The Committee of the Regions’ CIVEX commission meets in Nicosia – 08/06/2011

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All levels of government working together to promote the concept of European citizenship and dialogue between civil society and the EU

08.06.2011 – The Committee of the Regions’ CIVEX commission (Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs) held its ninth meeting and a seminar on “The role of local and regional authorities in fostering European citizenship” on 6 and 7 June 2011 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Luc Van den Brande, president of the Flanders-Europe Liaison Agency and former president of the Committee of the Regions, chaired these events. The meeting and seminar were attended by representatives of local and regional authorities from the 27 EU Member States and of course members of the Cypriot delegation.

The two events took place at the invitation of Eleni Loukaïdou, Nicosia Municipal Councillor and member of the Cypriot delegation to the Committee of the Regions.  She noted that 2011 was the Lisbon Treaty’s second year in force. One of its aims was to establish the area of freedom, security and justice and to revive external relations. Decentralised cooperation and city diplomacy were tools that could help to secure peace and understanding between peoples, and local and regional authorities were by their nature best placed to underpin initiatives for coexistence and reconciliation between states and peoples.

At the CIVEX meeting, members discussed four opinions, covering “smart regulation”, reducing bureaucracy for citizens and the strategy for effective implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as the CoR’s own-initiative opinion on the broader issue of developing a European culture of multilevel governance, whose rapporteur was the commission’s chair, Mr Van den Brande.  The meeting closed with a study visit to Nicosia’s Multipurpose Centre organised by the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, and a walk through Nicosia’s historic city centre, including a fact-finding visit to Ledra Street, which was once divided by the Green Line.  The CoR’s main reception and exhibition space at its Brussels headquarters was named after this place at an event on 3 April 2008 when a street sign with the words “Open Ledra Street” was erected to remind the thousands of visitors who regularly pass by the spot that local and regional authorities succeed when they have the support of local communities.

The seminar took place on Tuesday 7 June, and included European speakers and experts on citizenship.  Guest of honour was the Interior Minister of Cyprus, Neoklis Sylikiotis. In his speech he underlined that the rights of European citizens would be one of the main priorities of the Cypriot presidency in the second half of 2012. European integration could not succeed without active citizens, and local government must be an equal partner in the exercise of public power.

In his opening speech, Luc Van den Brande stressed that the concept of European citizenship was evolving and was especially important in the process of founding “European municipalities”. The meaning of citizenship was no longer one-dimensional: national and European citizenship were flanked by regional, local and cultural notions of identity. Active participation in political dialogue started above all at grassroots level. In Europe’s villages, towns, cities and regions, citizens were aware of the issues that were of key importance to everyday life and citizens played a fundamental role in finding effective solutions to common problems. Mr Van den Brande reiterated that Europe could only be built on the basis of harmonious and effective cooperation between all stakeholders, above all local and regional authorities.

In her video message, European Commissioner Viviane Reding noted that Europe could not be built on legislation and rules alone, but relied on active citizens. She affirmed the European Commission’s commitment to close cooperation with the CoR and local and regional authorities.

The seminar centred on various measures taken by official bodies and local authorities in the EU and explored practices used by local and regional authorities to bring citizens closer to the European Union.  More specifically, there was a presentation of the Nicosia Master Plan by its authors, Lelos Dimitriadisand Mustafa Akinci.

Events also included a visit to the Famagusta Museum, in Dherynia, near the Green Line. CIVEX commission members met with the Mayor of Famagusta, Alexis Galanos.

 

The Committee of the Regions 

The Committee of the Regions is the EU’s assembly of regional and local representatives. The mission of its 344 members from all 27 EU Member States is to involve regional and local authorities and the communities they represent in the EU’s decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are obliged to consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. It can appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers. For more information: www.cor.europa.eu.

Seminar: “The role of LRAs in fostering European citizenship” – 08/06/2011

/in

The Union of Cyprus Municipalities and the Committee of the Regions co-organised on June 7 in Nicosia, a seminar on “The role of local and regional authorities in fostering European citizenship”. The seminar was attended by representatives of local and regional authorities from the 27 EU Member States.

In his opening speech, Mr. Neoklis Sylikiotis, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, underlined that the rights of European citizens will be one of the main priorities of the Cypriot Presidency in the second half of 2012. “European integration cannot succeed without active citizens, and local government must be an equal partner in the exercise of public functions”, he stated.

The next speaker, Mr. Luc Van den Brande stressed that the concept of European citizenship was evolving and was especially important in the process of founding “European municipalities”. The meaning of citizenship was no longer one-dimensional: national and European citizenship were flanked by regional, local and cultural notions of identity. Active participation in political dialogue started above all at grassroots level.

In her video message, European Commissioner Viviane Reding noted that Europe could not be built on legislation and rules alone, but relied on active citizens. She affirmed the European Commission’s commitment to close cooperation with the CoR and local and regional authorities.

In his speech at the seminar, the Secretary General of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, Mr. Yiannis Antoniades said that “one of the objectives of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities is to bring the municipalities and the citizens of Cyprus closer to the European Union. We try to achieve this by informing our member Municipalities on the actions of the European Union, by facilitating their participation in European activities and by organizing events like this, which are addressed both to Municipalities and the citizens of Cyprus.” After a detailed presentation of the work of the Union in the field of European Citizenship (including the European projects DECISIVE, SKILLS and SUSTAIN), Mr. Antoniades said: “What I would like you to know is that for us, the effort to promote Town Twinning among the Municipalities and citizens of Cyprus does not end with the SUSTAIN project. On June 1st we submitted a proposal in cooperation with the Assembly of European Regions (AER), in the framework of the Support Measures of the “Europe for Citizens” Programme. This proposal is the logical continuation of the DECISIVE and SUSTAIN projects. As I said, DECISIVE brought volunteers-citizens closer to their Municipalities and taught them to work together to promote European Citizenship. SUSTAIN provides the tools and knowledge to exploit the relationship created through the first project. The new project, which we hope to be financed, will give the last two missing pieces to complete this effort: a) detailed information on what can be financed by the EU and how, and b) access to hundreds of potential partners through the network of the Assembly of European Regions. As you can see, for the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, the promotion of European citizenship is not just an elusive goal. For years, we have been working intensively and methodically, always in collaboration with both the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), as well as with the strongest partners in Europe on the issue of European citizenship, such as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the Assembly of European Regions (AER)”. We would like to thank them for their help and valuable presence here.

The seminar also focused on various measures taken by official bodies and local authorities in the EU and explored practices used by local and regional authorities to bring citizens closer to the European Union. More specifically, there was a presentation of the Nicosia Master Plan by its authors, Mr. Lellos Dimitriades and Mr. Mustafa Akinci. Events also included a visit to the Famagusta Museum, in Dherynia, near the Green Line.

SUSTAIN PROJECT: First training session in Cyprus – 09/06/2011

/in

On June 7th, the Union of Cyprus Municipalities organised in the framework of the SUSTAIN project, a training session in Nicosia. The event, which has been organised in cooperation with the Local Union of Municipalities and Communities of Prefecture Chios (TEDK CHIOS), aimed to inform the Municipalities-members of the two associations, on European Programmes, and give them the opportunity to discuss eventual new processes, exchange ideas and develop their capacities in designing and managing Town-Twinning projects.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Cypriot Municipalities, as well as a team of 11 officials from the Municipality of Chios, TEDK Chios, TEDK Samos and TEDK Lesvos, who presented their experience from participating in European Programmes, and their internal processes and useful guidelines for designing new projects and submitting project proposals.

The event took place within the wider effort of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities to ensure equal and effective access of all Cypriot Municipalities to European Programmes, through which the SUSTAIN project is also co-financed.

Mr. Savvas Vergas, New Vice President of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities – 17/06/2011

/in

The Executive Committee of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities proceeded to the filling of the post of the Vice President, which remained vacant after the proclamation of Mr. Christos Messis as MP in the recent parliamentary elections in Cyprus.

According to the statutes of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, Mr. Savvas Vergas, Mayor of Paphos, who has held up to now the position of member of the Executive Committee, has been elected as the new Vice President of the Union. Moreover, the Executive Committee decided to propose Mr. Charalambos Pittas, Mayor of Morphou, for the position of member of the Delegation of Cyprus to the Committee of the Regions and Mr. Andreas Hadjiloizou, Mayor of Ayios Dhometios, as alternate member of the same Delegation.

This discussion focused on the CoR proposal that “Europe 2020” has to be implemented in each member state through a Territorial Pact, which is an agreement between a country’s various tiers of government (local, regional, national). Parties signing up to a Territorial Pact commit themselves to coordinate their policy agendas in order to focus their actions and financial resources on the “Europe 2020” Strategy goals and targets.

Ms Bresso, after presenting a summary of recent discussions gave the floor to Mr. Peter Gyorkos, Permanent Representative of Hungary and five other delegations, which referred to good practices in this area. Mr. Gyorkos stressed that through territorial pacts begins a new era for regional policy and the majority of delegations said that “Europe 2020” Strategy is intended not only to overcome the economic crisis but also to lay the foundations for sustainable growth.

Each EU Member Country has to submit its National Reform Programme for “Europe 2020” by the end of April 2011. The NRP will set the country’s national targets, how it will implement the flagship initiatives and act to remove bottlenecks preventing growth.

SUSTAIN Project: Second training session in Chios, Greece – 30/06/2011

/in

Within the framework of the SUSTAIN project, the Local Union of Municipalities and Communities of Prefecture Chios (TEDK CHIOS) organized on June 28, in Chios, a training session under the title: “Europe for Citizens 2007-2013, financial tools, actions and implementation practices from public and private stakeholders of local and regional level”. In parallel with that event, ten representatives from Cypriot Municipalities, along with the Cypriot twinning coordinator, participated in a three-day visit to Chios.

The main aim of the training session was to present to the audience, good practices and experiences of the representatives and officials of Cypriot and Greek Municipalities. As concerns the three-day visit of the Cypriot group to Chios, the purpose was for the representatives of Cypriot Municipalities to visit areas of Chios, which have experienced the positive impact of the implementation of European projects, as well as to better understand the local culture and public processes of North Aegean.

The Committee of the Regions’ CIVEX commission meets in Nicosia – 08/06/2011

/in ,

All levels of government working together to promote the concept of European citizenship and dialogue between civil society and the EU

08.06.2011 – The Committee of the Regions’ CIVEX commission (Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs) held its ninth meeting and a seminar on “The role of local and regional authorities in fostering European citizenship” on 6 and 7 June 2011 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Luc Van den Brande, president of the Flanders-Europe Liaison Agency and former president of the Committee of the Regions, chaired these events. The meeting and seminar were attended by representatives of local and regional authorities from the 27 EU Member States and of course members of the Cypriot delegation.

The two events took place at the invitation of Eleni Loukaïdou, Nicosia Municipal Councillor and member of the Cypriot delegation to the Committee of the Regions.  She noted that 2011 was the Lisbon Treaty’s second year in force. One of its aims was to establish the area of freedom, security and justice and to revive external relations. Decentralised cooperation and city diplomacy were tools that could help to secure peace and understanding between peoples, and local and regional authorities were by their nature best placed to underpin initiatives for coexistence and reconciliation between states and peoples.

At the CIVEX meeting, members discussed four opinions, covering “smart regulation”, reducing bureaucracy for citizens and the strategy for effective implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as the CoR’s own-initiative opinion on the broader issue of developing a European culture of multilevel governance, whose rapporteur was the commission’s chair, Mr Van den Brande.  The meeting closed with a study visit to Nicosia’s Multipurpose Centre organised by the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, and a walk through Nicosia’s historic city centre, including a fact-finding visit to Ledra Street, which was once divided by the Green Line.  The CoR’s main reception and exhibition space at its Brussels headquarters was named after this place at an event on 3 April 2008 when a street sign with the words “Open Ledra Street” was erected to remind the thousands of visitors who regularly pass by the spot that local and regional authorities succeed when they have the support of local communities.

The seminar took place on Tuesday 7 June, and included European speakers and experts on citizenship.  Guest of honour was the Interior Minister of Cyprus, Neoklis Sylikiotis. In his speech he underlined that the rights of European citizens would be one of the main priorities of the Cypriot presidency in the second half of 2012. European integration could not succeed without active citizens, and local government must be an equal partner in the exercise of public power.

In his opening speech, Luc Van den Brande stressed that the concept of European citizenship was evolving and was especially important in the process of founding “European municipalities”. The meaning of citizenship was no longer one-dimensional: national and European citizenship were flanked by regional, local and cultural notions of identity. Active participation in political dialogue started above all at grassroots level. In Europe’s villages, towns, cities and regions, citizens were aware of the issues that were of key importance to everyday life and citizens played a fundamental role in finding effective solutions to common problems. Mr Van den Brande reiterated that Europe could only be built on the basis of harmonious and effective cooperation between all stakeholders, above all local and regional authorities.

In her video message, European Commissioner Viviane Reding noted that Europe could not be built on legislation and rules alone, but relied on active citizens. She affirmed the European Commission’s commitment to close cooperation with the CoR and local and regional authorities.

The seminar centred on various measures taken by official bodies and local authorities in the EU and explored practices used by local and regional authorities to bring citizens closer to the European Union.  More specifically, there was a presentation of the Nicosia Master Plan by its authors, Lelos Dimitriadisand Mustafa Akinci.

Events also included a visit to the Famagusta Museum, in Dherynia, near the Green Line. CIVEX commission members met with the Mayor of Famagusta, Alexis Galanos.

 

The Committee of the Regions
The Committee of the Regions is the EU’s assembly of regional and local representatives. The mission of its 344 members from all 27 EU Member States is to involve regional and local authorities and the communities they represent in the EU’s decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are obliged to consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. It can appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers. For more information: www.cor.europa.eu.

Seminar: “The role of LRAs in fostering European citizenship” – 08/06/2011

/in ,

The Union of Cyprus Municipalities and the Committee of the Regions co-organised on June 7 in Nicosia, a seminar on “The role of local and regional authorities in fostering European citizenship”. The seminar was attended by representatives of local and regional authorities from the 27 EU Member States.

In his opening speech, Mr. Neoklis Sylikiotis, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, underlined that the rights of European citizens will be one of the main priorities of the Cypriot Presidency in the second half of 2012. “European integration cannot succeed without active citizens, and local government must be an equal partner in the exercise of public functions”, he stated.

The next speaker, Mr. Luc Van den Brande stressed that the concept of European citizenship was evolving and was especially important in the process of founding “European municipalities”. The meaning of citizenship was no longer one-dimensional: national and European citizenship were flanked by regional, local and cultural notions of identity. Active participation in political dialogue started above all at grassroots level.

In her video message, European Commissioner Viviane Reding noted that Europe could not be built on legislation and rules alone, but relied on active citizens. She affirmed the European Commission’s commitment to close cooperation with the CoR and local and regional authorities.

In his speech at the seminar, the Secretary General of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, Mr. Yiannis Antoniades said that “one of the objectives of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities is to bring the municipalities and the citizens of Cyprus closer to the European Union. We try to achieve this by informing our member Municipalities on the actions of the European Union, by facilitating their participation in European activities and by organizing events like this, which are addressed both to Municipalities and the citizens of Cyprus.” After a detailed presentation of the work of the Union in the field of European Citizenship (including the European projects DECISIVE, SKILLS and SUSTAIN), Mr. Antoniades said: “What I would like you to know is that for us, the effort to promote Town Twinning among the Municipalities and citizens of Cyprus does not end with the SUSTAIN project. On June 1st we submitted a proposal in cooperation with the Assembly of European Regions (AER), in the framework of the Support Measures of the “Europe for Citizens” Programme. This proposal is the logical continuation of the DECISIVE and SUSTAIN projects. As I said, DECISIVE brought volunteers-citizens closer to their Municipalities and taught them to work together to promote European Citizenship. SUSTAIN provides the tools and knowledge to exploit the relationship created through the first project. The new project, which we hope to be financed, will give the last two missing pieces to complete this effort: a) detailed information on what can be financed by the EU and how, and b) access to hundreds of potential partners through the network of the Assembly of European Regions. As you can see, for the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, the promotion of European citizenship is not just an elusive goal. For years, we have been working intensively and methodically, always in collaboration with both the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), as well as with the strongest partners in Europe on the issue of European citizenship, such as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the Assembly of European Regions (AER)”. We would like to thank them for their help and valuable presence here.

The seminar also focused on various measures taken by official bodies and local authorities in the EU and explored practices used by local and regional authorities to bring citizens closer to the European Union. More specifically, there was a presentation of the Nicosia Master Plan by its authors, Mr. Lellos Dimitriades and Mr. Mustafa Akinci. Events also included a visit to the Famagusta Museum, in Dherynia, near the Green Line.

SUSTAIN PROJECT: First training session in Cyprus – 09/06/2011

/in ,

On June 7th, the Union of Cyprus Municipalities organised in the framework of the SUSTAIN project, a training session in Nicosia. The event, which has been organised in cooperation with the Local Union of Municipalities and Communities of Prefecture Chios (TEDK CHIOS), aimed to inform the Municipalities-members of the two associations, on European Programmes, and give them the opportunity to discuss eventual new processes, exchange ideas and develop their capacities in designing and managing Town-Twinning projects.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Cypriot Municipalities, as well as a team of 11 officials from the Municipality of Chios, TEDK Chios, TEDK Samos and TEDK Lesvos, who presented their experience from participating in European Programmes, and their internal processes and useful guidelines for designing new projects and submitting project proposals.

The event took place within the wider effort of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities to ensure equal and effective access of all Cypriot Municipalities to European Programmes, through which the SUSTAIN project is also co-financed.

Mr. Savvas Vergas, New Vice President of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities – 17/06/2011

/in

The Executive Committee of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities proceeded to the filling of the post of the Vice President, which remained vacant after the proclamation of Mr. Christos Messis as MP in the recent parliamentary elections in Cyprus.

According to the statutes of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, Mr. Savvas Vergas, Mayor of Paphos, who has held up to now the position of member of the Executive Committee, has been elected as the new Vice President of the Union. Moreover, the Executive Committee decided to propose Mr. Charalambos Pittas, Mayor of Morphou, for the position of member of the Delegation of Cyprus to the Committee of the Regions and Mr. Andreas Hadjiloizou, Mayor of Ayios Dhometios, as alternate member of the same Delegation.

This discussion focused on the CoR proposal that “Europe 2020” has to be implemented in each member state through a Territorial Pact, which is an agreement between a country’s various tiers of government (local, regional, national). Parties signing up to a Territorial Pact commit themselves to coordinate their policy agendas in order to focus their actions and financial resources on the “Europe 2020” Strategy goals and targets.

Ms Bresso, after presenting a summary of recent discussions gave the floor to Mr. Peter Gyorkos, Permanent Representative of Hungary and five other delegations, which referred to good practices in this area. Mr. Gyorkos stressed that through territorial pacts begins a new era for regional policy and the majority of delegations said that “Europe 2020” Strategy is intended not only to overcome the economic crisis but also to lay the foundations for sustainable growth.

Each EU Member Country has to submit its National Reform Programme for “Europe 2020” by the end of April 2011. The NRP will set the country’s national targets, how it will implement the flagship initiatives and act to remove bottlenecks preventing growth.

 

SUSTAIN Project: Second training session in Chios, Greece – 30/06/2011

/in ,

Within the framework of the SUSTAIN project, the Local Union of Municipalities and Communities of Prefecture Chios (TEDK CHIOS) organized on June 28, in Chios, a training session under the title: “Europe for Citizens 2007-2013, financial tools, actions and implementation practices from public and private stakeholders of local and regional level”. In parallel with that event, ten representatives from Cypriot Municipalities, along with the Cypriot twinning coordinator, participated in a three-day visit to Chios.

The main aim of the training session was to present to the audience, good practices and experiences of the representatives and officials of Cypriot and Greek Municipalities. As concerns the three-day visit of the Cypriot group to Chios, the purpose was for the representatives of Cypriot Municipalities to visit areas of Chios, which have experienced the positive impact of the implementation of European projects, as well as to better understand the local culture and public processes of North Aegean.