Irish Regions Office Website

February 26, 2010

Spanish Presidency backs local role in EU decisions

Spain's Minister of Territorial Policy, Manuel Chaves, has expressed his government's support for local governments assuming greater importance in EU decision-making. A speech delivered as part of the Networked Local Governments for a New Europe conference on 21 February pointed out that among the current Spanish Presidency of the EU's priority commitments are applying the Treaty of Lisbon (with its emphasis on subsidiarity) and ''ensuring that the EU becomes rooted in the conscience and desires of its citizen'' through''multilevel governance''with an expanded role for local government.

Chaves advocated moving on from an ''outdated pyramid model'' and strengthening a kind of Europe that serves the real needs of its citizens, in which he believes local authorities should play''a more active rol'' in EU proceedings in order to be able to overcome the economic crisis, create employment and maintain the European social model. The conference brought local governments from 42 countries together to create the Barcelona Agenda - defining solutions to major economic, environmental and social inclusion problems from the perspective of local governance, in the hope these will influence the EU.

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Posted by iroronan at February 26, 2010 01:29 PM