Regions insist on having a say: Plenary Session of the Committee of the Regions in Brussels
How much influence cities and regions will retain within the European Union in the future was one of the main questions of the recent plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels. In several statements representatives of the regional and local levels made it clear : many of the EU’s major political projects are ultimately implemented on site- accordingly the role of the regions in European policymaking must remain important.
An emergency opinion was dedicated to combating child povetry in the EU. The Committee demands at least 20 billion euros to be allocated in the next multiannual Financial Framework for the implementation ot the European Child Guarantee. At the same time it was stressed that child poverty is a complex problem that- in addition to financial support- requires measures in several areas, such as education, health, housing and social inclusion.
Overall the discussions at the plenary session made it clear: cities and regions consider themselves not only as recipients of the European policy, but also as active partners. Many strategic goals of the EU- from the Green Deal , economic transformation to social integration- are ultimately realized at the local level. Consequently there is a clear demand for the regional perspectives to be strongly integrated into the European decision making processes in the future, too.