Ahead of the adoption of their resolution on the European Commission’s 2017 work programme, CoR members today held a debate with Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
"When looking at the numerous challenges the EU is currently facing, it becomes clear that they can be met only if we act together", stressed Timmermans in his speech. "Much of the anger we see against Europe is due to increasing inequalities. This calls for local, regional, national and European answers".
Participating in the debate on behalf of the PES Group, the Group’s First Vice-President, Markus Töns, noted that "the concept of solidarity, which is the very essence of the European project, is currently being called into question. The EU has to stand up for its values and fundamental rights".
He was joined in his call by PES member Jacinth Horváth, who highlighted the Group's concerns about the independence of the judiciary and media freedom in Hungary. "When such fundamental rights are being undermined by a national government, the Commission as the guardian of the Treaties has to act" Horváth stressed, adding "at the same time, local and regional authorities in a given Member State can't be held hostage at European level for the policies of the national government".
The PES Group succeeded in including a series of key requests in the CoR resolution on the 2017 work programme, and as a result, the CoR urges the Commission to deliver in the following areas:
- Setting a European agenda on housing, which would make the issue a horizontal priority, thus overcoming the current fragmented approach;
- Reviewing the rules on Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) and enabling regional and local authorities to present their point of view on the difficulties they face with regard to State aid control when financing SGEI;
- Providing follow-up on the guidelines for the collaborative/sharing economy;
- Making the Stability and Growth Pact more growth- and investment-friendly;
- Addressing the geographical imbalances of the European Fund for Strategic Investments and making more detailed information publicly available regarding EFSI-financed projects;
- Complementing the Annual Growth Survey with a territorial analysis;
- Implementing at local level the commitments made within the COP 22 process on climate change;
- Supporting local and regional authorities through the reform of the Common European Asylum System and the other EU instruments developed on the basis of the European Agenda on Migration;
- Last but not least, involving local and regional governments in the preparations for the White Paper on the Future of Europe, which will lay out the measures to be taken to reform an EU of 27 member states 60 years after the Treaties of Rome.
