During the third plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), EPP local and regional elected representatives met to discuss the recommendations by European Citizens’ Panels.
Addressing the plenary session Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the EPP-CoR Group and President of West Pomerania Region called on the CoFoE to be strict on the rule of law and subsidiarity without leaving an impact on citizens. "We do not want to punish our citizens. So I call for a mechanism to transfer EU funds on the ground via Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) when governments are breaking the rules." Whilst referring to the Paweł Adamowic Award being presented next week during a CoR plenary session and honoring the Mayor of Gdansk, a victim of hate speech, disinformation and propaganda, Geblewicz called for the launch of EU programmes for citizens to combat hate speech and disinformation".
Speaking on behalf of the 1 million local/regional elected politicians, CoR President Apostolos Tzitzikostas said "Our commitment is to bring the territorial dimension for a more democratic and inclusive EU, closer to our citizens. We all agree that citizens' trust increases when democracy delivers results. So, to improve our work at EU level, to decentralise the decision making process and decrease bureaucracy, we need to put in practice effectively the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. At the same time, we need to expand and incorporate multilevel governance into the whole EU legislation to make sure that European, national and regional and local authorities work hand in hand"
LRAs discuss policies with citizens
Members of the EPP-CoR delegation to the CoFoE also participated in a number of working groups to discuss their views with citizens.
Addressing the Working Group on Education, culture, youth and sport, Emil Boc, Mayor of the City of Cluj-Napoca spoke on brain drain. He said "Freedom of movement is a right but no one should be forced to leave his own village, city or region because of economic reasons. One can move voluntarily but should not be forced. EU policies can transform brain drain into brain gain." Speaking on access to education, Boc stressed "We need to bridge local and regional gaps in terms of access, availability and quality of education. Specific efforts must be made in rural, remote and sub-urban areas."
Jelena Drenjanin, 1st Vice President of the EPP-CoR Group participated in the Working Group on Digital Transformation where she stressed on the need to increase digital literacy Drenjanin said "There is no doubt that European citizens want to be digitally integrated and see increased participation by democratizing digital literacy. No one should be left behind in Europe’s digital transformation path. " She also spoke on challenge of digital giants who are far ahead citizens and EU legislation: "The EU has expectations from EU giants not just in terms of taxes but also in terms of responsibilities they have."
Speaking during the Working Group on Migration, Magnus Berntsson, President of the Assembly of European Regions and Vice-President of the Regional Council of Västra Götaland, Sweden said that while LRAs are not directly responsible for migration policy, people who migrate are living in cities and regions so LRAs need to share good practices and learn from each other how to address common challenges. He added "Creating an inclusive Europe starts in local communities across our villages, towns and cities. It is therefore essential that we enhance support to regions as they work to integrate migrants, and create a Europe united in its diversity. "
Olgierd Geblewicz also joined the Working Group on Climate change and the environment. He said "If we want to be successful to address climate challenges we need to have citizens on our side. Therefore, LRAs, as the level of governance closest to citizens must be engaged in shaping new regulations. We need to include LRAs in territorial and social impact assessments because implementation differs between the local and national level."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKNDaE__lJg&list=PLZkp86_2BA1jKRxSdG8SYJVl8YzCvHgpY