Brussels, 12/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a letter sent on 9 January 2007, the presidents of the six main associations of European local and regional government called on the EU heads of state to 'regain and strengthen the gains for regional and local government achieved in the European Constitution', namely: 1) the explicit recognition of local and regional self-government; 2) extension of the subsidiarity principle to include local and regional government; 3) extension of the concept of cohesion to include territorial cohesion, both as an objective of the EU and as a competence; 4) the subsidiarity/proportionality monitoring system; 5) more effective consultation of local and regional governments, and more account to be taken of the financial impact of EU policies on local and regional governments; and 6) the new right of the Committee of the Regions to refer subsidiarity issues to the European Court of Justice.
The signatories also call for the Declaration of the values of the EU, due to be agreed on 25 March 2007 in Berlin on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, to 'include positive references to the principles of local and regional self-government, as well as the role that these levels of government play in the democratic life of the Union.' The call follows a similar letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 21 December 2006, in which the six associations stated that the 'German Presidency of the EU has a priority task of seeking a way forward in relation to the future of the Constitutional Treaty,' explained a spokesperson for the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, CEMR, Patrizio Fiorilli.
The six associations and their presidents are: 1) the Assembly of European Regions (AER); Riccardo Illy, President of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy; 2) the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) ; Lambert van Nistelrooij, Dutch MEP; 3) the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR); Michael Häupl, Mayor of Vienna, Austria; 4) the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR); Claudio Martini, President of Tuscany in Italy; 5) Eurocities; Gérard Collomb, Mayor of Lyons in France; and 6) Regions with Legislative Power (REGLEG); Rhodri Morgan, First Minister for Wales (UK). (gb)