CoR celebrates 30 years and demands stronger role

To mark the celebrations of the 30 years anniversary of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), local and regional representatives on 20 November reflected on key achievements and debated the strengthening of the assembly’s role in the institutional and political architecture of the EU during the last Plenary Session of the year.

Being the voice of over a million local and regional elected representatives across the EU, the CoR reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing the EU’s democratic legitimacy by ensuring that policies and decisions are taken in partnership with local and regional authorities and taking into account the diverse territorial realities in Europe. Looking forward, members adopted a resolution calling for ambitious reforms of the EU to reflect this need.

The CoR highlighted decades of successful contributions and political impact, notably through the development of cohesion policy. Members focused on the enhanced possibilities, emerging from the renewed cooperation agreements with the European Parliament and the European Commission as ways to deliver more effective policies and reinforcing the contribution of the CoR to inter-institutional negotiations. Local and regional representatives also aim to strengthen the principles of active subsidiarity and proportionality and advocate for a greater role in implementing the European Green Deal and territorial cohesion, ensuring these policies are place-based.

Opening the debate, the President of the CoR, Vasco ALVES CORDEIRO, declared that “The European Union cannot exist if it is lead top down from Brussels and if it forgets that it is made by the many distinct parts that are its diverse territories. The European Union cannot be us, the institutions, versus them but it can only be us, Europe! There is a growing sense of need and urgency to reform and improve the way the EU works. This cannot happen without strengthening the role of the European Committee of the Regions in the institutional architecture of the EU, giving regions and cities not only the voice that they deserve but recognising, that regions and cities have the power to deliver.”

President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said “Today, we celebrate 30 years of the Committee of the Regions – 30 years of connecting citizens to their institutions and building a more ambitious, cohesive, local Union. Looking ahead to the next 30 years, we must build on our successes and go even further: Building a Europe that’s closer to its people, has a stronger local and social fabric and that offers solutions from the ground up.”

In her message, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, underlined that “For 30 years now, you have built Europe. Today we celebrate not only the achievements of the Committee of the Regions, but also the essential role of local and regional politics in the lives of European families, workers and communities. Regions will continue to be at the heart of Europe’s policymaking, being in shaping our new Preparedness Union, to safeguard our communities from hybrid threats or extreme weather, or in crafting our European Affordable Housing Plan to support the millions of young people and families who are struggling. The future of Europe can only be built together with you. And the same is true for the future of our Cohesion Policy.”

European Council’s President-elect António Costa, former CoR member, further stressed that “The defining paradigm of our time makes the Committee of the Regions a much more important forum than many believe. It is local and regional representatives that assure the most direct links between citizens and political leadership. The proximity to citizens is particularly important for policymakers nowadays. Policymaking is not a one-way, top-down street. Multilevel governance and subsidiarity make sure that citizens’ concerns get channelled into policymaking and from the ground up. There is great diversity in the EU. Policies need to be tailored to local conditions.”

CoR First Vice-President Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS (EL/EPP), who served as CoR president in 2020-22, said: “Together we have shared an amazing journey. And together, we made it, more than just about policy and politics. We made it about connection, trust, and service to the people. From the beginning of my term as President, we faced unprecedented challenges. We navigated a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a turbulent geopolitical landscape. But it was through these challenges that we proved the strength of our committee, and the importance of our mission, to strengthen the voices of cities and regions in Brussels and in Strasbourg. I am really proud of what we achieved.”

Background

The celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the European Committee of the Regions formally begun in Mons at the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities on 18-19 March 2024.

The European Commission hosts the inter-institutional audio-visual archive, where more than 2,000 photos and 600 videos of the Committee at work over the years are available.

Five former CoR Presidents were also present at the 30th anniversary discussion in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament: Jacques Blanc (FR/EPP), Albert Bore (UK/PES), Mercedes Bresso (IT/PES), Markku Markkula (FI/EPP), Karl-Heinz Lambertz (BE/PES).

More information: European Committee of the Regions.