The migration crisis, future of EU's Cohesion Policy and the high level Town Hall meeting initiative were the main themes of Michael Schneider's address at the European People's Party's Political Assembly today. President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions underlined the important role that local and regional authorities play in these areas.
Speaking on the migration crisis, Michael Schneider underlined that regional and local actors must have a say on the design and implementation of EU migration policies in the interest of our citizens. He suggested using the EPP-CoR's Thessaloniki Declaration as an important input to the debate:
"Thessaloniki Declaration can concretely contribute to the EPP debate on migration, bringing the voice of regions and cities also to the Malta EPP Congress next year, in line with the Congress draft Resolution on Protecting Lives and Controlling Migration to Europe."
President Schneider, as the CoR Rapporteur on The Future of Cohesion Policy beyond 2020, underlined the important role that Europe's regions and cities are willing to play in reshaping this dossier. He expressed his gratitude to have been able to debate the topic with the EPP Group MEPs in Bucharest earlier this year and underlined the importance of the hands-on experience:
"As the leading person for the CoR on Cohesion policy, I firmly believe that the future of the policy is intimately linked with the future of the EU. Cohesion Policy is the living expression of European solidarity and ensures not only a harmonious development of the EU as a whole but also represents a powerful investment tool for sustainable growth and jobs. I hope that we will be able to count on the European People's Party support for the strengthening of the future Cohesion Policy after 2020."
Finally, Schneider shared with his political family the CoR's initiative to rebuild citizens' trust in the European project, through citizens' dialogues involving local citizens, a few local and regional representatives and high level national decision-makers. A project endorsed by the President of the European Council Donald Tusk:
"The EU's cities and regions are determined to bridge the gap by listening to their communities more closely and sharing these concerns in Brussels. We must listen and understand the needs of the citizens, while trying to develop common solutions."
