The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is an advisory body composed of representatives of Europe’s regional and local authorities. It was set up in 1994 under the Treaty on European Union. The CoR has to be consulted before EU decisions are taken in 10 areas such as economic and social cohesion, trans-European infrastructure networks, health, education and culture, employment policy, social policy, the environment, vocational training, and transport, all of which concern local and regional government and may raise the point of view of the local people. The work of the CoR is based on three principles Subsidiarity, Proximity and Partnership .
Definitions Subsidiarity This principle, written into the Treaties at the same time as the creation of the CoR, means that decisions within the European Union should be taken at the closest practical level to the citizen. The European Union, therefore, should not take on tasks which are better suited to national, regional or local administrations. Proximity All levels of government should aim to be 'close to the citizens', in particular by organising their work in a transparent fashion, so people know who is in charge of what and how to make their views heard. Partnership Sound European governance means European, national, regional and local government working together - all four are indispensable and should be involved throughout the decision making process. |
The Committee similarly to the EESC has 317 members which reflects the size of the population of the Member States:
Member States |
Number of the members |
Germany , France, Italy and the United Kingdom |
24 |
Spain and Poland |
21 |
Belgium , Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Sweden |
12 |
Denmark , Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland |
9 |
Estonia , Latvia, and Slovenia |
7 |
Cyprus , Luxembourg |
6 |
Malta |
5 |
TOTAL |
317 |
The Member States are free to determine the way how to choose the members of the CoR. However it is a requirement by the Treaty that the members of the CoR should be elected local or regional politicians. The delegations usually reflect the political geographical and regional/local balance in their Member State. They are nominated by the EU governments but they work in complete political independence. The Council of the European Union appoints them for four years, and they may be reappointed. The Committee of the Regions chooses a President from among its members, for two years. Peter Straub, from Germany, was elected President in February 2004.
The Committee organises its work through six specialist Commissions. The CoR also adopts resolutions on topical political issues. There are four political groups represented in the CoR, reflecting the main European political families: (1) the Party of European Socialists (PES), (2) the European People's Party (EPP), (3) the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ALDE) and (4) the European Alliance (EA).
See more information about the CoR on the following website:
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