Committee of the Regions
Encyclopedia
| Committee of the Regions | |
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| Established | 1994 |
| Type | EU body Institutions of the European Union The European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European... |
| President | Mercedes Bresso Mercedes Bresso Mercedes Bresso is an Italian politician and former President of the Piedmont Region. She is a member of the Democratic Party . After her election as governor of Piedmont, she resigned from the office as Member of European Parliament. She is a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic... |
| Members | 344 |
| Represents | Local government |
| Powers | Advisory; approach the Court of Justice Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union is the institution of the European Union which encompasses the whole judiciary. Seated in Luxembourg, it has three sub-courts; the European Court of Justice, the General Court and the Civil Service Tribunal.The institution was originally established in... with regard to the subsidiarity of legislation |
| Seat | Delors building Delors building The Delors building located in the European Quarter of Brussels and houses the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. It was named Delors in 2006 after President Jacques Delors, who was the principal founder behind the Committee of the Regions and the most... , Brussels |
| Website | cor.europa.eu |
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities with a direct voice within the EU's institutional framework
Institutions of the European Union
The European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European...
.
Established in 1994, the CoR was set up to address two main issues. Firstly, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so it made sense for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Secondly, there were concerns that there was a widening gap between the public and the process of European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
; involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens
Citizenship of the European Union
Citizenship of the European Union was introduced by the Maastricht Treaty . European citizenship is supplementary to national citizenship and affords rights such as the right to vote in European elections, the right to free movement and the right to consular protection from other EU states'...
was one way of closing the gap.
Principles
There are three main principles at the heart of the Committee's work:Subsidiarity
Subsidiarity
Subsidiarity is an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which...
This principle, written into the Treaties at the same time as the creation of the CoR, means that decisions within the European Union should be taken at the closest practical level to the citizen. The European Union, therefore, should not take on tasks which are better suited to national, regional or local administrations.
Proximity
All levels of government should aim to be 'close to the citizens', in particular by organising their work in a transparent fashion, so people know who is in charge of what and how to make their views heard.
Partnership
Sound European governance means European, national, regional and local government working together – all four are indispensable and should be involved throughout the decision making process.
Scope
The Treaties oblige the European CommissionEuropean Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and Council
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that have repercussions at regional or local level. The Treaty on European Union
Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
set out 5 such areas – economic and social cohesion, trans-European infrastructure networks, health, education and culture. The Amsterdam Treaty
Amsterdam Treaty
The Amsterdam Treaty, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; it made substantial changes to the Maastricht Treaty,...
added another five areas to the list – employment policy, social policy, the environment, vocational training and transport – which now covers much of the scope of the EU's activity.
Outside these areas, the Commission, Council and European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
have the option to consult the CoR on issues if they see important regional or local implications to a proposal. The CoR can also draw up an opinion on its own initiative, which enables it to put issues on the EU agenda. On certain issues it works in partnership with the Economic and Social Committee
Economic and Social Committee
The European Economic and Social Committee is a body of the European Union established in 1958. It is a consultative assembly composed of employers , employees and representatives of various other interests...
(EESC or EcoSoC).
The CoR has gained the right (privileged status) to approach the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
now that Treaty of Lisbon
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
(Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – TFEU) has entered into force following ratification by all EU Member States (Article 8, Protocol (No. 2) on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:0150:0152:EN:PDF).
Composition
CoR has 344 members – the number from each EU country roughly reflecting the size of its population. The numbers per country are as follows:| State | Members | State | Members | State | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany |
24 |  Czech Republic |
12 |  Finland |
9 |
 United Kingdom |
24 |  Belgium |
12 |  Republic of Ireland |
9 |
 Early Modern France |
24 |  Hungary |
12 |  Lithuania |
9 |
 Italy |
24 |  Portugal |
12 |  Latvia |
7 |
 Spain |
21 |  Sweden |
12 |  Slovenia |
7 |
 Poland |
21 |  Kingdom of Bulgaria |
12 |  Estonia |
7 |
 Kingdom of Romania |
15 |  Austria |
12 |  Cyprus |
6 |
 Netherlands |
12 |  Slovakia |
9 |  Luxembourg |
6 |
 Greece |
12 |  Denmark |
9 |  Malta |
5 |
| TOTAL | 344 | ||||
Internal structure
PresidentElected for a two-and-a-half year term, the president guides the Committee’s work, chairs plenary sessions and is the CoR’s official representative. Mercedes Bresso
Mercedes Bresso
Mercedes Bresso is an Italian politician and former President of the Piedmont Region. She is a member of the Democratic Party . After her election as governor of Piedmont, she resigned from the office as Member of European Parliament. She is a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic...
, the former President of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
from the centre-left
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
, was elected president in February 2010.
First vice-president
The first vice-president is also elected by the plenary assembly for two-and-a-half years, to represent the president in the latter’s absence. Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso
Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso
Ramon Luis Valcárcel Siso is a Spanish politician, president of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia from 1995....
(ES/PPE), President of the Spanish region of Murcia, will hold this office until 2012 when he will, according to an agreement between the CoR's PES and the EPP Groups, take over the presidency from Mercedes Bresso.
Bureau
The Bureau is the ruling body of the CoR. It comprises 60 members: the president, first vice-president, 27 vice-presidents (one per Member State), the four presidents of the CoR political groups and 27 other members, enabling it to reflect national and political balances. The Bureau generally meets seven times a year, draws up the CoR’s policy programme and instructs the
administration on the implementation of its decisions.
Plenary assembly
The 344 members of the CoR meet in plenary session in Brussels five times a year, to discuss and adopt opinions, reports and resolutions.
CoR commissions
The CoR structures its work by means of six commissions, which specialise in the following areas: territorial cohesion policy; economic and social policy; environment, climate change and energy; natural resources; culture, education and research; citizenship, governance, institutional and external affairs. They prepare draft opinions and hold conferences and seminars focused on their areas of competence. Each commission has approximately 100 members and is supported by a secretariat within the administration.
Committee for Administrative and Financial Affairs (CAFA)
This committee – which has eight members – advises the Bureau on administrative and financial questions.
The political groups
The CoR has four political groups: the European People’s Party (EPP), the Party of European Socialists
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
(PES), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the...
(ALDE) and the European Alliance (EA). The members of each political group meet before major meetings to adopt common positions. The CoR president, first vice-president and presidents of the political groups also gather before each plenary session and other important meetings, with the aim of reaching a political consensus on key questions.
National delegations
The CoR also comprises 27 national delegations. Members meet in their national delegations before plenary sessions and other events to discuss common positions.
Secretary-general
The secretary-general is appointed for five years by the Bureau. As head of the CoR administration, the secretary-general must not hold a political mandate. He is responsible for implementing Bureau decisions and the smooth running of the administration. Gerhard Stahl
Gerhard Stahl
Gerhard Stahl is an EU Official, currently serving as Secretary-General of the ' He was educated in his home city and went on to graduate in economics at the Technical University in Berlin, where he had his first professional post as an assistant to the chair of public finance...
is the Secretary-General of the CoR since 2004 (reappointed in 2009).
Secretariat-general
The secretariat-general consists of five directorates: Administration and Finance; Members Service and Registry; Consultative Works; Communication, Press and Events; and Horizontal Policies and Networks. The units for budget, personnel, commission work and interinstitutional relations are organised within this structure. The secretariat-general also includes the political group secretariatsand internal audit service. The Logistics and Translations Directorates are jointly managed with the European Economic and Social Committee.
Work
OpinionsThe European Commission, Council of Ministers and European Parliament consult the CoR when drawing up legislative texts (directives, regulations, etc.) on areas affecting local and regional authorities. The draft texts are forwarded to the relevant CoR commission. A rapporteur is then appointed to draw up the Committee’s opinion. This draft opinion must be adopted by the CoR commission before being discussed at the plenary session. Once it has been approved in plenary, the official opinion is sent to all the European institutions and published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Resolutions
Resolutions enable the Committee to express its view on important and topical issues. The CoR’s political groups can also draw up resolutions.
Outlook opinions and impact reports
The CoR’s work is not only to react to legislative proposals, but also to provide input based on members’ experience for future EU policy development. Outlook opinions allow the CoR to participate in the development of policy at a very early stage, thereby having greater impact. Similarly, the European Commission may ask the CoR to draw up an impact report. As the name suggests, these reports serve to evaluate the impact of a policy at local or regional level.
Studies and other publications
The CoR produces studies on various aspects of the local and regional dimension of the EU (education, transport, social issues, enlargement, etc.). They are drawn up with the help of outside experts. The CoR also produces publications for both the general public and for regional and local players, aimed at explaining its activities and outlining current political developments.
Events
As a meeting place for regions and cities, the CoR organises conferences, seminars and exhibitions in cooperation with local and regional partners and other EU institutions. Once a year, during the European Week of Regions and Cities (Open Days), the CoR welcomes to its headquarters thousands of participants who take part in lively discussions or seek partners to collaborate on joint projects.
Budget controversy
The Committee of the Regions (COR) wants its 2010 budget of €79.66 million to rise to €91.07 million in 2011, signifying an increase of 14 per cent. This was criticised by the think tank Open EuropeOpen Europe
Open Europe is an influential eurosceptic think-tank and interest group, founded in London by some UK business people, with offices in London and Brussels. While Open Europe does not advocate British withdrawal from the European Union, it is critical of the process of European integration and has...
, which complained that the institution's work overlaps with other EU institutions, duplicating work, while calling for its abolishment.
History
1992: Maastricht TreatyMaastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
EU leaders decide to set up the Committee of the Regions (CoR) as a consultative assembly which will provide regions and cities with a voice in the EU decision-making process and act as a direct link between Brussels and the citizens. The Treaty makes it mandatory for the European Commission and the Council of Ministers to consult the CoR on key areas of regional concern. CoR members are to be nominated by the governments of Member States and will serve for four years. In March 1994 the CoR holds its first plenary session in Brussels.
European People’s Party
1995: EU enlargement
The CoR’s membership increases from 189 to 222, following the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden.
1997: Amsterdam Treaty
Amsterdam Treaty
The Amsterdam Treaty, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; it made substantial changes to the Maastricht Treaty,...
Extends the CoR’s remit to cover around two thirds of the EU’s legislative proposals. The Treaty also makes it possible for the Committee to be consulted by the European Parliament.
2001: Nice Treaty
Underlines the democratic legitimacy of the CoR by requiring that its members are elected or politically accountable to an elected regional or local assembly. Caps the number of members at 350.
2002–03: Convention on the Future of the EU
CoR members take part in the convention responsible for drafting an EU constitution. The text expressly recognises the role and powers of local and regional government; it also gives the CoR the right to go to the Court of Justice of the European Communities to challenge EU laws which do not comply with the principle of subsidiarity.
May 2004: EU enlargement
Number of CoR members increases from 222 to 317, following the accession of 10 new Member States.
February 2006: new term of office
The CoR starts a new four-year term. Its political priorities include boosting the role of local and regional authorities in line with the Lisbon Strategy for Jobs and Growth, strengthening cohesion and solidarity, and spearheading the ‘Communicating Europe – Going local’ campaign to bring the EU closer to its citizens.
January 2007: EU enlargement
With the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, the number of CoR members rises from 317 to 344.
December 2007: Lisbon Treaty
The Lisbon Treaty confirms the CoR’s right to appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Communities to safeguard its prerogatives and the subsidiarity principle – a right already recognised by the Convention on the Future of the EU. This new entitlement will strengthen the CoR’s political role, by enabling it to act more effectively on the EU stage for the benefit of regional and local authorities. The Lisbon Treaty extends the term of office of CoR members from four to five years.
External links
- Committee of the Regions
- List of Members
- The committee of the Regions : European Navigator
- Subsidiarity Monitoring Network of the Committee of the Regions
- Atlas of Decentralised cooperation for Development, a website dedicated to decentralised cooperation developed joinly by the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission