June 01, 2009

Swedish Presidency sees key local/regional role


The upcoming Swedish Presidency of the EU has acknowledged the importance of involving local and regional authorities in European policy discussion and the role these levels across Europe can play in a number of EU policy areas that will be prioritiSed in the second half of this year. The Swedes have made it clear that one of their objectives will be to progress the Lisbon Strategy for Jobs and Growth where they are keen to encourage EU Member States to take on greater responsibility, and are calling for local and regional authorities to be given a greater say in drawing up and implementing initiatives to see its ambitions realised. Similarly, with another main concern, climate change, in mind, Sweden is keen to see its own highly regarded model of sustainable development, with local authorities being heavily involved in areas such as district heating schemes and waste recycling, being investigated and considered for wider deployment in other countries.

As such, EU affairs minister, Cecilia Malmstrom, local affairs minister, Mats Odell, and the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Per Westerberg, recently pledged to work closely on these issues with the Committee of the Regions (CoR) during their country's 6-months at the helm of the EU. This collaboration will be especially focused on two key conferences - on sustainable cities in September and on the post-2010 implementation of the Lisbon Strategy at the local and regional level in November. A further stated area of agreement between the next Presidency and the CoR is monitoring the application of the principle of subsidiarity, underlined in the Treaty of Lisbon, whereby decisions are taken at the most appropriate level.

Of real potential interest to Ireland, with a view to possibly being involved in a replication along Europe's Atlantic shore, is a third priority to develop a strategy facilitating cooperation at national, regional and local levels between the various countries bordering the Baltic Sea. The European Commission is to present its proposal for the strategy later in June.

http://www.cor.europa.eu/pages/PressTemplate.aspx?view=detail&id=a0e784c1-711c-45b7-8a5b-66fa02f4afa1

Posted by iroronan at June 1, 2009 02:18 PM