Izaskun Bilbao Barandica: “Encouraging regional democracy is a way of modernising European politics”

President of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) and Speaker of the Basque Parliament, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica has come to express her organisation’s support for the draft European Charter of Regional Democracy which, in her view, will help ensure that “political solutions tie in more closely with citizens’ expectations”.

Interview – 20.11.2007

What is the CALRE’s position on the draft European Charter of Regional Democracy and what are your main comments?

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica: The CALRE, with the backing of its 77 regional parliaments which are its members, has instructed me to pass on to the Congress our strongest support for the draft charter.  The citizens of the 21st century are not the same as those of the 20th century, and the Charter is a modern instrument, based on proximity and transparency, tying in with citizens’ expectations of political effectiveness and change.  Today, the future of democracy has to include citizen participation and an approach to European integration that moves up from individuals to institutions and not the other way round.  The Charter calls for subsidiarity, openness and innovation and it is for all these reasons that we warmly welcome the Congress’s efforts to produce a document which embraces all these principles and serves as a framework for promoting regional democracy.

You are the speaker of parliament in the Basque Country, a region which already has a high degree of autonomy.  Do you think that the draft charter is well suited to regions such as yours that are very advanced in this field?

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica: I think the Charter is good for us because it shows all regions the path to follow and demonstrates that regionalisation is the key to Europe’s future.  For a long time now, this is the direction we have been following, but it is precisely for this reason that we could be a model for other regions of Europe.  For example, we have tax autonomy, and we are able to show that this helps improve public management.  The Charter refers to tax federalism and will help promote this throughout Europe.  Improving regions’ resources is an essential precondition for strengthening regionalisation.

Apart from the Charter and, of course, financial resources, what are the most useful measures today to strengthen regional democracy in Europe?

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica: Regions must increase their influence on the way Europe operates, not only for themselves but also for the citizens they represent.  Once they can have a real impact on European decisions, they will obtain even greater legitimacy and will be viewed in a more favourable light by citizens who will see them as useful and effective intermediaries between them and the European institutions.  In this way, promoting regional democracy in Europe is also a way of bringing Europe closer to its citizens.