22.9.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 313/12

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having regard to its resolution of 4 June 2015 on its priorities for the sixth term of office 2015-20; its resolution of 8 July 2015 on the future institutional set-up of the EU and the Protocol of cooperation between the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions signed on 16 February 2012;

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having regard to the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;

1.

reiterates its firm conviction that the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) is complementary to cohesion policy and that strong synergies between the new EFSI and the operational programmes of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) will be crucial in order to ensure coherence between investment projects and regional and local development strategies; recommends the involvement of local and regional authorities in the process of project selection and implementation as well as the organisation of decentralised investment fora;

2.

urges the Commission to closely engage local and regional authorities and the CoR in the efforts to simplify and accelerate the implementation of the ESIF funds, notably on the basis of the first conclusions of the high level group of experts monitoring simplification for beneficiaries to be presented in 2016;

3.

reiterates its call to the Commission to present a White Paper on Territorial Cohesion, based on the work of the Luxemburg Presidency in analysing the interplay between the Territorial Agenda 2020 and the Europe 2020 strategy;

4.

calls on the European Commission to support exchange and cooperation between regions regarding a better use of smart specialisation strategies in implementing the Structural Funds in order to foster innovation-driven growth;

5.

encourages the Commission to relaunch the debate on ‘Beyond GDP’ and the development of alternative or complementary indicators for well-being and sustainable development;

6.

urges the Commission to present a White Paper on an integrated EU Urban Agenda based on the declaration adopted in Riga, i.e. through the rapid application of urban impact assessment as part of the new Commission guidelines on impact assessments and the production of urban indicators to monitor the progress achieved;

7.

reiterates the need for recognition of rural areas as development and innovation hubs which contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy in the framework of a balanced relationship with urban hubs in order to achieve the goal of territorial cohesion as enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon;

8.

calls on the Commission to take greater account, in future proposals related to cohesion policy, of the influence of regional culture and traditions, which are invaluable owing to their capacity to integrate rural and urban communities, and are a factor in the promotion of rural initiatives;

9.

urges the Commission to address the growing disparities between European regions by ensuring that sufficient commitment and payment appropriations in support of growth and research across Europe are made available within the framework of the mid-term review of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020, due to be completed by the end of 2016;

10.

encourages the Commission to continue supporting the cross-border cooperation and the implementation and development of macro regional strategies, as an integrated framework for Member States and third countries in the same geographical area to tackle common challenges and step up cooperation regarding economic, social and territorial cohesion and stresses the importance to more strictly involve in this process the regional and local authorities, also represented in the CoR, and the economic, social subjects of territories involved in the macro regional strategy process;

11.

calls for the use of genuine EU own resources to be extended and expresses its desire to participate in the 2016 interinstitutional conference following up the results of the High Level Group on Own Resources.

12.

urges the Commission to publish the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy, which should be followed up as swiftly as possible in 2016 to ensure that the revised strategy includes a territorial dimension, thereby ensuring effective coordination of the relevant strands of EU policies, including cohesion policy, the Investment Plan for Europe and other EU programmes;

13.

asks the Commission to endorse the Committee’s call for Member States to actively involve local and regional authorities in the European Semester, in particular in the design and implementation of their National Reform Programmes;

14.

urges the Commission to follow up on the ‘Five Presidents’ report’ and present all measures necessary to make the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) more resilient and turn it into a framework for better coordination and structural convergence, capable of achieving the objectives set out in Article 3 TEU, including an EMU-level fiscal capacity;

15.

considers that flexibility in the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact with regards to investment should be extended to all Member States; therefore calls on the Commission to make proposals to this end and also to assess the impact of the new ESA 2010 rules on the ability of local and regional authorities to invest.

16.

reminds the Commission of its commitment to propose a revised and strengthened Small Business Act (SBA) and suggests a more prominent role for local and regional authorities in implementing the SBA principles;

17.

calls on the Commission to complete work for the establishment of an European area of skills and qualifications, which would anticipate labour market skills needs and better match them with available skills, through education, vocational training and lifelong learning, in order to stimulate the creation of jobs and fight unemployment, especially youth unemployment;

18.

reminds the Commission of its commitment to support an EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work, strengthening the role of the LRAs and promoting a new governance also by a European central steering committee responsible for defining, coordinating and developing health and safety at work issues;

19.

expects the Labour Mobility Package to be published soon and also expects it to include a proposal for the possible revision of the Posting of Workers directive;

20.

calls for the European Accessibility Act to be finalised;

21.

urges the Commission to step up its efforts for presenting measures aimed at reconciling professional and private lives by reviewing the 2010 directive on parental leave, by unblocking the institutional deadlock with regard to the Maternity Leave Directive and by presenting a concrete strategy for achieving gender equality in the EU;

22.

requests that further work be carried out on intermodal transport, and notably in the form of a legislative proposal on a European scheme for passenger rights in intermodal travel;

23.

reiterates its call to the Commission to publish a Green Paper on mobility in geographically and demographically challenged regions;

24.

calls on the Commission, in the framework of the 2016 review of the EU VAT Directive, to clarify the conditions under which the non-taxation of intermunicipal cooperation arranged under public law and outside the scope of public procurement law can be regarded as consistent with EU law;

25.

welcomes the Commission’s intention to relaunch the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) in 2016, with the aim of introducing long-term reforms on profit attribution to create a fairer corporation tax environment in Europe;

26.

expects the Digital Single Market to create the right conditions for digital networks and eCommerce to maximise the growth potential of the digital economy by investing in high-speed, trustworthy ICT infrastructure, supporting eGovernment, public services and digital skills and proposes that an e-residency scheme be developed across the EU in order to simplify access to the digital single market for digital investors from outside the EU;

27.

expects a proposal to ban geoblocking in the digital single market;

28.

calls on the Commission to come forward with proposals for a coordinated approach to the rules applicable to the sharing economy, giving due consideration to the difference between commercial and non-commercial activities;

29.

calls for the review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) in the light of technological developments and highlights the need to pursue policies which encourage the pluralism of news media in all Member States;

30.

looks forward to concrete measures on the part of the Commission to advance the aims outlined in the Council conclusions of 28-29 May 2015 on the European Research Area and on Science 2.0, with the support of the CoR and local and regional authorities;

31.

expects a follow-up of the Commission Green Paper on the possible extension of geographical indication protection of the EU to non-agricultural products.

32.

calls for full and ambitious implementation of the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) 2014-2020; consequently urges the Commission to present in 2016 the overdue Communication on Land as a Resource, a new proposal for a directive on access to justice in environment matters, and a legislative proposal on environmental inspections and enforcement;

33.

reiterates its call for the Commission to incorporate into EU legislation the objective of preventing any net loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and consequently expects the Commission to present in 2016 an appropriate initiative under the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020;

34.

hence, asks that a review of the legislation on traceability and labelling of foodstuffs should be approved as soon as possible, in collaboration and constant connection with the different levels of legislation of the European Union, Member States and European regions, in order to let consumers decide about their conscious usage also due to the recognition of completely GMO free production chains;

35.

underlines the key role of the future legislative proposals on the circular economy, and of consistent, EU-wide implementation of the current laws, in particular a reduction in the landfilling of recyclable waste, and repeats its request for ambitious further development of the waste and recycling targets and points out the large potential of the circular economy for innovative SMEs;

36.

requests that it would be involved in the process of preparing the new legislation provided for under the Energy Union package, in particular the review of the renewable energy directive and the review of energy performance of buildings and energy efficiency directives;

37.

expects the Commission to put forward an action plan to strengthen the role of the Covenant of Mayors in energy and climate policies, to prolong the initiative beyond 2020 and support its expansion worldwide; calls on the European Commission to fully integrate the Mayors Adapt initiative within the Covenant of Mayors, and to use the Covenant of Mayors, in coordination with Smart Cities solutions, as a vehicle for the implementation of energy and climate policies;

38.

encourages the Commission to put forward a Communication on Smart Cities to provide additional support for intelligent solutions with regard to energy efficiency, urban mobility and innovation by closely cooperating with the CoR in mapping existing initiatives and better coordinating them; urges in this context that the role of local and regional authorities be recognised in a range of other areas beyond energy efficiency in buildings, and reiterates its call for the Commission to support small and medium scale production of renewable energy as it can serve both to alleviate energy poverty and ensure security of energy supply;

39.

calls on the Commission to take measures to promote the modernisation and innovation of rural economy and to present regulatory mechanisms in the dairy sector anticipating and cushioning the volatility of the markets, in order to maintain agriculture in all regions and preserve rural communities;

40.

reiterates its request to the European Commission to promote reduction of food waste and to retable a proposal for a food waste reduction objective of at least 30 % by 2025, based on its withdrawn proposal from 2014 amending the Waste Framework Directive. In this context, it supports the European Parliament’s call for 2016 to be dedicated to the European Year against Food Waste;

41.

notes that six of the seven greatest risk factors for premature death relate to how we eat, drink and move, and calls on the Commission to examine coordinated action at EU level to better address rising levels of overweight and obesity across Europe;

42.

supports the European Parliament vote in favour of the aid scheme for the supply of fruit and vegetables, bananas and milk in educational establishments and calls on the Commission to present concrete proposals in 2016.

43.

calls on the Commission to implement the European Agenda on Migration in cooperation with the local and regional authorities, particularly in the light of their experiences regarding reception conditions and relocation mechanisms and to put forward legislative proposals on a resettlement mechanism and a permanent relocation mechanism in order to achieve a fairer distribution of those in need of international protection within the EU; expects therefore an evaluation and a possible revision of the Dublin III Regulation; reiterates its proposal to set up ‘migration and integration partnerships’ between cities and regions in the countries of origin and destination, and highlights the role that the European Structural and Investment Funds can play in supporting migration policies and integration processes and the active inclusion of people coherently with principles of EU and social cohesion;

44.

supports the humanitarian mission currently in place and acting in accordance with shared EU values; encourages the Commission to use a broad approach in its action on migration taking into account the economic, social, environmental, security and sovereignty issues of Member States when implementing the strategy. The CoR could contribute to this work by promoting the exchange of views amongst local and regional authority representatives on this issue and propose potential solutions;

45.

invites the Commission to encourage dialogue at all levels of governance as an important element of the EU enlargement process and to systematically address in the annual enlargement report the state of decentralisation and the role of local and regional authorities;

46.

calls for an extensive review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which should focus on three strategic priorities: proper democratic governance, sustainable territorial development and circular migration and mobility: asks in particular for initiatives supporting decentralisation processes to be stepped up; notes the importance of strengthening the institutions of local bodies and urges the Commission to continue the Local Administration Facility (LAF) and extend it to all neighbouring countries;

47.

believes it to be of particular importance that local and regional authorities are involved in the multi-lateral and bi-lateral track of the new ENP and that sufficient funding is granted to support reforms at their level, as requested by the Heads of State and Government at the Riga Summit;

48.

remains convinced that the TTIP could be an opportunity to boost growth and employment in the EU, in that it may provide reciprocal market access for trade in goods, services, investment and public procurement, cut red tape and remove non-tariff barriers to trade provided that the EU Member States’ existing legal standards, in particular in relation to social, environmental and consumer policy, are fully respected and that the democratic participation and powers of local and regional authorities are safeguarded;

49.

considers that the same prerequisites apply to the TiSA negotiations in their more restricted scope; calls on the Commission to involve the CoR in the TiSA negotiation process, in particular by granting the CoR similar access to negotiation documents as for TTIP;

50.

insists on the need to localise the new Universal Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved during the next 15 years, and therefore asks, with a particular focus on decentralised cooperation, for specific initiatives towards local and regional authorities to support their efforts in implementing them;

51.

invites the Commission to address the global urban agenda in view of the Habitat III Conference and to involve local and regional authorities in the shaping of the European Union’s position.

52.

calls for a revision and simplification of the European Citizens’ Initiative to make it more user-friendly and accessible to citizens;

53.

calls for renewed actions by the Commission to foster interinstitutional cooperation in communicating by also using the leverage potential of the CoR members to connect with citizens and to ‘go local’ across the European Union in its activities;

54.

calls on the Commission, as regards its proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) on a mandatory Transparency Register, to exempt democratically elected representatives of regional and local authorities and associations from the mandatory register;

55.

welcomes the fact that the Commission’s proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Regulation mentions territorial impact assessment as one of the tools for conducting impact assessments and calls on the Commission to use this tool systematically for legislative proposals that could have a territorial impact; reiterates however its demand that the IIA should recognise the increased and specific role of the CoR under the Lisbon Treaty;

56.

instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council and the President of the European Council.