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Political leaders of Europe's regions meet in Frankfurt
12.03.2008, 12:39
The Presidium of the Assembly of European Regions, the largest network of regions in the wider Europe, gathers in Frankfurt to discuss future EU budget and cohesion policy.
At the invitation of the Government of Hessen (D), a meeting of the Assembly of European Regions' (AER) Presidium was held at the ‘Maintower' in Frankfurt. AER is the largest and most active alliance of regions in the wider Europe, bringing together more than 260 member regions from 33 countries as well as 13 interregional associations. The organisation's membership extends beyond ‘old' Europe to include regions from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and Turkey.
Vice-President of AER and President of Baden Württemberg, Peter Straub, said at today's meeting that the regions were becoming a key force in European politics:
"The idea of a ‘Europe of the Regions' is not just an ideal; it is a practical policy requirement. The Lisbon Treaty has recognised this fact with its emphasis on subsidiarity and the second and third tiers of government as reference points for European action. This is why AER membership, along with member regions' involvement in our activities, is increasing each year."
The importance of regional-level involvement in EU policy was marked in recent months by EC President Barroso's appointment of AER's President Riccardo Illy to a High Level Working Group on the Reduction of Administrative Burdens, chaired by former President of Bavaria Edmund Stoiber. The AER President is the only active politician in Stoiber's working group.
Today's Presidium meeting focused on the future EU budget and cohesion policy, areas in which the regions can make a key contribution by presenting a common position despite their geographical, ethnic, and political diversity.
"Although AER covers such a broad political spectrum, we can reach agreements and solutions in policy areas where the EU and the states are still struggling. I am sometimes amazed that 260 regional authorities can adopt a common position in so many policy areas... And that is the strength of AER, our harmony in diversity," Mr. Straub said.
That "harmony in diversity" has helped regions from the EU's new and future member states to bring their citizens closer to the European Project long before formal accession. Since AER is as much a forum for interregional cooperation as it is a political voice for the regions' interests, many of its members have taken advantage of the experiences and best practices of their ‘older' European counterparts. AER's membership has rapidly increased in the past few years among regions in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the states of the former Soviet Union and Turkey.
Mr. Straub believes that AER's experience gives the organisation a basis from which to demand greater regional involvement in the design and implementation of European budgetary and cohesion policy. "EU policy must reflect regional needs, since it is regional authorities that are closest to citizens. That is how the principle of subsidiarity works, and that is why it is enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty", he added.
AER's recent study on the future of cohesion policy 2014+ had surveyed 60 regions from across the wider Europe, adding a valuable grass-roots perspective to the European debate. Both the study and AER's position on the EU Budget Review 2008-2009 call for greater integration of regional policy into other EU policy areas whilst allowing regions more scope to manage EU funds in the interests of those they are meant to benefit: Europe's citizens.
Source: AER Press release