Conférence politique CEPLI « La Politique de Cohésion en tant qu’instrument pour atteindre un développement territorial durable »

Publish date: Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Le niveau local intermédiaire bénéficie, en effet, de la position idéale pour gérer et distribuer les fonds européens. Ils ont un rôle à jouer pour démontrer la plus-value de l’UE pour les citoyens mais aussi dans la compréhension des institutions européennes.

Ce niveau sert également de relais idéal pour les municipalités et les entreprises locales dans la gestion de ces fonds. Il est donc important de tenir compte de la dimension et des spécificités des pouvoirs locaux intermédiaires dans les critères de répartition des budgets européens.

Monsieur Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Président du Comité des Régions, a insisté sur le fait que cette politique fait partie intégrante de l’ADN de l’Europe.

Il est donc important de mettre en œuvre une politique de cohésion efficace et forte, une « succes story » car c’est une des rares politiques européennes qui est véritablement partagée par l’ensemble des citoyens européens.

Cette politique permet, en effet, de répondre aux nouveaux défis auxquels l’Europe est confrontée par l’impact que cela représente sur les infrastructures, le développement économique et social.

Les bonnes pratiques présentées par nos membres ont démontré que les Pouvoirs locaux intermédiaires disposent d’une réelle expertise dans la mobilisation des Fonds européens structurels et d’investissements.

Conférence politique 2016

Publish date: Monday, 26 September 2016

Monsieur Markkula, Président du CdR, a rappelé, lors de cette conférence politique, la nécessité d’investir et d’utiliser efficacement les fonds européens dédiés au tourisme pour rester la destination privilégiée des touristes.

Suite à la présentation du rapport du Comité des Régions sur le tourisme comme moteur pour la coopération régionale, les différents intervenants ont insisté sur l’importance de ce secteur pour leurs territoires et ont pu échanger sur les stratégies qu’ils mettent en place pour y permettre un développement fructueux d’un tourisme local durable.

Il ressort des discussions et de la présentation de la Banque européenne d’investissements que le financement de projets touristiques, que ce soit en termes d’infrastructures, de mobilité ou de patrimoine, est réalisable et que ces projets peuvent constituer une aubaine pour les autorités locales. Une meilleure coopération entre les acteurs, que ce soit par le biais d’un partenariat avec le privé ou par celui d’une stratégie transfrontalière, est essentielle pour consolider ce marché.

Ces investissements doivent également permettre le développement de zones rurales et plus isolées. Un tourisme de proximité, basé sur une cohabitation entre touristes et habitants, mais aussi épargné par le phénomène de massification, ne sera possible que par des investissements en termes d’accès à ces zones et par une distribution plus équitable des richesses générées par le secteur touristique.

Enfin, l’importance du développement de marques (et, notamment, la marque Ardenne pour nos provinces wallonnes) et d’une stratégie marketing permettant la diversification de l’offre touristique a été répétée par l’ensemble des intervenants. Ces marques mais aussi la spécialisation dans certains domaines (nature, gastronomie, culture,…) et les produits de commercialisation permettent, en effet, d’insérer ces territoires dans le tourisme international et de fidéliser les touristes de passage.

Sixth Political Conference - organized in Ploieşti (Romania), on 17 May 2013

Publish date: Thursday, 23 May 2013

The sixth Political Conference of the European Confederation of Local Intermediate Authorities (CEPLI) was held on 17 May 2013 in Ploiesti, Romania.

Bringing together delegations from 11 national associations of local intermediate authorities (Germany, Belgium: Flemish and Walloon provinces, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Romania) and associated networks (Arco Latino and Partenalia), this Conference represented also the moment of the Confederation’s leadership renewal.

The Political Conference elected a new Political Bureau:

• President - Mr Paul-Emile MOTTARD, President of the Association of Walloon Provinces (APW), Belgium, Provincial Deputy of Liège;
• Vice President - Mr Marian Oprisan, President of the National Union of County Councils of Romania (UNCJR), President of Vrancea County;
• Secretary-General - Mr Claudy Lebreton, President of the Assembly of French Departments (ADF), President of Côtes d'Armor Department;
• Treasurer - Mr Todor Popov, President of the National Association of Bulgarian Municipalities (NAMRB), Mayor of the Municipality of Pazardzhik.

On the same occasion, CEPLI granted the observer status to the Union of Districts Councils of the Republic of Moldova.

The theme of the 6th Political Conference of CEPLI was "Decentralization, resources and local autonomy".

Representatives of the European Parliament (Mr Victor Bostinaru), the Committee of the Regions (Mr Franz Schausberger, Mr Vladimir Kissiov, Mr Ion Prioteasa, Mr Silvian Ciuperca and Mr Mircea Cosma) and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (Mr Emilio Verrengia and Mrs Antonella Cagnolati) contributed to the debate and expressed their concerns about the way in which the territorial reforms are carried out in some European countries.

These reforms are legitimate when responding to a need for closer political decision to citizens, in a spirit of proximity and subsidiarity. It is important to ensure that they are thoughtful and concerted with all relevant levels of government.

The pretext of the economic crisis is too often used to justify the fundamental calling into question of the place of Local Intermediate Authorities, even if they provide elements of stability, trust and solidarity contributing, in this way, to the development of our territories.

The political representatives of CEPLI want to raise the awareness of the national authorities and European institutions on the principles that should govern the initiated territorial reforms in order to avoid territorial and social fractures, harmful to democracy and the well-functioning of services for the population.

The multilevel governance, manifested through an equitable participation of all political actors from different levels and increased subsidiarity, must be at the heart of underway or planned reforms.

The correlation between decentralization and economic competitiveness of territories, based on the proximity between local authorities and citizens, ensures an effective development, mindful to democracy.

In this uncertain environment, CEPLI reaffirmed the irreplaceable role of Local Intermediate Authorities in relation with their citizens in order to fight against the effects of the crisis and give them a message of hope.

In his closing speech to the Conference, the President of CEPLI, Mr Paul-Emile Mottard, has set as a priority for the coming months, to ensure a closer cooperation with the Committee of the Regions and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as legitimate institutions representing the voice of the territories. CEPLI will participate, in particular, in the debate of the Committee of the Regions on its evolution, on the occasion of the celebration of its twentieth anniversary.

Moreover, CEPLI will develop its contacts with the national delegations to the European Parliament, as well as with the European Commission and its Directorates-General. These approaches are aimed at developing, together with European partners, a reflection process on the role of Local Intermediate Authorities in Europe.

The sixth Political Conference of CEPLI

Publish date: Saturday, 6 April 2013

The theme of this year’s Conference is dedicated to “Decentralisation, resources and self-government”, the debates being aimed at exploring the increasingly challenging topic across Europe – the role and the future of Local Intermediate Authorities in the institutional architecture of Member States.

Considering the importance of this topic and taking into account the current trends towards a centralisation justified by savings in the context of the financial crisis, or a “so called decentralization” without providing the necessary financial resources, CEPLI is offering, on this occasion, a framework for debates and exchange of experience on current problems faced at local level and, more especially, at county level.

This Conference is organized by CEPLI in partnership with the National Union of County Councils of Romania (UNCJR) and Prahova County Council.

Working languages: Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish (subject to confirmations of participation).

Venue: Prahova Plaza Hotel, Str. C. D. Gherea no. 11, Ploiesti (Romania)

For more details please contact:
Mrs Liliana Mangeac
Tel: +32 2 2317141
E-mail: liliana.mangeac@uncjr.org

Detailed information related to logistical arrangements will be communicated immediately after your confirmation of participation.

Fifth Political Conference of CEPLI "Local democracy - the heart of multilevel governance"

Publish date: Thursday, 26 July 2012

The event was organized in partnership with the Committee of the Regions and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), on the occasion of a Conference organized at the Committee of Regions on the theme of local democracy and multilevel governance.

The conference began with the presentation of a video message from Ms. Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of Regions, who welcomed the participants to the conference. She recalled that each government has its place in the Committee and expressed the wish that Local Intermediate Authorities will fully contribute to the definition of partnerships to be settled within the framework of the Cohesion Policy of the Union.

In his introductory remarks, the President of the CEPLI, Mr. Giuseppe Castiglione, stressed the importance of the debate on the future of local democracy. He noted that the economic crisis has an important impact on local authorities, being targeted by national governments wishing to rationalize public expenditures. If these reforms prove to be necessary, they must be made in a thoughtful way and by respecting the local democracy. The President of the CEPLI reiterated the need to comply with the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self Government of the Council of Europe, namely in terms of respecting the results of direct election of local communities’ representatives.

Ms. Hilde Bruggeman, the President of the VVP, has stressed that the CEPLI Conference is opened for the very first time to such a wide audience and welcomed it. She recalled that Local Intermediate Authorities (LIAs) are being challenged in several Member States of the European Union and expressed her hope that this level of local community will be more involved, in the future, in the definition and implementation of European Policies. She regretted that LIAs were not involved in the debate on the White Paper on Multilevel Governance, especially as the Belgian provinces are not represented in the Committee of Regions.

The moderator of the conference, Mr. Patrick Salez, European territorial policy expert, introduced the debate by stating two important challenges of governance: improving the efficiency and quality of public action on the one hand, and strengthening the participation of citizens and stakeholders of territorial development in its implementation, on the other.

GUARANTEEING LOCAL DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES’ SUPPORT

The first part of the debate of the day was devoted to the intervention of two university professors. Professor Annick Magnier (Florence University) presented the study she conducted on the role of provinces in the Italian institutional framework. This study shows the great commitment of citizens and local communities to the provincial institution, meeting, in this way, the need to offer proximity answers able to provide high quality public services.

For his part, Professor Christian Behrendt (University of Liège) commented on the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, emphasizing the links that must be maintained between local autonomy and a clean fiscal power. The two go hand in hand. The fiscal power is the undeniable proof that local authorities can exercise their competences with a certain degree of autonomy. He also recalled that the corollary of this autonomy is the direct election of local representatives, who are accountable to their electorate and their elected assembly for the proper use of public funds.

WHAT KIND OF MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE FOR A GOOD SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND TERRITORIAL COHESION?

Ms. Veronica Gaffey, from DG Regio, European Commission, stressed the need to include the European construction in a context of multilevel governance. She acknowledged that one of the major weaknesses of the Lisbon Treaty was the insufficient involvement of Local Authorities. The willingness of the European Commission is to organize partnerships with all levels of local authorities in order to involve institutional and civil society which can bring added value to the implementation of European Policies, and that from the next programming period of EU funds 2014 - 2020. The Commission is of the view that there is no single governance model and the specificities of each territory should be taken into account.

The President of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) of the Committee of the Regions, Mr. Luc Van den Brande stressed that the failure of the implementation of the objectives of the Lisbon Treaty is particularly due to lack of involvement of local and regional authorities. He also stated that in a context of economic, financial and identity crisis as Europe meets now, it is necessary to develop creative models of governance going beyond the administrative boundaries of States. For him, multilevel governance should allow the involvement of all actors who can bring added value to the debate but ensuring that institutional actors have a meaningful say.

In conclusion of this debate, Mr. André Viola, President of Arco Latino, presented the "Manifesto of Salerno”. The document was adopted by the members of this network at their last General Assembly devoted to the role of Local Intermediate Authorities in Europe. He emphasized the role of CEPLI to bring the voice of intermediate territorial communities at European level. The Provinces are privileged partners of the Regions and States because of their proximity links with local communities and their capacity for action. They had a key role in planning and coordination of the development actors in the local economy.

THE LOCAL INTERMEDIATE AUTHORITIES IN EUROPE - DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE CONGRESS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES OF EUROPE (CLRAE)

In his speech, Mr. Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Governance Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, presented what must be the only criterion that should guide reforms: the effectiveness of public action. He supports a pragmatic approach seeking to ensure that any changes will bring more efficiency, citizens’ involvement and will contribute to take Europe out of the crisis.

Mr. Emilio Verrengia, CLRAE Rapporteur for the debate on intermediate local level, presented the stages and the essential elements of his report. He stressed that the reforms envisaged in Europe concerning the local intermediate level respond mainly to economic concerns and stand as an excuse to re-centralize certain powers. The approach must be totally different if we take into account the principles of subsidiarity and multilevel governance.

On behalf of the President of the Assembly of Departments of France, Mr. Claudy Lebreton, Mr. André Viola presented the main points of the Final Declaration of the Brussels Conference of CEPLI, which emphasizes the importance of the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the need to valorize the involvement of local actors in multilevel governance.

Mr. Paul-Emile Mottard, Vice-President of the CEPLI and president of APW, addressed the concluding remarks of the conference by highlighting the quality of debate, the great diversity of the competences performed by LIAs, which respond to the concerns about local anchoring and proximity to the areas they serve. This diversity does not allow foreseeing a single model of governance. He stressed the need for consultation between the States and Local Intermediate Authorities but also between the territories and Europe, in order to ensure the implementation of European Policies.