing the granting of EU financial aid to trans-European transport networks - the Committee of the Regions regrets that shipping and river transport receive little aid.
• The next Intergovernmental Conference - the Committee of the Regions wants the new reform of the Institutions to give the Committee a role which is not "purely consultative".