European Committee of the Regions
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| Formation | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Type | EU body |
| Purpose | Consultative to the EU institutions; subsidiarity monitoring — can approach the Court of Justice of the European Union with regard to the application of subsidiarity principle |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 50°50′26″N 4°22′38″E / 50.84056°N 4.37722°ECoordinates: 50°50′26″N 4°22′38″E / 50.84056°N 4.37722°E |
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Membership
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350 |
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President
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Markku Markkula (Finland, EPP) |
| Website | www |
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice within the EU's institutional framework.
Established in 1994, the CoR was set up to address two main issues. First, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so local and regional representatives needed to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Second, there were concerns about a widening gap between the public and the process of European integration; involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of closing the gap.
Within the European Union local and regional authorities have lobbied for an increased say in EU affairs. This resulted in the creation by the Maastricht Treaty of the European Committee of the Regions, and provision for member states to be represented in the Council of the EU by ministers from their regional governments.
There are three main principles at the heart of the Committee's work:
The Treaties oblige the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that have repercussions at regional or local level. Outside these areas, the Commission, Council and European Parliament have the option to consult the CoR on issues if they see important regional or local implications to a proposal. The CoR can also draw up an opinion on its own initiative, which enables it to put issues on the EU agenda.
The CoR has gained the right (privileged status) to approach the European Court of Justice now that the Treaty of Lisbon has entered into force following ratification by all EU Member States (Article 8, Protocol (No. 2) on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality.
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