Fuente : Comisión Europea
http://europa.eu.int

EU: CoR members have crucial role in reconnecting EU to its citizens, says UK Europe Minister

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Douglas Alexander, the UK Minister for Europe, has highlighted the important role that members of the Committee of the Regions can play in reconnecting the EU and its citizens.

Speaking to the UK national delegation at a meeting organised by the Local Government International Bureau in London on 21 June, the Minister said that the need to persuade the public of the benefits of Europe had been “the fundamental lesson” of recent weeks.

He stated that the UK members knew the extent to which European activities at local and regional level fostered greater understanding and enriched lives economically and socially. “Let us use the opportunities Europe offers our towns, cities, counties and regions - and let’s work together to get that positive message home to everyone,” he declared.

The Minister said that economic reform, enlargement, better regulation and climate change would be among the UK Presidency’s priorities when it takes over the baton from Luxembourg on 1 July. He confirmed that the Presidency would be requesting a consultative opinion from the CoR on climate change, which he described as “an issue where regional and local government are making a real difference to people’s lives”.

Tackling the subject of structural funding, the Minister said that the UK wanted to see future regional aid focused on the poorest Member States, “with those well able to finance their own regional development doing so from national budgets”.

“If we’re successful in our negotiations on the size of the EU Budget, we’ve guaranteed additional national resources to ensure that the UK nations and regions don’t lose out under our reform proposals,” he added.

Mr Alexander said the Presidency would honour its enlargement commitments to Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Croatia and other Western Balkans countries, notwithstanding concerns expressed during the French and Dutch referenda. “Everyone benefits from participation in a Single Market of 450 million people, the biggest multinational single market in the world,” he said. “But we need to work much harder to demonstrate to all EU citizens that enlargement is good for the EU and good for all Member States.” notas_de_prensa_archivo