Brussels, 19/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - Through its adoption by a wide majority of the report by Mercedes Bresso, leader of the PES group in the Committee of the Regions (CoR) on the Commission's Plan D and its White Paper on the European Communication Policy, the CoR (1) stresses the role of regions and local authorities in getting the European project across to citizens; (2) regrets the marginal role the White Paper gives it; (3) calls for the link to be made between communication policy and active citizenship, through high-profile events and platforms for reflection and dialogue, and for as wide a public as possible to be consulted on matters of concern to citizens.
Regional and local authorities were a real “transmission belt” between citizens and European institutions, Ms Bresso told a press conference. She said that she felt a fourth “D”, “for decentralisation”, should be added to the Commission's Plan D (democracy, debate, dialogue). Europe, she said, would be better known and understood, if it insisted more on decentralisation at all levels. Commission Vic-President Margot Wallström said it was vital to add this fourth “D” to the Plan and gave assurances that she wanted to develop relations between the Commission and the CoR. Nothing, she said, was stopping the CoR from expressing and developing its views. “We could indeed incorporate them into our White Paper,” she added.
In response to a journalist's question on the marginal role given to the CoR by the Commission's White Paper, CoR President Michel Delebarre said, “The Committee's relations with the European institutions, are a bit like love. Declarations are all fine and well, but we believe in the promises of love. If the Committee is not in the White Paper, it is because we are the youngest European institution: the CoR is only twelve years old!”