Local and regional leaders say that true recovery from COVID-19 crises will only happen if citizens across Europe's villages, towns, cities and regions feel it.
"The one million regional and local elected politicians in the EU must be fairly represented in the Union's decision-making process to strengthen democracy. The Conference on the Future of Europe is therefore a unique and historical occasion to rethink of a common European house, having its villages, cities and regions and therefore its citizens as its foundations." Olgierd Geblewicz President of the EPP-CoR Group and President of the Westpomerania Region made these remarks during a debate with Janez Janša, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia.
In his reaction, Janez Janša said that the EU is not only Brussels. "There are member states but there are also regions and local communities that must be engaged in the Conference on the Future of Europe."
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and Governor of Central Macedonia (Greece) spoke on the need to engage more with citizens and the role local and regional elected politicians can play. "It is our common duty to listen to and discuss directly with the citizens about their priorities and needs. Local Dialogues are one of our basic tools that we will use to make sure that the Conference will go beyond Brussels and EU Institutions."
Ivan Žagar, Mayor of the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica said that there is still a great difference in the development of regions. "We have been working hard to bring about more convergence among regions and are well aware of the gaps that remain. Our local dialogues will look into such challenges and we hope that these are taken into account by the plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe."
Mark Speich, CIVEX Chair and State Secretary for the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia welcomed that the Slovenian Presidency attaches great importance to the Conference on the Future of Europe. He added "I see the Conference as a great opportunity for fundamental reflection on the structure and functioning of the European Union."
Enlargement
Nikola Dobroslavić, President of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and CoR Rapporteur on the '2020 Enlargement Package' said that all the Western Balkan countries should become EU members. "This is good for these countries, it is good for the EU, but these countries must fulfil all the criteria for the accession." He added that local and regional authorities (LRAs) in their countries should be involved in all the processes.
From his end Janša said that enlargement is a strategic issue for the Slovenian Presidency. "Enlargement is a strategic issue. The dream of the founding fathers of the EU was to make Europe whole, free, safe and at peace with itself. We have to continue to build on this goal by working closely with the WesternBalkans."
Recovery and Resilience
Referring to priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Geblewicz who is the President of the Association of Polish Regions said "We will do our utmost to support the Slovenian Presidency in its efforts to build a resilient and strategically autonomous Europe, based on the principle of solidarity". In this regard Janša said "The pandemic has showed that we need to cooperate more together to be better prepared for future challenges and possible threats. After all we created the EU for such situations where we are stronger together."
Michael Murphy, ECON Chair and Councillor of Tipperary County emphasised the need to consider LRAs as partners in the recovery process. "A true recovery happens when citizens across Europe's villages, towns and cities feel it. The Recovery and Resilience Facility is an unprecedented opportunity to bounce back better and needs to be rolled-out respecting LRAs' competences."
Joke Schauvliege, Member of the Flemish Parliament and CoR Rapporteur on 'Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis' said that she was looking forward to a Slovenian Presidency that will work, in close cooperation with all levels of governance, to enhance the EU's collective preparedness, response capability and resilience to future crises as well as long-term strategic autonomy.
Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca spoke about the way the pandemic had accelerated the digital transition across various sectors and on the need to invest more to respond to digital challenges. "LRAs are faced with a challenge to make the digital transformation work for citizens. We need your strong support with all programmes to reduce the digital gaps and the skills gap."