Innsbruck Conference on regions with legislative power calls for “innovative regionalisation”

Innsbruck, 1 June 2012. – Current challenges and strategic goals for Europe’s regions with legislative power were at the centre of a Round Table discussion in the frame of an international conference, the highlight of the series of events on regionalisation, multi-level governance and transfrontier co-operation, co- organised by the Congress this week in Innsbruck (Austria). In the face of the financial, economic and political crisis, the speakers of the Round Table noticed a “certain uneasiness” with regard to regionalisation and decentralisation in Europe. With the exception of very few countries, there was little progress visible with regard to existing regional autonomy models in Europe, said Francesco Palermo from the University of Verona (Italy).  “If legislations are changed, this is often detrimental to regionalisation”, he underlined.

Also Anna Gamper, University of Innsbruck, member of the Congress’s Group of Independent Experts on the European Charter of Local Self-Government, referred to current tendencies of re-centralisation in Europe, often defended by the need to streamline and implement austerity mesures. At the same time, the Round Table agreed on the growing need for sub-national government in Europe. In order to resolve the current uneasiness, institutional innovation at regional level is necessary. “ Europe’s regions, in particular the strong regions with legislative powers, are places where new forms of governance can be experimented and where, for example, participatory democracy can be tested to the maximum extent”, said Palermo.

Also for Josef Weidenholzer, member of the European Parliament, consolidation at regional level is a way to counter the current crisis. “Strong European regions can act as a counterbalance to centralistic tendencies in Europe. The regions with legislative powers have a specific responsibility in this respect”, he stated.