REGIONS’ AND CITIES’ CONTRIBUTION TO EUROPE

By Karl-Heinz Lambertz

The fate of Europe’s regions and cities is directly linked to the fate of the European Union. However, let us not forget that the EU’s fate is also dependent on the well-being of its regions and cities. For a Europe closer to citizens in the future, local and regional politicians need to be recognised as real partners in the forthcoming development of the European project.

Our citizens experience Europe and feel the impact of the EU’s policies at home in their communities. More often than not, they are unaware of the impact of decisions made in Brussels, Strasbourg or Luxembourg. These missing links are often the cause of frustration, which then lead to political choices going against the values and spirit of the European project.

Regions and cities, as Europe’s democratic foundation, play an important role in developing a Europe closer to citizens. The European Committee of the Regions argues for a new way of working which allows local and regional authorities to play a greater role in the EU’s decision-making process. After all, regions and cities are the ones who know whether EU policy or laws have a real impact on the ground or not. Mayors, regional presidents and councillors are the ones citizens go to with their concerns. They need to have a proactive role in Europe’s legislative process from the very beginning on.

Finally, for a European Union truly responsive to our citizens’ needs, we need to give them the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns. We need to establish a permanent and structured dialogue that feeds citizens’ views and visions into local, regional, national and European legislation.

Karl-Heinz Lambertz was elected President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in July 2017 after two and a half years as First Vice-President. He is also President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.

Karl-Heinz Lambertz was born on 4 June 1952 in Schoppen and became interested in politics at an early age — from 1975 to 1980 he was President of the Council of German-speaking Youth. After a number of tasks related to his legal training, he became a member of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community in 1981.