Local leaders from the EU and its Eastern partner countries gathered today for the fifth annual meeting of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) in Brussels. The members adopted a set of recommendations for the Heads of State's and Government's Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May.
Welcoming the guests, President of the European Committee of the Regions Markku Markkula said:
"Two years ago, the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit explicitly recognised the role of regional and local authorities. We will keep focusing on decentralisation reforms, including institutional and capacity building measures, in order to ensure an even closer cooperation with local and regional authorities in those countries who want to get closer to the EU, its values and its results".
President Markkula underlined active CoR's role in the reshape of the EaP policies:
"In the coming months, we will also contribute to the European Commission's proposals for reforming its neighbourhood policy and the Eastern Partnership, by enhancing bilateral cooperation where appropriate, whilst keeping operational the multi-lateral track which has proved to be essential for cross-border and territorial cooperation", he continued.
Pauliina Haijanen (EPP/FI) who took part in the todays'discussions, underlined the fundamental potential of European Macro-regional Strategies that could serve as the bridges to strengthen the EU's relations and cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe and its over 100 million citizens.
The fourth Eastern Partnership Summit, will be held in Riga on 21-22 May, should reconfirm the strategic importance of the Eastern Partnership as a part of the European Neighbourhood Policy.
CORLEAP was established by the Committee of the Regions in 2011 to bring a regional and local dimension to the EU's cooperation with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Its work is closely followed by the European Commission, the European External Action Service and the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly.