Manifesto for the European elections

European elections - 12.02.2014

Local and regional governments launch manifesto for European elections

CEMR and its national associations of local and regional authorities officially launched "The local and regional governments' manifesto", during a meeting at the European Parliament, on 10 February 2014.

This event provided an opportunity to present the 9 local and regional governments’ key messages for the upcoming elections in May 2014. Participants included Danuta Hübner, chair of EP Committee on Regional Development; Jo Leinen, MEP and president of the European Movement International; Anthea McIntyre, MEP; and Jan Olbrycht, MEP and president of the Urban Intergroup of the European Parliament. CEMR was represented by:

Annemarie Jorritsma, CEMR President, former Deputy Prime Minister in the Netherlands and Mayor of Almere ( Netherlands);
Oldřich Vlasák, vice-president of the European Parliament in charge of relations with local government and CEMR executive president;
Mariana Gâju, Vice-President of CEMR and Mayor of Cumpănă (Romania);
Mairi Evans, Chair of the Committee of young local and regional elected representatives, Councillor of Angus (Scotland, UK);
Peršak Anton, President of NALAS and Mayor of Trzin (Slovenia).

During her speech, Annemarie Jorritsma urged members of the European Parliament to "not over-regulate but rather better regulate." In the context of a Europe facing many threats and challenges, she encouraged collaboration among all elected officials - local, national and European - in order to align European policies with the real needs of the citizens. This message was also relayed at the meeting in a video presenting the manifesto.

The event was hosted by CEMR executive president,Oldřich Vlasák.

The manifesto

This manifesto was unanimously adopted on 3 December 2013 in Prague, by the elected representatives of the 57 CEMR member sections and associations. It presents 9 key messages to consolidate cooperation between the European institutions and local government for the next five years:

Continue prioritising youth employment;
Monitor the implementation of the structural funds thoroughly to achieve better territorial cohesion;
Opt for lighter and simpler regulation, and provide transparency when opting for the fast track procedure;
Respect the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
Define ambitious objectives for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and develop renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030;
Increase the Europe for Citizens Programme budget until the symbolic “1 euro per citizen per year”;
Stand for deeper integration and democratic legitimacy for the European Union and initiate a Convention in order to draft a Fundamental Law of the European Union;
Support further enlargement of the European Union and mediate deeper implication of all levels of local and regional authorities in the negotiation process;
Support integrated global approaches, particularly in cooperation with partners in the Global South;

"The local and regional governments manifesto” is available in English, French, Czech, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish.