Charter for Multilevel Governance in Europe opens for signature
9 May 2014 04:32 PM
On the occasion of Europe Day on 9 May, the
EU's Committee of the Regions (CoR) called on all local & regional
authorities to sign up to the "Charter for Multilevel Governance in
Europe". The Charter is available online and is open for electronic
signature by cities and regions.
What is the Charter for Multilevel
Governance?
Adopted by the CoR on 3 April 2014 and supported by the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of
Europe, the Charter is a political
manifesto from European cities and regions inviting all public
authorities to make "multilevel governance" a reality in day-to-day
policy-making and delivery. This primarily involves working in
partnershipbetween the different levels of government (local,
regional, national and European) and applying a set of principles that should
guide efficient policy-making, such
asparticipation,cooperation, open
ness, transparency, inclusiveness and policy coherence, all of which are
essential conditions to guarantee the success of public policies in the
interest of the citizens.
CoR
President Ramón Luis Valcárcel said:
"On Europe Day, two weeks ahead of the European elections, the launch of
the signatory campaign on the Charter for Multilevel Governance by the CoR
marks the strong will of regional and local authorities all across Europe to
become fully-fledged partners in EU policy making. Only by acting together can
responsible actors at all levels of governance close the 'delivery gap'
ensuring the EU meets its objectives on sustainable growth, quality jobs
creation and territorial cohesion."
Although not legally binding, the Charter will commit
its signatories to use multilevel governance in the management of public
policies, to launch projects in partnership with both the public and private
sectors, to further develop territorial cooperation and to modernise their
administration. This is all part of the CoRs' commitment to ensuring a good
application of "subsidiarity", which places
decisions at the most effective level and as close to citizens as
possible.
Who can sign?
- Signature of the Charter is open to all
European Union local and regional authorities, i.e. city, county,
district, metropolitan area, province, region, etc.
- European and
national associations of local and regional
authorities, as well as local and regional
authority networks, are also invited to give their
formal support.
- Politicians at all levels of
governance can give their support by signing the
Charter.
For what purposes?
By
adhering to the Charter, signatories will aim to:
- use
multilevel governance to foster a "European
mind-set" in their region/city by co-operating with
political and administrative bodies from the local to the European level,
and vice-versa;
- promote cross-border
collaboration with other regions/cities whilst overcoming
administrative hurdles and geographic frontiers;
- modernise their administration ,
taking full advantage of digital and innovative solutions, increasing
transparency and openness, whilst offering quality public services easily
accessible to the citizens;
- promote citizen and civil society
participation in the decision making process, hence further
developing participatory democracy.
What are the
benefits?
Adhesion will allow signatories' initiatives, taken
in accordance to the Charter, to gain morevisibility. Such
initiatives will be highlighted on the website of the Charter and
at high-level events organised for local and
regional authorities, Member States and European
institutions.
The
Charter website and events will serve as platforms for exchange
to:
- identify good practices and innovative projects launched
by other signatories;
- look for potential partners before launching joint
initiatives;
- prepare and monitor EU policies at the local and
regional level, but also together with the European
institutions.
How to join?
- To sign or support the
Charter, local and regional authorities and their networks/associations must
complete a short online form available at:www.cor.europa.eu/mlgcharter
Background
Multilevel governance is recognised as a guiding
principle in the new EU rules for the management of the Structural and
Investment Funds 2014-2020.
Contact:
For
press enquiries:
Tel. +32 2 282 24 99
|
For
questions regarding the Charter/signing process:
Tel. +32 2 282 20 96
|