COUNCIL OF EUROPEANMUNICIPALITIESAND REGIONS
European Section of United Cities and Local Governments
18.12.2006/nh
h:\ccre.bex\2006.12.18 rome\03 projet declaration rome_an.doc
EXECUTIVE BUREAU
Rome, 18 December 2006
DECLARATION
IN VIEW OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE TREATIES OF ROME
The year 2007 will be marked by the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties of Rome – treaties that established the foundations of a Europe of peace and social and economic development, and which has proved its capacity to evolve and grow.
Considering that beyond the celebration of this unprecedented success – which is very much justified and to which CEMR will contribute – it is necessary to look to the future and reflect on the perspectives for the Union,
The Executive Bureau of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, meeting in Rome on 18 December 2006,
1.Reaffirms its resolute commitment to the process of European unification and once again welcomes the historic and fundamental step which the Treaties of Rome constituted;
2.Notes, nonetheless, that the existing Treaties cannot respond to all of the challenges currently facing European citizens, nor to the need for an institutional framework that is both democratic and effective for a Union that has grown from 6 to 27 members, and which in particular do not take into account the necessary recognition of a governance that includes all levels of the decision-making process, especially local and regional governments;
3.Recalls that these are the reasons for which the Council of European Municipalities and Regions has supported the European Constitution, and in particular since it represents a significant advance for local and regional governments, as well as progress for the good governance of the Union;
4.Notes, with regret, that the period of reflection that was launched by the Council of the European Union in 2005 has, to date, not produced any clear perspectives for the institutional future of the Union;
5.Observes that the gap between the citizens and the construction of Europe has grown larger in recent years, with many Europeans no longer identifying with the European project;
6.Considers it essential for the European process to be given new life – fifty years after the adoption of the Treaties of Rome – in order to mark a new phase in the development of a stronger, more unified and more democratic Union, and particularly a Union that is more connected to its roots – our regions and localities;
7.Emphasizes, in this context, the vital role that must be played by local and regional governments, if the European Union is to continue to develop successfully, in particular
(a)in organising and delivering high quality, cost-effective and responsive public services;
(b) in promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion,
consistently with the principles of subsidiarity, proportionally and self government;
8.Recalls that the Treaty of Rome already recognized the role of Services of General Economic Interest (now article 86(2)), and that this recognition was strengthened by the Treaty of Amsterdam (which added Article 16), but in the light of recent adverse developments at European level urges that the role and legal position of local and regional public services be further clarified and enhanced, in full compliances with those principles;
9.Underlines that Europe cannot achieve its objective without effective cohesion, regional, urban and rural policies, and urges the Union and Member States to ensure that these policies – in which local and regional governments are essential actors and partners – are positively developed and properly financed in the coming years;
10.Calls upon the Heads of State, meeting in Berlin on 24 and 25 March 2007, to take all initiatives that contribute to the necessary relaunch of the institutional process, including through the adoption of a political Declaration establishing the values and ambitions of Europe;
11.Recalls on this occasion that in Innsbruck, in May 2006, the General Assembly of CEMR declared that:
“Whatever the outcome of the ratification process of the Constitution – which we support – the gains achieved for local and regional government, and for the democratic working of the Union, must be maintained and strengthened. We call on the European institutions and our national governments to ensure that this is achieved. We propose in particular that, given the need to reconnect the Union with citizens, a future Constitution or equivalent Treaty should include reference to the European Charter of Local Self-Government which now effectively forms part of our common “acquis””;
12.Expresses its full support and wishes for success to the German Presidency of the Union, which will have the responsibility of presenting proposals to the informal Council meeting in Berlin, and requests, in this context, that the German Presidency propose to include in the draft Berlin Declaration, among the values and ambitions of Europe, the recognition of local and regional democracy and self-government;
13.Invites the cities, local governments and regions of Europe, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties of Rome on 25 March, to multiply their initiatives to stimulate debate and discussion, with and between their citizens, on the values and ambitions of Europe.
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