Your Guide5th CoR Mandate 2012-2015

EPP Group in the Committee of the RegionsRue Belliard/Belliardstraat, 101 _ 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel _ BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Tel. +32 2 282 2250_epp@cor.europa.euwww.epp.cor.europa.eu

Dear colleagues,Dear friends,

Welcome to the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions. This guide is designedprimarily for new Members and visitors to the Group to provide them with an introductionto the work of the Committee of the Regions and of our work within it in view of the 5th mandate.

It is divided into four main sections:

• an outline of the role and structure of the Committee of the Regions• a snapshot of the EPP/CoR Group's organisation• an explanation on the day to day work of EPP/CoR Members• glossary

Obviously in a living political assembly the rules, procedures and even Members themselves are subjectto change but this handbook summarises the situation as of October 2012. The Group’s websitewww.epp.cor.europa.eu is constantly updated to reflect the current situation and to provide extradetails on specific events and political initiatives.

Three other useful links are the websites of the European Peoples Party itself www.epp.euof the Group in the European Parliament www.eppgroup.eu and the Committee of theRegions www.cor.europa.eu

I hope this information is helpful. I and my colleagues in the Group’s secretariat are ofcourse available to assist you further with any request of material or to answer anyquestions you may have.

Michael SchneiderPresident of the EPP Group in the CoR

• CoR Mission Statement 6

• The Committee of the Regions in brief 8

• The EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions 16

• The EPP Bureau 19

• Day to day work of EPP/CoR members 26

• The EPP/CoR secretariat 30

• Stronger in partnership 32

• EU Terminology 42

Table of contents

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The Committee of the Regions is the EU'sassembly of regional and local representatives.

We are a political assembly of holders of a regionalor local electoral mandate serving the cause ofEuropean integration. Through our politicallegitimacy, we provide institutional representationfor all the European Union's territorial areas, regions,cities and municipalities.

Our mission is to involve regional and localauthorities in the European decision-making processand thus to encourage greater participation fromour fellow citizens

Our political action is based on the belief that cooperation between European, national, regionaland local levels is essential if we are to build an ever closer and more mutually supportive unionamong the people of Europe and respond to the challenges of globalisation. To this end, we workclosely together with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of theEuropean Union, and in the Member States with the various tiers of authority, in order also topromote multi-level governance.

We vote on political recommendations for European strategies and participate in the preparationof Community legislation. Upstream, at the earliest stages, we propose political lines of approachand action drawn from the experience and expertise of the regional and local authorities, whoare most often responsible for implementing legislation.

We want to see Europe, united in diversity in a globalised world, make the very most of its territorial,cultural and linguistic diversity, as this is the source of its strength and guarantee of its people'sidentity. We play our part in promoting European democracy and citizenship and their values,and contribute towards the anchoring of fundamental rights and the protection of minorities.

We keep watch to ensure that the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality are upheld so thedecisions are taken and applied as close to the citizens as possible and at the most appropriatelevel. Thus, we ensure that common policies are implemented more effectively and at greaterproximity.

We work to secure harmonious and sustainable development across all European territorial areas.In this way, we champion the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion in theEuropean Union in the interests of the principles of equity and solidarity.

* Adopted by the CoR Plenary Assembly on 21 April 2009.

CoR Mission Statement*

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We claim autonomy for regional and local authorities and their right to secure appropriatefinancial resources to enable them to carry out their duties. We therefore promote the principlesand mechanisms of good governance and encourage the process of decentralisation.

We encourage cooperation between the regional and local authorities of the Member States, butalso, as part of enlargement strategy, neighbourhood policy and development policy, with thoseof candidate countries, potential candidate countries, neighbouring countries and third countries.

We set up platforms and networks, organise forums so as to facilitate cooperation and the poolingof experience between regions, cities and municipalities, and develop partnerships with theirrepresentative organisations.

We are ambassadors of Europe in the regions, cities and municipalities and speak for them in theEuropean debate. We have a direct dialogue with our fellow citizens on Europe's achievementsand future challenges and we help to explain and expound the implementation and territorialimpact of Community policies.

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Set up by the 1992 Treaty on the European Union, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) isan advisory body that consists of representatives of regional and local bodies. Given thatapproximately three quarters of European legislation is implemented at local or regionallevel, the CoR allows the regional and local dimension to have a formal impact on theEuropean Union's political process. With each new Treaty, the CoR has continued toincrease its role in European decision-making and to gain greater competences. Underthe Lisbon Treaty, which came into force on 1 December 2009, the institutional role of theCoR was formally recognised under the heading "The institutions and bodies of the Union".

The Treaties state that there are a number of areas where the Council, European Parliamentand European Commission are obliged to consult the CoR when making legislativeproposals. These areas are:

• Civil protection• Climate Change• Culture• Economic, social and territorial cohesion• Education and youth• Employment• Energy• Environment• Public Health• Social Affairs• Tourism• Trans-European Networks• Transport• Vocational Training

The Committee of the Regions in brief

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In addition to these mandatory opinions, optional opinions can be issued on proposalsin areas where the Treaty does not oblige the CoR to be consulted, but where the Council,the Parliament and/or the Commission sees an important regional or local implication.The CoR can also issue own initiative opinions in areas where it deems local and regionalauthorities to be directly concerned or when the Committee wishes to place specificissues on the EU agenda. Finally, outlook opinions and reports can be requested by theEuropean Commission if it believes the CoR to have the appropriate local informationresources or if it considers the CoR to have the relevant competence, knowledge andexpertise. The CoR also has the right to bring an action to the European Court of Justiceto defend its own legal rights and for the infringement of the principle of subsidiarityunder the Lisbon Treaty.

Increased powers for the CoR under Lisbon Treaty

The Lisbon Treaty represents a major stepforward for Europe and in particular for the CoR.

Main competences for which the CoR receivednew competences in the field of governance:• the local and regional dimension is explicitly

mentioned in the Subsidiarity principle for thefirst time: the CoR should lead the process ofmonitoring subsidiarity in coordination withlocal and regional authorities to ensure thatdecisions are made at the most appropriatelevel of governance;

• an Early Warning Mechanism involving national parliaments and in some cases regionalparliaments with legislative powers, is put in place to monitor subsidiarity;

• the right to bring action before the Court of Justice on grounds of violation of thesubsidiarity principle

• impact assessment: the involvement of local and regional authorities in the preparatorystage of decision making;

• protection of CoR prerogatives: the right to bring actions before the Court of Justice forthe purpose of protecting its prerogatives.

The Lisbon Treaty also states that the European Parliament is obliged to consult theCommittee of the Regions in areas including energy, the environment and the fields ofsocial, economic and territorial.

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Organisation of the CoR

Membership

The Nice Treaty established that the members of the Committee of the Regions musteither hold a regional or local authority electoral mandate or be politically accountableto an elected assembly. Members are proposed by the Member States to the Council ofMinisters, which then officially appoints them for a renewable five year term. The Committee of the Regions is composed of 344 members, and an equal number ofalternate members. These include Presidents of Regional governments, Presidents andmembers of regional councils, mayors, and members of municipal councils from thecurrent 27 Member States of the European Union. Croatia also has 9 observers followingthe work of the CoR until it becomes a full Member State of the EU and is able to appointfull members.

CoR Presidency: 2010-2015

The President and the 1st Vice-Presidents are electedfor a two and a half year term of office as the CoR’spolitical leaders both for the internal workings of theCoR and for external representation. The currentPresident of the CoR is Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso(PPE/ES), President of the Spanish Autonomousregion of Murcia.

Head of Cabinet: Jesus Carmona

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Former Presidents of the CoR:

1994-1996: Jacques Blanc (EPP/France)1996-1998: Pasqual Maragall i Mira (PES/Spain)1998-2000: Manfred Dammeyer (PES/Germany)2000-2002: Jos Chabert (EPP/Belgium)2002-2004: Albert Bore (PES/UK)2004-2006: Peter Straub (EPP/Germany)2006-2008: Michel Delebarre (PES/France)2008-2010: Luc Van den Brande (EPP/Belgium)2010-2012: Mercedes Bresso (PES/Italy)

CoR Bureau

The Bureau is the Committee’s steering body and is responsible for establishing andmonitoring the implementation of its draft policy programme and for preparing,organising and co-ordinating the work of the Plenary Assembly and the Commissions.It is made up of the President, the First Vice-President, one Vice-President per MemberState, 28 other Members and the Chairmen of the four political Groups. The Bureau meetsfive times a year in Brussels and holds two additional extraordinary meetings outsideBrussels to facilitate dialogue and co-operation on important political matters. In recentyears, these Bureau meetings have been held in the country holding the rotatingpresidency of the EU in order to better relations.

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Political groups

Members and alternates may form groups which reflect theirpolitical affinities. They sit in political groups in the PlenaryAssembly endorsing the political objective of the institution.

Political groups play a crucial role in defining the politicalpriorities of the Committee of the Regions and organising thedebates at the Plenary Sessions. The political groups and theirbureaux may meet immediately before or during PlenarySessions. They hold extraordinary meetings twice a year.

The political groups propose, at the beginning a new mandate period, candidates for thepost of President and 1st Vice President of the Committee of the Regions, as well as thecandidates for all the chairs of CoR Commissions and Working groups and their composition.

There are currently four political groups in the CoR: the European People's Party (EPP),Party of European Socialists (PES); Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)and the European Alliance (EA).

Conference of Presidents

The Conference of Presidents (CoP) of the Political groups meets prior to each Bureaumeeting of the CoR. Its members are the President, First Vice-President and the fourPresidents of the Political Groups in the CoR. The role of the CoP is to politically prepareand thus facilitate the work of the Bureau. Furthermore, it ensures that contact is maintainedwith the CoP of the European Parliament in order to facilitate an exchange of information.

Political Groups

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CoR Plenary Assembly

The seat of the CoR is in Brussels, where thePlenary Assembly meets five times a year andduring which Members sit by political affiliation.At the beginning of every term of office, thePlenary Assembly elects the President, 1st Vice-President and the members of the Bureau. It alsosets up the thematic Commissions in which theopinions are drafted and discussed. The politicalpriorities of the CoR are also adopted by thePlenary on an annual basis.

The main task of the Plenary Assembly is to finaliseand adopt CoR opinions, reports, resolutions anddeclarations, which are then forwarded to the Council of Ministers, the EuropeanCommission and the European Parliament. The assembly is also responsible for the annualadoption of the draft budget of the Committee and for adopting and revising its Rules ofProcedure when necessary.

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Commissions

The CoR’s consultative work is carried out in six specialised Commissions, whose task is todraw up draft opinions, resolutions, and reports of the CoR before adoption at Plenary.

The subject areas of concern for each Commission are as below:

CIVEX Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External AffairsFreedom, security and justiceImmigration policy, asylum and visasEU Charter of fundamental rightsActive citizenshipDecentralisationGovernance Better legislation (including the reduction of administrative burden)Application of the Treaties Neighbourhood policy, oriental partnership and EU-Mediterranean policy Decentralised cooperation for developmentEnlargement (global questions that are not covered by working groups)

COTER Commission for Territorial Cohesion PolicyEconomic, social and territorial cohesionStructural fundsSpatial Planning Urban policy HousingTransport, including Trans-European Networks – Transport (TENs-T)Macro-regionsTerritorial cooperation, including European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation(EGTC)

ECOS Commission for Economic and Social PolicyEmploymentSocial policy Social protectionEqual opportunitiesEnterprise policy, competition and taxationInnovation Economic and monetary policyInternal marketWTO issues

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EDUC Commission for Education,Youth, Culture and ResearchYouthSportsEducationInformation strategy and communication of the EULife long learning and trainingCulture and cultural diversityMultilingualism and the promotion of minority languagesResearch and technologyInformation society and Trans European Networks -TelecommunicationCommunications, audiovisual industry and media technology

ENVE Commission for Environment, Climate Change and EnergyClimate change: adaptation and mitigationRenewable energyEnvironmentTrans European Networks – Energy (TENs-E)New energy policy Spatial policy (Galileo, GMES/Copernicus)

NAT Commission for Natural Resources CAP and rural developmentFisheriesFood productionMaritime policy Public health Consumer protectionForestryCivil protection Tourism

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The Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representativesand as the largest political Group with approximately 250 members and alternates, theEPP is the driving force for the body. Via the EPP Group, Members can effectively representtheir territorial areas, regions, cities and municipalities by getting their citizens' voicesheard in the European political concert. Our mission is to encourage subsidiarity andproportionality by ensuring that the regional and local authorities have an effective sayin the European decision-making process. In this way, we aim to encourage Europe'scitizens to become more involved in the European project.

Local and regional authorities have an essential role in framing future European policies;not only because they implement more than two thirds of EU regulation, but we are alsoideally placed to establish close links with fellow citizens. However this is not somethingthey can do alone. We firmly believe that the European, national, regional and local levelsneed to work in partnership for an ever closer Union, which is able to respond to today'sglobal challenges. To this end, we work closely together within the European People'sParty and its representatives in the European Commission, European Parliament and theCouncil of Ministers in order to promote multi-level governance.

The EPP/CoR aims to defend a strong and effective Union which preserves Europe'sdiverse political, cultural, linguistic and regional traditions and characteristics. We believethat diversity is our strength and that this heritage is at the heart of Europe's identity. Atthe same time, we also support the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesionso that all of our regions and cities can develop in a sustainable way and benefit fromeach other’s solidarity.

The EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions

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The Group Presidency

The Group President is elected by secret ballot and his term of officestarts normally with the beginning of a new CoR mandate. He iseligible for re-election. During his term, the President coordinates allactivities of the Group, including convening and chairing its meetings.He also represents the Group outside the CoR. Since February 2010,Michael Schneider, State Secretary, Delegate of the State of Saxony-Anhalt for the German Federation, is the current President of the EPPGroup. Former Presidents of the EPP include:

1994-1998 Jos Chabert (Belgium), Former Minister of the Bruxelles-Capital Region, Deputy and Secretary of the BrusselsParliament

1998-2001 Juan José Lucas Giménez (Spain), Former President of the Region of Castillay León

2001-2002 Claude du Granrut (France), Member of the Picardie Regional Council andDeputy Mayor of Senlis

2002-2003 Reinhold Bocklet (Germany), Former Minister for European Affairs in theFree State of Bavaria

2003-2010 Isidoro Gottardo (Italy), Regional Councillor of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, SacileMunicipal Councillor

The Presidency of the EPP Group also includes its 1st Vice-President and the other 7 Vice-Presidents. Together, their duties are to ensure implementation of the tasks designatedby the Group Bureau, represent the Group inside and outside the CoR, support thePresident on Group matters, and in the event of an emergency, it is responsible for takingdecisions on behalf of the competent bodies.

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The Vice-Presidents for the 2012-2015 mandate are:

1st Vice-President

Michel LebrunMember of the Walloon

Parliament in Belgium(Belgium)

Arnoldas Abramavicius

Mayor of Zarasai DistrictMunicipality and member of

the Municipal Council(Lithuania)

Constance HanniffyMember of Offaly County

Council and President of themonitoring committee of the

Border, Midland and WestRegional Assembly (Ireland)

Franz SchausbergerRepresentative of theSalzburg Region to theCommittee of the Regions(Austria)

Eleni LoucaidesTown Councillor of Lefkosia(Cyprus)

Marek Wozniak

Marshal of the WielkopolskaRegion (Poland)

Roberto PellaCouncillor of the ValdengoCommune (Italy)

Anders KnapePresident of the Swedish

Association of LocalAuthorities and Regions and

Councillor of KarlstadMunicipality (Sweden)

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The EPP Bureau

The Group Bureau is composed of the President, and nine Vice-Presidents. In addition, thePresident of the CoR, the Vice-President of the CoR, full members of the CoR Bureau,Commission Chairmen and the heads of national delegations, and former Presidents ofthe CoR are also members of the EPP Bureau provided they are Group members.

The Group Bureau is responsible for preparing Group decisions on all political, administrativeand financial matters and it monitors their implementation, together with the work of theSecretariat. It meets prior to each of the CoR’s ordinary bureau meetings, i.e. five times a year.

EPP Group Meetings

Group meetings take place just before each CoR Plenary Session and involve all EPP fullmembers. This is an opportunity for Members to take decisions on all political mattersdealt with inside or outside of the Committee. Elections for the Group President and Vice-Presidents take place during Group meetings, in addition to the nominations forCommission coordinators and other office-holders. Group meetings can also be called toadopt joint positions on key political topics, arrange the Group's activities and debateissues of political importance. Depending on the key subjects on the agenda for themeeting, the President regularly invites guests of honour to participate.

Extraordinary EPP Group meetings and seminars

Once a year, the EPP Group organises an extraordinary meetingand an extraordinary seminar outside of Brussels on the invitationof one of the Group’s members. In addition, a seminar orconference in Brussels is held annually on a specific political issueand the EPP Group contributes a seminar to the OPEN DAYS:European Week of Regions and Cities. These meetings are a chancefor members to discuss specific issues that are of interest to theparties of the EPP family in greater depth, and to adopt declarationsof intent. The first Group meeting for the second half of the 2012-2015 mandate is planed for 9th November 2012 and will take placein Sofia. This will be an opportunity to debate the urban dimensionof cohesion policy.

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EPP roles in the CoR Commissions

Economic and Social Policy (ECOS)2012-2015 Chairmanship EPP Coordinator

Chair: Simone Beissel (ALDE/LU)1st Vice-Chair: Christine Chapman (PES/UK)2nd Vice-Chair: Catarina Segersten-Larsson

(EPP/SE)

Markku Markkula (Finland)

Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX)2012-2015 Chairmanship EPP Coordinator

Chair: Antonio Costa (PES/PT)1st Vice-Chair: Vladimir Kissiov (EPP/BG)2nd Vice-Chair: Martina Michels (PES/DE)

Jesus Gamallo Aller (Spain)

Territorial Cohesion Policy (COTER)2012-2015 Chairmanship EPP Coordinator

Chair: Marek Wozniak (EPP/PL)1st Vice-Chair: Petr Osvald (PES/CZ)2nd Vice-Chair: Pauliina Haijanen (EPP/FI)

Ivan Žagar (Slovenia)

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CAFA - Committee for Administrative and Financial Affairs

This permanent working group of the Bureau of the CoR has the purpose of assisting theBureau in taking decisions on financial, administrative, and staff management questionsby preparing and discussing these before a Bureau decision is taken on them.

2012-2015 Chair: Michel Lebrun, Member of the Walloon Parliament in Belgium (EPP – Belgium)

Culture, Education and Research (EDUC)2012-2015 Chairmanship EPP Coordinator

Chair: Anton Rombouts (EPP/NL)1st Vice-Chair: Jean-François Istasse (PES/BE)2nd Vice-Chair: Henning Jensen (PES/DK)

Malina Edreva Lazarova (Bulgaria)

Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE)2012-2015 Chairmanship EPP Coordinator

Chair: Ugo Cappellacci (EPP/IT)1st Vice-Chair: Mircea Cosma (PES/RO)2nd Vice-Chair: José Macario Correia (EPP/PT)

Cor Lamers (Netherlands)

Natural Resources (NAT)2012-2015 Chairmanship EPP Coordinator

Chair: René Souchon (PES/FR)1st Vice-Chair: Emilia Müller (EPP/DE)2nd Vice-Chair: Ossi Martikainen (ALDE/FI)

Paolo Valentini Puccitelli (Italy)

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EPP Members:Anders Knape, President of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regionsand Councillor of Karlstad Municipality (Sweden)Arnoldas Abramavicius, Mayor of Zarasai District Municipality (Lithuania)

AlternatesJacques Blanc, Mayor and Senator of the Canourgue Canton, President of the Associationof Mayors from the Lozére department (France)Cor Lamers, Mayor of Houten (Netherlands)Norbert Kartmann, Member of the Hesse State Assembly (Germany)

Joint Consultative Committees and Working Groups

The Committee of the Regions monitors the progress of the enlargement countries andassists local and regional authorities in the accession process through several workinggroups and bodies.

• Joint Consultative Committee on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

2012-2015 Chair: Jacques Blanc, Mayor and Senator of the Canourgue Canton, Presidentof the Association of Mayors from the Lozére department (FR)

EPP Members:Jelena Drenjanin, Member of the Municipal Assembly of Huddinge (Sweden) Martina Krogmann, State Secretary, Delegate of Lower Saxony to the Federation (Germany)Adam Struzik, Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodship (Poland)

Alternates: Anton Kokalj, Member of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Vodice (Slovenia)Ursula Männle, Member of the Bavarian State Assembly (Germany)Ján Oravec, Mayor of the City of Štúrovo (Slovakia)Carl Johan Sonesson, Skåne Regional Councillor (Sweden)

• Joint Consultative Committee on Montenegro

EPP members:Sándor Nagy, Mayor of Kistelek (Hungary)Roberto Ruocco, Vice-Mayor of the Cerignola Municipality (Italy)Witold Stepień, Marshal of the Łódzkie Voivodship (Poland)

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Alternates:María Victoria Palau Tárrega, General Director of Relations with the EU of the Communityof Valencia (Spain)Franci Rokavec, Mayor of the Municipality of Litija (Slovenia)Franz Schausberger, Representative of the Salzburg Region to the Committee of theRegions (Austria)

• Working Group Western Balkans

EPP Members:Jelena Drenjanin, Member of the Municipal Assembly of Huddinge (Sweden)Vladimir Kissiov, Municipal Councillor for the Municipality of Sofia (Bulgaria)Jacek Protas, Marshal of the Warminsko-Mazurskie voivodship (Poland)Franz Schausberger, Representative of the Salzburg Region to the Committee of theRegions (Austria)

Alternates:Alvaro Ancisi, Councillor for the Ravenna Commune (Italy)Jos Chabert, Successor to the Brussels Capital Parliament (Belgium)Anton Kokalj, Member of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Vodice (Slovenia)Kadri Tillemann, Mayor of the Keila Municipality (Estonia)

• Working Group Turkey

2012-2015 Chair: Heinz Lehmann, Member of the Sachsen State Assembly (Germany)

EPP Members:Hans J.F.M Janssen, Mayor of Oisterwijk (Netherlands)Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos, Municipal Councillor of Egaleo, General Secretary of theDecentralised Administration of Attica (Greece)Malcolm Mifsud, Mayor of Pieta and President of the Central Region in Malta (Malta)

Alternates:Umberto Oppus, Mayor of Mandas (Italy)Ursula Männle, Member of the Bavarian State Assembly (Germany)Gyorgy Gemesi, Mayor of Godollo (Hungary)Costas Hadjikakou, Municipal Councillor of Ammochostos (Famagusta, Cyprus)

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Other CoR Working Groups, Networks, Platforms

• Euro- Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM)

As the representative assembly for local and regional authorities of the European Union,the Committee of the Regions announced, during the summer of 2008, its initiative to setup a Euro-Mediterranean Assembly of Local and Regional Authorities (ARLEM) under theguidance of former President, Luc Van den Brande. Such an assembly is designed to providethe institutional framework to bring together CoR members and representatives ofEuropean associations involved in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation with their counterpartsfrom the Mediterranean partners in a permanent joint body. The inaugural meeting tookplace on 22 January in Barcelona and the EPP Group will be represented by:

Ramon-Luis Valcarcel Siso, President of the Region of Murcia (Spain)Luc Van den Brande, President of the Liaison Agency Flanders Europe (Belgium)Jacques Blanc, Mayor and Senator of the Canourgue Canton, President of the Associationof Mayors from the Lozére department (France)Jose Macario Correia, Mayor of Faro (Portugal)Gyorgy Gemesi, Mayor of Godollo (Hungary)Vladimir Kissiov, Sofia Municipal Councillor (Bulgaria)Michel Lebrun, Member of the Walloon Parliament in Belgium (Belgium)Eleni Louciades, Town Councillor of Lefkosia (Cyprus)Malcolm Mifsud, Mayor of Pieta and President of the Central Region in Malta (Malta)Carlos Pinto, Mayor of Covilhã (Portugal)Martina Krogmann, State-Secretary, Commissioner of the Land of Lower Saxony to theFederation (Germany)Grigorios Zafeiropoulos, Councillor of the Region of Attica, Vice President of the AtticaRegional Council (Greece)

• The Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the EasternPartnership (CORLEAP)

Political developments in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasushave an impact on the European Union's security, stability and prosperity. The EuropeanCommission therefore launched the "Eastern Partnership" in December 2008, puttingforward concrete ideas for enhancing the EU's relationship with Armenia, Azerbaijan,Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Following the inaugural meeting in Poznań on 8September 2011, CORLEAP will continue as a yearly event. By holding regular thematicmeetings and facilitating the exchange of project proposals, best practices and know-

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how, CORLEAP intends to become the hub for direct cooperation between regions andcities from the EU and the Eastern partner countries. The EPP Group is represented by:

Ramon-Luis Valcarcel Siso, President of the Region of Murcia (Spain)Sándor Kovács, President of the General Assembly of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County(Hungary)Roman Linek, Vice-President of the Pardubice Region (Czech Republic)Franz Schausberger, Representative of the Salzburg Region to the Committee of theRegions (Austria) Michael Schneider, State Secretary, Delegate of the State of Saxony-Anhalt for theGerman Federation (Germany)Marek Woźniak, Marshal of the Wielkopolsa Voivodship (Poland)

• WG CoR-Congress of Local and Regional Powers in Europe (Council of Europe)

EPP Members:Roberto Pella, Councillor of the Valdengo Commune (Italy)Malcolm Mifsud, Mayor of Pieta and President of the Central Region in Malta

EPP Alternates:Paul Lindquist, Mayor of Lindingo (Sweden)Erwin Mohr, Member of the local Council in Wolfurt (Austria)

• Ad hoc Working Group on the Budget Review

An ad hoc working group on the budget review has been set up in order to prepare andsubmit a CoR opinion on the European Commission's proposed budget review and toensure the CoR is present in discussions on the European financial framework.

EPP Members:Ramon-Luis Valcarcel Siso, President of the Region of Murcia (Spain)Anders Knape President of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions andCouncillor of Karlstad Municipality (Sweden)Michael Schneider, State Secretary, Delegate of the State of Saxony-Anhalt for theGerman Federation (Germany)Luc Van den Brande, President of the Liaison Agency Flanders Europe (Belgium)

Alternates:Helmut Jahn, Hohenlohe District Councillor (Germany)Cor Lamers, Mayor of Houten (Netherlands)

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Erwin Mohr, Municipal Councillor for the Wolfurt Market Community (Austria)Adam Struzik, Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodship (Poland)

• Monitoring Group CoR-EESC

EPP Members:Michel Lebrun, Member of the Walloon Parliament in Belgium (Belgium) Anders Knape President, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (Salar),Councillor of Karlstad Municipality (Sweden)

Alternates:Arnoldas Abramavicius, Mayor of Zarasai District Municipality (Lithuania)Cor Lamers, Mayor of Houten (Netherlands)

• Subsidiarity Monitoring Network

Coordinator: Michael Schneider, State Secretary, Delegate of the State of Saxony-Anhaltfor the German Federation (Germany)

• Network of Local and Regional Authorities for Integration - Steering Committee:

Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos, Municipal Councillor of Egaleo, General Secretary of the Decentralised Administration of Attica (Greece)

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Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

The EPP Group in the CoR welcomes the recognition that cities and regions have gainedfor spurring on growth and development at a time when Europe is still recovering fromthe financial crisis. We intend to contribute to the implementation of the Europe 2020Strategy notably through a dedicated "Europe 2020 Task Force".

The Task Force, Chaired by Markku Markkula, will keep an overview on the evolution ofthe flagships, while monitoring the relevant legislative activity at EU level. Through theseven appointed coordinators, it will also try to scrutinise the Member States' work asreflected in the National Reform Programmes and liaise with the competent authoritiesto ensure that cities and regions are involved in their conception and implementation.

"Innovation Union", Maria Luisa Coppola, Councillor of the Veneto Region, Italy"Youth on the move", Malcolm Mifsud, Mayor of Pietá, Malta"A digital agenda for Europe", Markku Markkula, Member of the Espoo City Council, Finland"Resource efficient Europe", Michel Lebrun, Member of the Parliament of the French-speaking Community, Belgium,"An industrial policy for the globalisation era", Emilia Müller, Minister for Federal and EuropeanAffairs in the Bavarian State Chancellery, Germany"An agenda for new skills and jobs", Constance Hanniffy, Offaly County Council and MidlandRegional Authority, Ireland"European platform against poverty", Witold Stępień, Marshal of the Łódzkie Region, Poland

The Task Force has published three brochures outlining the role of local and regionalauthorities in implementing the Europe 2020 Strategy on the ground with the last oneshowcasing the role of tourism and its impact on local and regional growth strategies.

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The CoR Commissions

A CoR Member normally follows the work of one or two Commissions, each of which iscomposed of approximately 100 members. For each commission, the Group appoints apolitical co-ordinator who represents the EPP in negotiations with the other politicalGroups. The coordinator is also responsible for maintaining fairness and transparencywhen appointing rapporteurs, who are proposed by the political Groups, and dealing withsensitive or divisive opinions. The EPP secretariat holds a Group co-ordination meetingand prepares a briefing paper prior to each meeting. At the end of each meeting, theGroup secretariat distributes a summary document highlighting the key decisions andEPP contributions.

The life of a CoR opinion

Following a request from the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, theEuropean Parliament or on its own initiative, the CoR appoints a rapporteur to draft anopinion stating the views of Europe's local and regional authorities on behalf of itsmembers. Together with the help of an expert, the consultative works (DTC) of theCommittee of the Regions and the secretariat of the respective Political Group, the opinionis drafted and amended until it is adopted by the majority of the specific thematicCommission. The opinion is then put forward to the Plenary Session and upon approvalthe opinion can be sent as the CoR's response and can play a role in policy-making.

Day to day work of EPP/CoR members

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Being a rapporteur

Once a request for an opinion has been received by the CoR President it will be allocatedto one of the 6 thematic Commissions. The EPP secretariat then advertises the opinion toall Members so they may submit their candidature for rapporteurship. If successful, therapporteur works with an expert in the field to draft an opinion, which should bepresented and debated with the other Commission Members. All Members are invited tomake proposed amendments on the draft opinion in order to ensure that the resultingdocument is a true reflection of the Committee of the Regions. Being a rapporteur is anexcellent way to have a direct impact on EU legislation and to draw attention to theparticularities of Europe's regions and cities. Furthermore, through the resulting presscoverage, CoR Members can clearly demonstrate the added-value of European Unionproposals to their citizens.

Types of opinions

Generally speaking, there are four main types of opinion, which come from the Committeeof the Regions:

Mandatory opinions:these are written on legislative proposals from the European Council or the EuropeanCommission and cover an area where the Treaty obliges that the CoR is consulted.

Optional opinions:the European Council, European Parliament and/or the European Commission can ask theCommittee of the Regions to produce an opinion on proposals where the Treaty does notoblige consultation, but where they see that there is an important regional or local implication.

Own initiative opinions:the Committee of the Regions has the right to prepare an opinion on any subject where itdeems it important to consider the role/impact on local and regional authorities. This enablesthe institution to place specific issues of regional importance on the EU agenda.

Outlook opinions and reports:Making use of a bilateral cooperation agreement with the Committee of the Regions, theEuropean Commission can request the CoR to prepare a report, which explores problemsin a greater depth thanks to their local information resources and networks. In the sameway the European Commission may request the Committee of the Regions to draw upoutlook opinions in key policy areas that it wishes to develop and where it considers theCommittee of the Regions has the relevant competence, knowledge and expertise.

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Press and Communication

The EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions considers thatcommunicating its work to the other institutions and to thebroader public is a key responsibility. The Group works with theCommittee of the Regions Directorate for Communication, Pressand Protocol to help rapporteurs and/or speakers in meetings toget their message across. A number of tools are available to assistCoR Members include press releases, press conferences, specialprogrammes for journalists accompanying rapporteurs and thepresentation of opinions in conferences and publications.

The EPP/CoR website www.epp.cor.europa.eu contains a wealth of information about theMembers in the EPP Group, its seminars and events and up to date information about theopinions in each Commission. In addition, the rEPPorter newsletter, which is published justbefore each Plenary Session, highlights the work of EPP Members and is distributed to theEPP/CoR Members, EPP Members of the European Parliament and to EPP Commissioners fivetimes a year. Special edition issues of the rEPPorter are produced to highlight the priorities ofthe Group. There are also monthly e-newsletters and regular press releases, which aredistributed among the EPP networks and the media. In addition, the EPP/CoR Group regularlycontributes to European magazines and publications with an interest in regional affairs.

The annual Summer University for local and regional media “Local Media Meets Europe - EuropeMeets Local Media” is a two-day workshop for journalists and is an expression of the EPP Group'scommitment to enhance two-way communication with citizens. Local and regional media, inpartnership with local and regional authorities, play a central role in communication by providingconcrete ways to explain the advantages of European integration to citizens in cities and regions acrossEurope, whilst also providing a channel to voice their views to EU decision-makers. The 2012 editiontook place on 5-7 June and was dedicated to local and regional television.

The EPP Group also places an emphasis on enhancing communication with young peopleand giving citizens an opportunity to voice their concerns and ideas. Within this context,the Group organises competitions for young people to show their ideas on Europeanissues. Moreover, the EPP Group invites students working towards a Masters in EuropeanAffairs to a Study Visit in t he second half of each year. This is a unique opportunity forstudents to challenge and debate with EU policy-makers and to witness the EuropeanUnion at work.

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The EPP/CoR Group is assisted by a secretariat, which serves as apoint of reference to Members in their daily work. The secretariatprepares the EPP Bureau and EPP Group meetings, assists theMembers in their CoR-activities and drafts briefings in order toprepare the members for Commission meetings, working groups,and the CoR Bureau. It fights to defend the priorities of EPPMembers of the CoR in each Commission meeting, in particularby monitoring the fair allocation of opinions. The secretariat isalso responsible for drawing up voting lists for the CoR PlenarySessions and providing communication support.

The secretariat follows the activities of the European People's Partyand its Group in the European Parliament and drafts the positionof the Group within the EPP bodies. The secretariat also serves asthe main motor in arranging contacts and communicationbetween Group members, as well as between EPP rapporteurs inthe CoR and EPP rapporteurs in the European Parliament, whichhas helped consolidate co-operation between the two institutions.

The EPP/CoR Secretariat

Political Adviser: Vassilis ANTONIOUResponsible for ECOS, NAT, OPEN DAYS Languages: EL, EN, FR, ESTel.: +32 2 282 23 88e-mail: vasileios.antoniou@cor.europa.eu

Political Adviser: Simone BRUSADINResponsible for EDUC, Working GroupsLanguages: IT, FR, ENTel.: +32 2 282 20 91e-mail: simone.brusadin@cor.europa.eu

Secretary-General: Heinz-Peter KNAPPLanguages: DE, FR, ENTel.: +32 2 282 22 21e-mail: heinz-peter.knapp@cor.europa.eu

Political Adviser: Paul WILLEMSBureau, General coordination of secretariatLanguages: NL, FR, EN, DE, ITTel.: +32 2 282 23 08e-mail: paul.willems@cor.europa.eu

Political Adviser: Inês ROSETAResponsible for CIVEX, ARLEM, CORLEAPLanguages: PT, EN, FR, ES, ITTel.: +32 2 282 22 47e-mail: ines.roseta@cor.europa.eu

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The EPP/CoR Secretariat

The secretariat is composed of:

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Political Adviser: Aurel TRANDAFIRResponsible for COTER, CAFA, CoR-EESC relations, Council of Europe and relations with EPPLanguages: RO, FR, EN, ITTel.: +32 2 282 20 94e-mail: aurel.trandafir@cor.europa.eu

Administrative Coordinator: Véronique ANDREResponsible for administrative and technical organisation of EPP Group meetings Languages: ES, FR, EN, IT, DETel.: +32 2 282 22 52e-mail: veronique.andre@cor.europa.eu

Press Officer: Kathryn OWENSResponsible for Press, Events and Communication Strategy of the Group, relations with EPP-EP Press and EPPLanguages: EN, FR, DE, NLTel: +32 2 282 24 00e-mail: kathryn.owens@cor.europa.eu

Political Adviser: Filippo TERRUSOCabinet of the CoR PresidentLanguages; IT, FR, EN, ESTel: +32 2 282 2291e-mail: Filippo.terruso@cor.europa.eu

Political Adviser: Marko JUVANČIČResponsible for: Joint Consultative Committees, CoR Working Groupsand support to CAFA, Political Monitoring GroupLanguages: SL, EN, HRTel.: +32 2 282 2520e mail: marko.juvancic@cor.europa.eu

Political Adviser/Assistant: Agnieszka BIDZINSKAResponsible for service to Members, ENVELanguages: PL, EN, ES, FRTel.: +32 2 282 20 78e-mail: agnieszka.bidzinska@cor.europa.eu

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European People's Party

The EPP in the CoR has established a strong link with the EuropeanPeople's Party. The President of the CoR and the President of the EPPin the CoR are members of the Political Bureau of the EPP party andthe latter is also invited to attend EPP Summits where EPP Heads ofState meet to prepare the work of the European Council.

The CoR is regularly involved in EPP Congresses by proposingamendments to key texts and submitting resolutions, which drawattention to the impact that Europe's development is having at the localand regional level.

The EPP in the Committee of the Regions has thus successfullyinfluenced the position of the EPP party as a whole regardingthe Committee of the Regions and the importance of localand regional entities in Europe.

EPP Political Platform

The EPP supports the contribution of the Committee of theRegions as a political assembly and as an institutional body of theEuropean Union that defends the interests of regions and cities.The Treaty of Lisbon has reinforced the role of the regions and the

local authorities in the European Union and strengthened the institutional role of the Committeeof the Regions throughout the legislative process. The EPP favours and fosters a strong positionof the regions as a key component of the European Union to the vital need for reducing thedemocratic deficit of the EU. They play important economic, cultural and social roles, sometimestranscending the borders of the respective member states. We see the promotion of the regionsand the local authorities and their cooperation in many aspects as an added value in the processof European integration*.

Equally, the EPP in the CoR has succeeded in including its members in EPP WorkingGroups and Forums, which are composed of Members of the European Parliament,Commissioners and representatives from National Parties and which produce EPPpositions, reports and publications.

Stronger in partnership

* As presented to the EPP Statutory Congress, 17-18 October 2012, Bucharest

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EPP Working Group members

WG 1 European Policy: Michael Schneider, State Secretary and Delegate of the State ofSaxony-Anhalt for the German Federation (Germany)WG 2 Economic and Social Policy: Constance Hanniffy, Member of Offaly County Counciland President of the monitoring committee of the Border, Midland and West RegionalAssembly (Ireland)WG 3 Membership: Jelena Drenjanin, Member of the Municipal Assembly of Huddinge (Sweden) Ad Hoc WG Agriculture: Paolo Valentini Puccitelli, Councillor of the Lombardia Region (Italy) WG Foreign Affairs/ Ad Hoc WG Eastern Partnership and Euro-Med: Luc Van den Brande,President of the Liaison Agency Flanders Europe (Belgium) Ad Hoc WG Climate Change: Cor Lamers, Mayor of Houten (Netherlands)

Co-operation with national authorities is also considerably facilitated via the EPP politicalparties within the Member States. Through this network of relations, the EPP hasconsiderable scope to influence European policy makers and to put issues of local andregional interest on the political agenda.

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The EPP Group in the European Parliament

Due to the common goals that the EPP in the CoR and the EPPGroup in the European Parliament share, good working relationshave been established. This has allowed both EPP Groups toconsult each other not only in framing policies, but also indealing with specific political issues and in identifying commonpolitical priorities.

In 2001, a memorandum of cooperation was signed to further strengthen these links andPresident Schneider is keen to revise this document to reflect the deepening cooperationbetween the Groups.

On several occasions rapporteurs from both sides have co-operated closely and the EPPGroup in the European Parliament has tabled a number of amendments in support ofthe Committee of the Regions. Especially during discussions on the inter-institutionalreform, the then EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament fought successfully tostrengthen the role of the Committee of the Regions. In recent years, the cooperationbetween the Commissions of the CoR and the Committees of the European Parliamenthas been greatly strengthened and in March 2010 the two Groups issued a jointstatement on the future of cohesion policy.

Common statement by Lambert Van Nistelrooij MEP, EPP Group Coordinator in theCommittee on Regional Development in the European Parliament and Michael Schneider,President of the EPP Group in the Committee of Regions, on the occasion of the EPP GroupBureau meeting in Budapest, March 2010:

Being an expression of the European values of solidarity, cohesion as development policy hasproven its undeniable added value over the past 20 years. It reduces disparities between regions,promotes economic growth, increases the European competitiveness and facilitates recoveryin the context of the global economic crisis.

In a "time for growth and jobs", the Bureau of the EPP Group in the European Parliament andthe EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions emphasize, at the EPP Group Bureau meetingin Budapest, that cohesion policy should continue to deliver its ambitious objectives as a single,united community policy with a horizontal character.

The future of cohesion policy will evolve in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy and in this contextthe two EPP Groups propose to strengthen the importance of a multi-level ownership in thedesign and implementation stages of this new Strategy. This should imply a full respect of thesubsidiarity principle and an effective partnership of all levels of governance - local, regional,national and European.

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The new Lisbon Treaty formulates a broader basis for cohesion policy in the post-2013 period.We need a reformed and modernized policy, developed along its three dimensions - economic,social and territorial. In order to be effective, while meeting the new objectives of smart,sustainable and inclusive growth, we need to continue ensuring the appropriate level of funding.Cohesion policy is an investment in a sustainable and competitive social market economy forthe 21st century, having a great impact on the wellbeing of all European citizens.

The EPP Group can therefore count on strong allies in the European Parliament for thepromotion of local and regional interests within the EU.

The EPP heading up the European Council

Herman Van Rompuy (born 31 October 1947), is the first official President of the EuropeanCouncil. A Belgian politician of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V), heserved as the 49th Prime Minister of Belgium from 30 December 2008 until his predecessor,Yves Leterme, succeeded him on 25 November 2009. Van Rompuy, who was supportedby the EPP as European Council President, is a regular participant of the EPP Summit ofheads of state and government. He is an ex officio member of EPP Presidency.

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Austria

Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP)

Belgium

Christen-Democratisch & Vlaams (CD&V)Centre démocrate humaniste (CDH)Christlich Soziale Partei (CSP)

Bulgaria

Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB)

Union of Democratic Forces (UDF)

Cyprus

Democratic Rally of Cyprus (DISY)

Czech Republic

Křesťanská a demokratická unie - Československá strana lidová (KDU-CSL)

Denmark

Det Konservative Folkeparti (KF)

Member Parties of the EPP Groupin the European Parliament

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Estonia

Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit (IRL)

Finland

Kansallinen Kokoomus (KOK)Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit (KD)

France

Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP)Nouveau Centre (NC)La Gauche Moderne (LGM)

Germany

Christlich-Soziale Union (CSU)Christlich Demokratische Union (CDU)

Greece

Nea Demokratia (ND)

Hungary

Magyar Polgári Szövetseg (FIDESZ)

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Ireland

Fine Gael (FG)

Italy

Il Popolo della Libertà (PdL)Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democrati di Centro (UDC)Südtiroler Volkspartei (SVP)

Latvia

Jaunais Laiks (JL)Pilsoniskā savienība (PS)

Lithuania

Tėvynės Sąjunga – Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai / (TS-LKD)

Luxembourg

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei (CSV)

Malta

Partit Nazzjonalista (PN)

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Poland

Platforma Obywatelska (PO)Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (PSL)

Portugal

Partido Social Democrata (PSD) Partido Popular (CDS-PP)

Romania

Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség (RMDSZ)Partidul Democrat-Liberal (PD-L)

Slovakia

Krest'anskodemokraticke hnutie (KDH)Strana mad'arskej koalície-Magyar Koalíció Pártja (SMK)Slovenská demokratická a krest'anská únia-Demokratická strana(SDKÚ-DS)

Slovenia

Nova Slovenija - Krīčanska ljudska stranka (NSi) Slovenska demokratska stranka (SDS)

Spain

Partido Popular - (PP)

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Sweden

Moderaterna (M)Kristdemokraterna (KD)

The Netherlands

Christen Democratisch Appèl (CDA)

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The European People’s Party (EPP) in Europe

EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions

President: Michael SCHNEIDER

Secretary General: Heinz-Peter KNAPP

Rue Belliard 101B-1040 Brussels

Tel: +32 2 282 22 50Fax: +32 2 282 23 29

E-mail: epp@cor.europa.euwww.epp.cor.europa.eu

EPP Group in the European Parliament

Chairman: Joseph DAUL

Secretary General: Martin KAMP

Rue Wiertz 47-531047 BRUXELLES

Tel: +32 2 284 2234 Fax: +32 2 230 6208

E-mail: martin.kamp@europarl.europa.euwww.eppgroup.eu

EPP PartyPresident: Wilfried MARTENS

Tel: (32-2) 285.41.59 _ Fax: (32-2) 285.41.55

Vice-Presidents:Michel BARNIER (France)Mario DAVID (Portugal)Peter HINTZE (Germany)Rumiana JELEVA (Bulgaria)Jyrki KATAINEN (Finland)Enda KENNY (Ireland)Viktor ORBAN (Hungary)Alojz PETERLE (Slovenia)Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI (Poland)Antonio TAJANI (Italy)Corien WORTMANN-KOOL (Netherlands)

Secretary General: Antonio LOPEZ ISTURIZ

Rue du Commerce1000 BRUXELLESTel: +32 2 285 41 40Fax: +32 2 285 41 41E-mail: alopez@epp.euwww.epp.eu

Treasurer:Ingo FRIEDRICH (Germany)

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European Council

President: Herman Van Rompuy

Rue de la Loi 175B-1048 Brussels

Tel: +32 (0)2 281 61 11

E-mail: ec.president@consilium.europa.eu

EPP Members of the European Commission (2010-2015)

Jose Manuel BARROSO: President

Viviane REDING: Justice, FundamentalRights and Citizenship

Antonio TAJANI: Industry andEntrepreneurship

Michel BARNIER: Internal Market andServices

Dacian CIOLOS: Agriculture and RuralDevelopment

John DALLI: Health and Consumer Policy

Kristalina GEORGIEVA: InternationalCooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response

Johannes HAHN: Regional Policy

Connie HEDEGAARD: Climate Action

Janusz LEWANDOWSKI: Budget andFinancial Programming

Günther OETTINGER: Energy

Andris PIEBALGS: Development

Algirdas ŠEMETA: Taxation and CustomsUnion, Audit and Anti-Fraud

EPP Governments in EU 27 – Heads of State and Government*

Traian BASESCU (Romania)Boyko BORISOV (Bulgaria)Pedro Passos COELHO (Portugal)Valdis DOMBROVSKIS (Latvia)Lawrence GONZI (Malta)Janez JANŠA (Slovenia)Jean-Claude JUNCKER (Luxembourg)Jyrki KATAINEN (Finland)

Enda KENNY (Ireland)Andrius KUBILIUS (Lithuania)Angela MERKEL (Germany)Viktor ORBAN (Hungary)Mariano RAJOY (Spain) Fredrik REINFELDT (Sweden)Antonis SAMARAS (Greece)Donald TUSK (Poland)

*As of October 2012

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EU Terminology

Absorption capacity - the ability of a country or organization to receive financial aid anduse it effectively

Amendment – A change to the wording of an opinion

Accession – process of joining the EU

Acquis communautaire - this term is used in the European Union law to refer to the totalbody of EU law accumulated until now; it comes from French: "acquis" means "that whichhas been acquired", and "communautaire" means "of the community"

Applicant country - a country that has applied to join the European Union

ARLEM – The Euro-Mediterranean Assembly of Local and Regional Authorities (EMRLA orARLEM in French) is designed to provide the institutional framework to bring togetherCoR members and representatives of European associations involved in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation with their counterparts from the Mediterranean partners in apermanent joint body

Barcelona Process - also known as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is policy of theEuropean Union towards the Mediterranean countries. Its purpose is to strengthen linksbetween the EU and partner countries, whilst also encouraging closer ties amongMediterranean countries

Benchmarking - measuring how well one country, business, industry, etc. is performingcompared to other countries, businesses, industries, and so on

Best practice – the option which works best and can be applied in other situationsaccording to national and local circumstances

Candidate Country - a country that has applied to join the European Union and that hasofficially been accepted as a candidate for accession

Charter of Fundamental Rights - Following the 50th anniversary of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights in December 1998, the European Council decided to drafta Charter of Fundamental Rights to raise awareness of the rights at EU level

Commission – In addition to the European Commission, the Committee of the Regionshas 6 thematic working groups, which are referred to as 'commissions'

Competences – where the legal powers and responsibilities in a specific area lie

Copenhagen criteria – the three criteria set for allowing a candidate country to join theEU. First, it must have stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human

46

rights and respect for minorities. Second, it must have a functioning market economy.Third, it must take on board all the acquis communautaire and support the various aimsof the European Union. In addition, it must have a public administration capable ofapplying and managing EU laws in practice Cultural capital – European cities aredesignated as the “European capital of culture” to publicise and celebrate the culturalachievements and charms and to raise awareness of different European heritage

Directorate General (DG) - departments responsible for specific tasks or policy areas

Economic, social and territorial cohesion – one of the main objectives of the EuropeanUnion (article 3 of the Lisbon treaty) aiming at a sound and balanced economic and socialdevelopment of all territories of the EU

European development fund - is the main instrument for cooperation with the countriesof Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific and with the Overseas Countries and Territories

EPP- Reporter – aiming at promoting the activities of the EPP Group, on the occasion ofthe plenary sessions the EPP publishes a magazine with an overview of the rapporteursand their opinions they will present during the upcoming Plenary Session

Europe 2020 – an economic recovery programme for Europe with the aim of promotingsmart, sustainable and inclusive growth, which was adopted in June 2010

Free movement of people, goods, services and money – an objective of the EU to allowthese 'freedoms to cross borders

Green Paper - a document published by the European Commission to stimulate discussionon given topics at European level.

Intellectual property – ownership of ideas through patents, copyright or related rightsfor literary and artistic works

Laeken Declaration – a statement committing the Union to becoming more democratic,transparent and effective

Lisbon Treaty and the CoR – when the Lisbon Treaty, the CoR has received the right to go tothe Court of Justice in case of violation of the principle of subsidiarity and proportionality andto defend its own prerogatives; the mandate period was enlarged from 4 to 5 years; themaximum number of members is now 350; explicit recognition of the principle of local andregional autonomy; a reference to the territorial cohesion on top of the economic and socialcohesion; confirmation of the special status of the outermost regions

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Mandate period – the members of the Committee of the Regions are nominated for amandate period 5 years. For the presidency of the CoR this mandate period is split intotwo terms

Member of the Committee of the Regions: elected politicians at regional/local level orresponsible before a political assembly at any levels of policy making below the national,can become member of the Committee of the Regions

Member State – a country belonging to the EU

National delegation – the Members coming from a specific Member State, regardless ofpolitical persuasion, make up a national delegation and work together to ensure that theopinion of their country is reflected

Neighbourhood Policy – policy, which aims to avoid dividing lines between the EU andneighbouring countries by enhancing stability, security and well-being. It builds on sharedvalues: democracy, human rights, rule of law, good governance, market economy andsustainable development.

"OPEN DAYS" – annual week of cities and regions in Brussels where stakeholders cannetwork and discuss matters of local and regional importance

Opinion – A report of legislative nature drafted by the Committee of the Regions to expressits views on a given topic relating to a legislative proposal of the European Commission;

Outermost regions - regions with low population density and considerable distance frommainland Europe (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Réunion, the Canaries, theAzores and Madeira)

Plenary Session – Meeting of all 344 members of the Committee of the Regions, whichtakes place five times a year

Political coordinator – representative of a political Group in charge with coordination ofall EPP members' activities inside of a CoR commission

Political Group secretariat – responsible for coordinating the work of the CoR andrepresenting Members in Brussels

Presidency of the Council of the European Union - each Member State holds the Presidencyfor a period of six months and the order of rotation is fixed by the Council of the European Union.

Rapporteur – person responsible for drafting the opinion

Regions – there is no uniform European definition of a region. The member states of the EUare different, so the internal organisation of each state is different due to the historical andcultural background.

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Schengen - a territory without internal borders ((almost every EU country - excludingIreland and the UK - plus Iceland and Norway

Simplified procedure – if an opinion is unanimously adopted at Commission, there is asimplified procedure in the Plenary Session meaning that no amendments can be added

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) – are often referred to as the backbone ofthe European economy, providing a potential source for jobs and economic growth. SMEsare defined by the European Commission as having less than 250 persons employed. They should also have an annual turnover of up to EUR 50 million, or a balance sheet totalof no more than EUR 43 million

Stakeholder – person or organisation with an interest in a specific area/field

Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund - The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are the main financial instruments of EU regional policy, which aims to narrow disparitiesbetween regions and Member States. The Funds pursues the goal of economic, social andterritorial cohesion.

Subsidiarity - subsidiarity is presently best known as a fundamental principle of EuropeanUnion law. According to this principle, the EU may only act (i.e. make laws) where actionof individual member states is insufficient, including at the level of their regions and cities

The word subsidiarity is derived from the Latin word "subsidiarius" and has its origins inCatholic social teaching. The concept is found in several constitutions around the worldand makes reference to an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by thesmallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority

The principle was established in the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht and entered into force in 1November 1993. The present formulation is contained in Article 5(3) of the Treaty of Lisbonand in its Protocol no. 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity andproportionality. Article 5 (3) of the Lisbon Treaty makes for the first time reference to thelocal and regional dimension of the subsidiarity: "Under the principle of subsidiarity, in areaswhich do not fall within its exclusive competence, the Union shall act only if and in so far as theobjectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, eitherat central level or at regional and local level, but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects ofthe proposed action, be better achieved at Union level."

EPP Summer University – The EPP Group in the CoR has organised its Summer Universityfor local and regional media each year since 2005

Sustainable development - This concept refers to a form of development, which meetspresent-day needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy theirown requirements.

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Third country – a country not belonging to the EU

Transparency – openness and visibility

White Paper – document from the European Commission outlining legislative developmentsat the European level; it contains proposals for European Union action in a specific area andsometimes follows a green paper released to launch a public consultation process

Contact us

Tel: +32 2 282 22 50Fax: +32 2 282 23 29

e-mail: epp@cor.europa.euhttp:// www.epp.cor.europa.eu

Your Guide5th CoR Mandate 2012-2015

EPP Group in the Committee of the RegionsRue Belliard/Belliardstraat, 101 _ 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel _ BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Tel. +32 2 282 2250_epp@cor.europa.euwww.epp.cor.europa.eu