Ahead of the upcoming European elections, members of the CoR Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) discussed active subsidiarity and increased participation of local and regional authorities in the EU legislative process

During the meeting, CIVEX members adopted a draft opinion calling for active implementation of subsidiarity, including increased participation of local and regional authorities in the EU legislative process. By developing and improving the current better regulation tools and activities, and through a stronger cooperation with other EU institutions, the EU can effectively achieve its objectives with transparency and efficiency. Moreover, CIVEX members recommend incorporating diverse better regulation tools and consultations with local and regional authorities throughout the decision-making cycle, emphasizing considerations such as territorial impact or rural proofing.  

The adoption was introduced by a debate with a representative of the European Commission on the CoR’s role in the European decision-making process in light of its 30th anniversary, during which CIVEX members emphasized the significance of this milestone for reflecting on the CoR's achievements and suggesting ways to enhance its role and contribution to EU legislation and policies. 

Mark Speich (DE/EPP), State Secretary for Federal, European and International Affairs of the State of North Rhine Westphalia, said "In the year of the European elections, criticism of Europe is particularly loud. Many argue that EU legislation has moved too far away from reality. Too many bureaucratic hurdles have been erected, making life and business more difficult. As convinced Europeans, we must take this criticism very seriously. If regions are better able to contribute their concrete on-site implementation experiences in Brussels, this will improve EU legislation and reduce bureaucracy. This is what active subsidiarity is about! That was and is precisely my motivation for taking over this rapporteurship. The opinion sets out clearly, which instruments of active subsidiarity we need, and which instruments we want to improve in terms of quantity and quality."

The opinion calls for greater involvement of the CoR and the regions in all phases of the European legislative process and law enforcement as this can ensure more efficient decision-making and implementation of EU policy. The opinion recalls that regional and local authorities are responsible for implementing more than 70% of EU legislation and hence are better placed than any other level of public administration to recognise the specific difficulties and challenges involved in implementing and communicating EU law.

The opinion encourages the European Commission to request more often that the CoR draw up ‘outlook opinions’ on future Union policies before action is taken at Union level or on the implementation of a policy, and to provide proper follow-up. It also requests that the Parliament systematically consult the CoR, including by organising dedicated hearings, when drafting reports on issues with a territorial dimension and, in particular, reports on regulatory fitness, subsidiarity and proportionality.

Speich considers that territorial impact assessments (TIAs) are the best tool for implementing the ‘do no harm to cohesion’ principle, ensuring that EU policies and pieces of legislation do not have different impacts in different regions, which could aggravate regional disparities and fuel discontent in the EU. In this regard, the opinion highlights the Council’s call for the Commission to make wide use of TIAs.

The draft opinion is scheduled to be adopted during the June CoR plenary session 

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