Two years after its creation in Avignon, under the French Presidency of the EU, CEPLI reached a new further step by renewing its political bodies.
Giuseppe Castiglione, president of the Union of Italian Provinces, president of the Province of Catania (Italy) and member of the Committee of Regions’ Bureau is elected President of the European Confederation of Local Intermediate Authorities (CEPLI).
The new Bureau is composed by:
- Premier Vice-President: Paul-Emile Mottard, President of the Association of Walloon Provinces and Provincial Deputy of Liège (Belgium);
- Secretary General: Claudy Lebreton, President of the Assembly of French Counties, President of the General Council of Cotes d’Armor (France);
- Treasurer: Helmut Jahn, Member of the Board of the German County Association, President of Landkreistag Baden Wurtemberg and Member of the CoR.
The President Castiglione presented the main priorities of his political mandate:
- to work for a large recognition of CEPLI;
- to strengthen the dialogue with European institutions, relying on his ties with the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament;
- to deepen the cooperation with the European Commission and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
“Europe 2020 Strategy, the future of the Cohesion Policy and sustainable energy policy are the first challenges that local intermediaries authorities will take up….”. These introductory remarks have allowed to the new President of CEPLI to open the debate.
The discussions to wich the Committee of Regions, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the European Commission were participating focused their attention on the publication, the same day, by the Commissioner Hahn, of the 5th Report on economic, social and territorial cohesion.
The presidents of national associations representing local and intermediate authorities, members of CEPLI noted, among other things, the very urban dimension of this Report.
They expressed their willingness to engage in the dialogue with the European Commission to contribute to the construction of a Cohesion Policy ensuring a fair and balanced development of European territories to the benefit of all citizens.