Governance and citizenship

CEMR welcomes most of the European Commission's recommendations in its mid-term review of the Lisbon Agenda.

In its position on this issue, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions welcomes the fact that the Commission stresses that the responsibility for realising the Lisbon Agenda lies with member States. However, CEMR notes that though local and regional governments contribute to the Lisbon Agenda, their actual participation is low. CEMR calls for the introduction of specific local guidelines or other concrete mechanism in the implementation package of the Lisbon Agenda to ensure local and regional governments are genuinely involved in the planning and implementing of the national programmes on the Lisbon Agenda.

 

Simultaneously, CEMR urges national governments to involve stakeholders at all levels in delivering the Lisbon strategy.

 

Finally, CEMR wishes to point that competitiveness and growth is only one pillar of the Lisbon Agenda. The review of the Lisbon Agenda must be conceived in synergy with the reviews of the EU sustainable Development Strategy and the Social policy Agenda.

 

Note : CEMR will organize a Policy Forum on the Lisbon Agenda in Autumn 2005. This forum will be open to local and regional politicians to show the local and regional government's commitment to reach the Lisbon Agenda's objectives.

 

The full position paper on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Agenda

 

The Commission's website on the Lisbon Strategy