The Involvement of EC Regions in the EU Decision-making Process: the Case of the Italian and Spanish Regions (original) (raw)
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The relation between the nation-state in all its forms and the European Union continues to be a basic parameter in international relations. The nation-state lies at the heart of the supranational experiment of the EU, which constitutes the great desideratum of its finalité. After two devastating world wars in Europe in the 20 th century, the European states sought their share of peace in a community structure of policy integration. This was an unprecedented transition from the "blood monopoly" of the Westphalian nation-states, with their constant wars, to legitimation of their peacetime role. Achieving this goal meant that the nation-states had to "sacrifice" their privileged position on two other levels, those of law and of money. The construct of the EU was established and continues to progress towards unification via law and the acquis communautaire, on the one hand, and on the other towards the economic and monetary unification of its member-states.
This paper aims to look at the possibilities that regions have in the framework of the European Union. Regions are represented in the Union in an institutionalised way within the Committee of Regions. Although its powers are relatively limited, the Committee of Regions can provide input in the EU legislative process and present its views in various non-legislative opinions in order to influence European decision-making. We will assess the importance of the right of the Committee of Regions to initiate an action for annulment and its role in safeguarding subsidiarity since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The second part of the paper will deal with the direct representation and other possibilities of regions in the EU framework. The entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty improved the standing of regions and cities in the EU's political system. One of the important changes is that the local and regional right of self government is now, for the first time ever, enshrined in an EU Treaty. Direct representation of Osjecko-baranjska County, in Brussels, was founded in 2007, by the City of Osijek and Osjecko-baranjska County. The main objectives of the office in Brussels are to assure strong representation of the regional interests, to provide information about the on-going processes in Brussels and to establish horizontal connections with other regions and European Institutions. Since the office of Osjecka-Branjska County was founded prior to Lisbon changes, this paper will try to answer the question whether the Lisbon changes improved the process of direct representation.
Abstract The research article contributes to the scientific discussion about the political concept ‘Europe of the Regions’ in a twofold way: First, it reanimates the theoretical approach of the “participatory governance” concept that emerged in the beginning of the 2000´s in the debate on the EU White Paper on Governance. Second, it emphasizes cross-border regions as arenas for participatory governance and micro-laboratories of European integration. The paper elaborates the conditions that promote participatory governance in cross-border institutions within EU regional Policy, especially the European territorial cooperation (ETC). In a next step, the EU cross-border legal instrument European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) will be introduced and scrutinized regarding regionalization potentials. Finally, a case study of German-French cooperation the EGTC Eurodistrict Saarmoselle will be briefly empirically reviewed: As the empirical analysis shall serve as a test-bed, it should be understood as a first approximation of the research interest. Résumé Cet article de recherche contribue à la discussion scientifique sur le concept d’ « Europe des régions » à deux titres : D’une part, il réactive l’approche théorique basée sur le concept de « gouvernance participative » qui a émergé au début des années 2000 dans le cadre du débat sur le livre blanc sur la gouvernance européenne. D’autre part, il souligne l’importance des régions transfrontalières comme arènes de gouvernance participative et micro-laboratoires de l’intégration européenne. Cet article détermine les conditions favorisant la mise en oeuvre de la gouvernance participative au sein des institutions transfrontalières opérant dans le cadre de la politique régionale européenne, et notamment de la coopération territoriale européenne (CTE). Dans un second temps, l’instrument légal européen de coopération transfrontalière, le groupement européen de coopération territoriale (GETC), est présenté et analysé sous l’angle de son potentiel en termes de régionalisation. Enfin, l’article se conclut par une brève étude de cas sur la coopération franco-allemande au sein du GETC Eurodistrict Saarmoselle. Cette étude de cas est conçue comme un banc d’essai destiné à donner une première approximation de l’intérêt de recherche.
Politics in Central Europe, 2022
One of the main reasons for the establishment of the Committee of the Regions was to provide the subnational level with the representation within the institutional system of the European Union. As the body advising the EU institutions, the Committee can influence the decision-making process. Since it consists of members of the local and regional authorities, one may ask if it does offer the opportunity for the peculiar territorial self-government units to be represented at the EU level. And in the broader terms-what does the relation between the general and particular interests look like in that regard? The article tries to determine if the Committee of the Regions is a suitable place for the individual territorial self-government unit to promote its interests. The findings of the paper are based on the author's own empirical research conducted among the Polish members of the Committee. The results entitle the author to state that the territorial self-government units are represented in the Committee of the Regions and they have some benefits from being represented within this body.