EPP-CoR members met for the 139th plenary session on 30 June, 1 and 2 July 2020 in a hybrid meeting. Members discussed the #EUGreenDeal at the heart of local and regional #COVID19 recovery, the impact of demographic change with Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, the future #MFF in light of the COVID-19 crisis recovery with Commissioner in charge of Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn, and the economic aspect of the COVID-19 recovery with Commissioner in charge of Internal Market Thierry Breton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnv_n640fxQ
Regional and local authorities must be placed at the heart of the EU recovery
“The Recovery Plan is ambitious and forward looking. Next Generation EU plans will be a success if discussed, agreed and delivered with villages, cities and regions. Regional and local authorities must be placed at the heart of the EU recovery!” Olgierd Geblewicz – President of the Westpomeranian Region and President of EPP-CoR Group
Alberto Cirio, President of Piedemont and Rapporteur of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism said “When one country or a small region is hit, this problem should be a European problem and Europe must be present.”
Birgitta Sacrédeus, member of Dalarna County Council and European Committee of the Regions Rapporteur for the opinion on a Health Emergency Mechanism for Europe said that the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted how vital the the ECDC is. “Local and regional authorities, Member States and the European Commission must work together to strengthen and develop its role in combating major health sicknesses and pandemics.”
EPP member also spoke on the need to boost the economy and have a comeback form Europe. Christopher Drexler, member of the Styria State Government in Austria said “In Styria, the industry relies on cross border cooperation and therefore it is essential to re-establish Schengen as soon as possible in order to help our SME’s and industry.” Barbara Hegedűs, member of the local government of Veszprém appealed for more support for local governments and civil society whilst Ellen Nauta-Van Moorsel, Mayor of Hof van Twente emphasised that all levels of government need to work together. Donato Toma, President of Molise said that regions need to receive funds from national governments and the EU on time. He reiterated “Speed is of the essence here! We need to remove red tape and bureaucracy.”
EPP-CoR opinions
- The Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive'- Piotr Całbecki, President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region
- 'European Climate Law: enshrining the 2050 climate neutrality objective' – Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of Andalusia
- 'Implementation of Free Trade Agreement (FTAs): the regional and local perspective'- Michael Murphy, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council and ECON Chair
- 'The Future of EU Clean Air policy in the framework of the zero-pollution ambition' - János Adam Karácsony, member of the Tahitótfalu Local Government
More information here
Cross-border regions need cross border cooperation and not unilateral decisions
EPP-CoR members called for a strong commitment to strengthen cross-border cooperation and spoke against unilateral decisions that led to the closure of borders and which impacted villages, cities and regions badly when discussing matters for local and regional authorities at the 139th plenary session.
Helma Kuhn-Theis, Member of Weiskirchen Municipal Council said that 240 thousand people in her region cross borders on a daily basis. “People in the health sector could not get to their place of work. We can’t permit this to happen again and we need closer cooperation at all levels to be better prepared for possible future crisis.”
Marjon De Hoon-Veelenturf, Mayor of the municipality of Baarle-Nassau said that “Cooperation between Member States must start earlier in future crisis especially in border regions. We need cross border cooperation in times of crisis like COVID-19”. Piero Mauro Zanin, President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional council and vice-president of the CIVEX Commission remarked that cross border regions legislation must be reflected in the better regulation framework. Agnes Rampal from the City of Nice and the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, spoke about the importance of removing obstacles to cross-border cooperation especially in the health sector. “We need to establish cross-border cooperation mechanisms in the health sector which embraces multilevel governance.”
During a discussion on Tourism after COVID-19 crisis, Adam Struzik, President of the Mazovia Region spoke about regional airports and explained that these have been badly affected. “We need direct help because otherwise the regional economy will suffer.” Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk said that many regions and cities have already developed tourism technologies and products such as cards that are very useful for tourists. “We need to support these projects to make Europe more attractive and help the tourism sector recover”.
Next Generation EU an important instrument to tackle demographic change
EPP-CoR members intervened on the impact of demographic change with European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Suica responsible for demography.
Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj Napoca reiterated that everyone should be free to move but no one should be forced to leave due to economic constraints. “We need to transform brain drain into brain gain and to do this, the key words are cohesion policy, investment, jobs, quality of life, and innovation.”
Ádám Karácsony, Member of Tahitótfalu Local Government and CoR Rapporteur for the Opinion on Demographic change said that long-term decisions made by Member States and the EU and their consistent implementation are of paramount importance for a population-retaining, population-maintaining society and for the future of Europe.
Piero Mauro Zanin, President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional council and Vice-president of the CIVEX Commission said that supporting is maternity necessary to tackle EU population decline whilst Anna Magyar from Csongrád County Council said that achieving better work life balance for parents and equally distributed caring responsibilities were important targets to aim for to tackle demographic changes.
Villages, cities and regions key to successfully implement the green deal
“Local and regional efforts will be vital to achieve climate neutrality but we have to ensure that this goal is compatible with with the economic development of regions and cities as well as the economic recovery.” JuanMa Moreno, President of Andalucia made these remarks during a debate on the Green Deal and its role in the COVID-19 recovery.
Piotr Całbecki, President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and CoR Rapporteur for the opinion on the ‘Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive’ said that “I am confident that the European Green Deal will provide new opportunities to improve water quality as to make the zero-pollution ambition a reality.”
Rastislav Trnka, Chairman of Košice Self Governing Region spoke about the need to boost green and blue innovation and sustainable investment. “For this to happen, we need to have adequate resources under the new MFF, and we have to start with creating better synergies between the EU, national, regional and local budgets.”
Hanna Zdanowska, President of Łodź stressed the importance of engaging local and regional authorities in the implementation of the Green Deal. “It is the local governments that implement measures so it must be possible for them to access funds directly. Only direct financial support to local and regional authorities will enable us to fight climate change, protect health of citizens, rebuild our economies and implement the Green Deal.”
Anna Magyar from Csongrád County Council said that raising awareness among citizens on climate change is key. She said that in her county, a drawing competition on climate change and sustainability was organised for children.
Stronger villages, regions and cities crucial for a speedy recovery
During a debate with European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, in charge of Budget and Administration, on the future Multi-Financial Framework, in view of the COVID-19 crisis recovery, EPP members called on the Commission to provide direct funding and strengthen villages, cities and regions to ensure a speedy recovery.
Adam Struzik, President of the Mazovia Region said “We need to allocate funds in agreement with local and regional authorities. Funds should not be allocated solely by Brussels or Member States. We need to mobilise the right investment, take care of industries and protect jobs.”
Günther Platter, Member of the Government of Tyrol, emphasised the need to move swiftly on the budget. “We need a quick consensus on EU budget. We need a strong Europe, but Europe needs strong cities and regions for a fast recovery.”
“I thank Commissioner Hahn for the balanced budget, which is a good basis for a European compromise. The existing different positions of states arise from the different priorities towards their households. There are no good or bad Member States. It is a question about the Corona crisis not exacerbating existing inequalities between European regions” underlined Franz Schausberger, State Parliament of Salzburg.
Mariusz Frankowski, Councillor of the capital city of Warsaw called on the European Commission to provide the European Committee of the Regions with additional finances to be able to strengthen its representation of cities and regions.
Supporting SMEs, getting tough on unfair competition crucial for recovery
EPP members appealed to Commissioner Thierry Breton responsible of the internal market to ensure a level playing field and support SMEs during a debate on the economic aspect of the COVID-19 recovery.
“Investment in rebuilding comes at a high price: that of rising debt. We must take care of both targets: fiscal consolidation must be the foundation on which we build-up sustainable growth.” Michael Murphy, Councillor Of Tipperary County told Commissioner Breton.
Eddy van Hijum, member of the Provincial Executive of the Province of Overijssel and Rapporteur of the SME strategy appealed to Commissioner Thierry Breton to give more freedom to local and regional authorities to take into account the interest of the European manufacturing industry in tendering procedures.
Piero Mauro Zanin President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional council and vice-president of the CIVEX Commission said that for a successful recovery, it was necessary to address demographic challenges, invest in production supply chains in the health sector and support SMEs that are the real assets for local communities.
