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Luc Van den Brande: Committee of the Regions relies on Congress experience

Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union, speaking during the inaugural sitting of the 15^th plenary session of the Congress, advocated stronger ties between the 27-country and the 47-country regional Europes.

Interview – 27 May 2008

Question: Mr van den Brande, you addressed the plenary sitting of the Congress to raise the subject of co-operation between the two bodies, so where does this co-operation stand?

Luc van den Brande: So far we have had a very good mutual understanding, and more besides since the Congress / Committee of the Regions joint committee, on various occasions, has discussed possibilities for co-operation. To my mind, then, everything is moving in the right direction. However, I want a pragmatic approach. I do not want any major treaty or grand declaration, but definite proposals on common issues. Where these are concerned, I contemplate the possibility of exchanging rapporteurs or getting together to prepare reports. And, why not, white papers, green papers or general approaches with regard to regionalism and related questions. I also invited the Congress to take part in our Open Days 2008. I consider a Congress presence most important when it comes to highly specific subjects like the Black Sea. Finally, it is my wish that each year our two bodies may join in ascertaining the condition of local and regional democracy. In fact I believe that although the Congress and the Committee differ in their nature, we have common values and goals.

Question: What can the Congress contribute to the Committee of the Regions?

Luc van den Brande: The Congress is part of that cathedral of fundamental values formed by democracy and rule of law, and is even one of its main pillars. It has an eminent role because these fundamental rights must apply at all levels, national, local and regional. When I refer to rule of law, it does not involve State rule alone. In that respect, the long experience of the Congress is vital to us in ensuring that the European Union does not think all is well within it at every level. Likewise, the Congress has wide and substantial experience of election monitoring at local and regional level. I am personally in favour of our associating ourselves with the operations of the Congress. On the other hand, I do not want to create a duplicated operation, nor should infrastructures be established on either side for the same purpose. In all these fields, I hold the experience and the approach of the Congress potentially beneficial to the Committee of the Regions.

Question: Can this co-operation be extended to other fields?

Luc van den Brande: There is the idea of a joint conference which I advocate concerning multi-level governance. There is also a similar scheme in the framework of the Barcelona Process with regard to interculturalism. I cannot help observing that hitherto things are being done solely at the level of States. It is my duty to tell the European Union that this process must be deepened; a local and regional dimension must be introduced. There too the Congress can be of great assistance, especially as many EU non-member countries around the Mediterranean are members of the Council of Europe, hence the Congress.