Regions and cities partners for economic recovery, growth and jobs

A New Lisbon Strategy after 2010

Fourth Territorial Dialogue for Growth and Jobs

Brussels, 11 February 2009

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Regions and cities - partners for economic

Regions and cities partners for economic recovery, growth and jobs

A New Lisbon Strategy after 2010

Fourth Territorial Dialogue for Growth and Jobs Brussels, 11 February 2009

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Address by Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions Our Territorial Dialogue today has been a lively and timely event. It has been lively, because politicians in charge of big and small local and regional authorities have told us their concerns about the impact of the present economic crisis and how to face it through better policymaking based on a permanent and structured partnership between different levels of government. The speakers have shown vital interest in quick and effective implementation of those measures of the European Economic Recovery Package aimed at boosting the economy, pointing at issues having a direct impact on their territories, such as how to accelerate expenditure through the Structural Funds and how to cope with EU state aid regulation. They have also stressed how they agree on the fact that the Lisbon Strategy should be the second pillar of the Recovery Plan. Actually, we must see the crisis as an opportunity to go ahead with structural reforms and key investment for the future, such as investment in research and development. To this end, the speakers highlighted the need for a renewed European strategy for growth and jobs after 2010, whose governance pattern should be based on integrated and coordinated policymaking and on multi-level governance agreements. Within this framework, as we heard today, relevant contributions can come from possible cooperation between macro regions as well as from the action of small municipalities. Our Territorial Dialogue today has also been as timely as ever. On the one hand, it has taken place at a moment when a quick, effective implementation of the Recovery Plan is badly needed. On the other hand, it has come as the Lisbon Strategy is entering its final year and we have to push it ahead while debating what to do after 2010.

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Opening speech by Constance Hanniffy, Chair of the Economic and Social Affairs Commission of the Committee of the Regions This fourth edition of the Territorial Dialogue for Growth and Jobs takes place against the backdrop of the deepest economic and financial

crisis Europe has seen for many decades. Our Territorial Dialogue today focuses on the other pillar of our policy priorities, the Lisbon Strategy. How is it doing in its final year? What lesson can we draw from past experience which can help us shape future European policies for sustainable growth and better jobs? In the Opinion on the Lisbon Strategy adopted in November 2008, the CoR stressed the importance of having a European strategy which can support economic growth and jobs, which is at the same time sustainable and safeguards the cohesion principle. The CoR Opinion stressed the need for better coordination of jobs and growth policies at different levels of governance, for integrated policymaking at all levels and for multi-level governance agreements. As far as the outlook post 2010 is concerned, the CoR Opinion called for a broad reflection and debate on the priorities of the Strategy, the most effective and efficient procedures, initiatives and measures for achieving these objectives; the costs of the Strategy and the need to reconcile the European Union's goals in terms of competitiveness as well as economic, social and territorial cohesion. For its part, the Committee of the Regions stated that "the social and environmental, in addition to economic, sustainability of growth must remain the main parameter in establishing arrangements for pursuing the competitiveness objective". The updates we have received since from the ground show that cities and regions are struggling against the economic crisis without deflecting from the structural reform policies that are at the core of the Lisbon Strategy. And this is one of the messages the CoR will address to the Commission and the Council while giving its contribution to the debate on a new European strategy for growth and jobs.

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Question Time

with the European Commission and

the Czech Presidency of the EU Council

Beyond the economic and financial crisis: what form should the

Lisbon Strategy take in the future? Perspectives for growth and jobs

in Europe and the role of regions and cities.

Antonio Tajani

European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Transport

Marek Mora State Secretary for European Affairs, Czech Presidency of the EU Council

Chaired by Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Member of the Committee of the Regions – Minister President of the German-speaking community in Belgium

We all know how important growth and jobs are, we all know how

difficult the situation is at the moment as well and how important it

is that all actors are mobilised under a European strategy in which

European local and regional authorities play a major role.

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QQuueesstt iioonnss oonn ……

Iñaki Aguirre Arizmendi, CoR Member, Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco (ES) … the need for more rigorous involvement of local and regional authorities in the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, and on the need for effective mechanisms for coordination among the European, national and regional levels of government to develop concrete recovery measures.

Uno Aldegren, CoR Member, Region Skåne (SE)

… the importance of European "macro-regions", as a means of contributing more effectively to the objectives of the Lisbon Agenda, and on the need for the EU wide strategies in that respect.

Enrico Borghi, CoR Member, European Associations of Elected Representatives from Mountain Regions, AEM … the need to ensure that communities in mountain areas involved in development projects fully benefit from these processes and from local networks; and on the need for measures for a new package on climate and energy (green new deal).

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Gerd Harms, CoR and LMP Member, Brandenburg (DE) … the importance of broadband investments for thinly-populated rural areas affected by demographic change, and the need to prevent disadvantages for companies due to the lack of broadband connections.

Jerzy Kropiwnicki, CoR and LMP Member, Łódz (PL)

… the need to provide stronger support to help clusters generating new operations, new products, and new jobs for highly-qualified and well-paid employees.

Andrea Mascaretti LMP Member, Comune di Milano (IT), … the need for EU programmes more focused on the Lisbon objectives to create new and better jobs, and on the importance of not harming the Single Market by introducing measures which target only some sectors, and of not undermining the principles of free movement of workers, equal opportunities and social inclusion; and, last but not least, on the need for additional resources for urban areas to face the current recession.

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Detailed questions and answers will be soon published on LMP website www.lisbon.cor.europa.eu

Luigi Spagnolli, LMP Member, Comune di Bolzano (IT) … the need for financial resources to allow municipalities to face the economic crisis and for more direct contact between authorities on the ground and Brussels, and on the problems caused by the expenditure ceilings set at national level.

Sonia Masini, CoR Member, Reggio Emilia (IT) … the need for an extraordinary effort to make the most of the Structural Funds, also through multi-level governance arrangements with a view to counteracting the effects of the crisis.

István Sértı-Radics, CoR and LMP Member, Eszak-Alfold (HU)

… the need to ease regulation of state aid in convergence regions, to increase the proportion of Structural Funds allocated to the private sector in order to create new jobs and enhance competitiveness and to boost the regional and local dimension of cohesion policy after 2010.

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Antonio Tajani, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Transport

The Territorial Dialogue is particularly important from the European Commission's viewpoint and participation of cities and regions is essential for the recovery of the European economy. Policymakers in regions and cities can contribute by being involved in the decisions, because counteracting the economic crisis cannot be a matter solely for the EU and the Members States; it must also be a matter for those closest to the citizens. I am convinced that subsidiarity is a value to which we should give real meaning. I can assure you that the involvement of regional and local partners is an important factor which will enable us to assess our impact on the Lisbon Strategy and that it can help us to achieve the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy. The European Commission has proposed to fight the economic slowdown with a wide range of measures involving regional and local authorities. Our investment priorities focus on something that should not disappear because of the financial crisis: human capital, infrastructures, energy efficiency. To combat the economic slowdown and, at the same time, build for the future. We need to invest in all those areas. We feel that we can come out from the crisis even stronger than before it. The Commission has stressed that financial and macroeconomic stability is of great importance and we do not need to go overboard with reforms, for cohesion policy makes a considerable contribution to the European Economic Recovery Plan. In 2007-2013, 347 billion will be invested under cohesion policy to enhance solidarity and stimulate the economy and for reforms; around 65% of the total cohesion policy budget will go to investments related to the four priorities of the Lisbon Strategy, people, companies, energy and research and innovation. This will contribute to stability and be a reliable source of investments which are coherent in the medium and long term. This investment will help at the regional and local level where European citizens are hardest hit by the crisis.

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Marek Mora, State Secretary for European Affairs, Czech Presidency of the EU Council

The European Council adopted last December the European Economic Recovery Plan to fight the crisis. We are now in the process of implementing it and we are taking important EU measures, for instance discussing a 5 billion EU contribution for energy and broadband projects. We, as Member States are also adopting national measures. All these important initiatives will be evaluated during the forthcoming Spring European Council (19-20 March). In addition, our Prime Minister in his capacity as President of the European Council decided to convene an informal extraordinary meeting of the Heads of State and Government on March 1 to discuss the issues that will then be debated at the Spring Council and the challenges that are ahead of us. Europe is hit and we need to cooperate - also with regions and cities that have to take measures within their competences. At the same time, it is important that we try to stick together, avoiding any fragmentation of Europe. There are controversies arising between Member States; on the one hand a protectionist approach and on the other hand Member States that seek to remain open in terms both of the internal market and of external trade. As the Presidency, we think that this fragmentation would be very dangerous. We know that we are facing problems: markets, companies, citizens and politicians are getting nervous. We should really try to resolve the situation to the benefit of us all, especially the European citizens.

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2009 CoR Activities on the Lisbon Strategy

11 February 2009 – Fourth Territorial Dialogue for Growth and Jobs: Regions and cities - partners for growth and jobs in Europe: A European strategy for the future

17 February 2009 - LMP workshop at the Regions for Economic Change conference: When exchanging is good for innovation: Experiences from the Lisbon Monitoring Platform http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/interregional/ecochange/index_en.cfm

19 February 2009 - LMP Workshop: Reshaping the Lisbon Strategy after 2010 www.lisbon.cor.europa.eu

5-6 March 2009 - European Summit of Regions and Cities: Regions and Cities for Europe www.cor.europa.eu

6 March 2009 - 20 April 2009 - European Regions and Cities: Consultation on the future of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs after 2010 www.cor.europa.eu

29 April 2009 - Round table organised by the Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS), CoR

5-8 October 2009 - Open Days: presentation of the results of the consultation 2-3 December 2009 – Adoption of an Own-initiative opinion on the Lisbon Strategy post-2010 at the plenary session in view of the 2010 Spring Council

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Austria Steiermark (Styria) Wien (City of Vienna) Oberösterreich (Upper Austria)

Belgium Vlaanderen (Flanders) Brussels Capital Region

Bulgaria Стара Загора (Municipality of Stara Zagora)

Cyprus Ένωση ∆ήµων Κύπρου (Union of Cyprus Municipalities)

Czech Republic Zlín (City) Liberecký kraj (Liberec Region) Olomoucký kraj (Olomouc Region)

Germany München (City of Munich) Staatskanzlei des Landes Brandenburg (Brandeburg) Saarland

Denmark Næstved (Næstved Municipality) Midtjylland (Central Denmark) Syddanmark (South Denmark) Sjælland (Zealand)

Estonia Tartu Maavalitsus (Tartu Municipality) Pärnu linna (Town of Pärnu) Tallinn

Spain Madrid (City) Segovia Navarra Guipuzcoa (Province) Madrid (Region) Barcelona (Province) Andalucía Valencia (Region) Castilla y Léon Catalunya

Finland Helsinki Region Oulun Kaupunki (City of Oulu) Pohjois-Suomi (North Finland) Itä-Suomi (East-Finland)

France Basse-Normandie Lorraine Dunkerque Bretagne Nord-Pas de Calais Aquitaine Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) Île-de-France Limousin

Greece Νοµαρχιακή Αυτοδιοίκηση ∆ράµας-Καβάλας-Ξάνθης (Prefectural Authority of Drama-Kavala-Xanthi) Αναπτυξιακή Ηρακλείου Α.Ε. (Development Agency of Heraklion)

Hungary Észak-alföldi régió (Great Plain Region) Nyugat-dunántúli Régió (Westpannon Region)

Ireland Border Midland and Western Region

Italy Abruzzo Provincia di Pisa Liguria Basilicata Provincia di Arezzo Lombardia Emilia-Romagna Langhe Monferrato Puglia (Apulia) Piemonte Marche Provincia di Torino Toscana Sicilia Lazio Comune di Milano Comune di Bolzano Comune di Firenze Comune di Cremona

LMP Members

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Lithuania Vilniaus miesto savivaldib÷ (Vilnius City Municipality)

Latvia Rīgas reăions (Riga City & Region, LV)

Malta Nadur

Netherlands Noord Nederland (Northern Netherlands Provinces) Den Haag Eindhoven Delft Provincie Overijssel Provincie Gelderland Enschede

Poland Województwo Zachodniopomorskie (West-Pomeranian Voivodship) Łódź (City of Lodz) Ostrołęka (City of Ostroleka) Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Dolnośląskiego (Marshal Office of Lower Silesia) Województwo Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Warmian- Masurian Voivodship) Województwo Opolskie (Opole Voivodship) Województwo Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland Voivodship) Województwo Pomorskie (Pomerania Voivodship) Województwo Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship) Województwo Śląskie (Silesia Voivodship) Województwo Łódzkie (Lodz Voivodship)

Portugal Tavira Madeira

Romania Brasov Cluj-Napoca Timişoara

Sweden Sörmland Solna Jämtland Mellersta Norrland (Mid-Sweden) Östsam

Slovenia Skupnost občin Slovenije (Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia)

Slovakia Prešovský kraj (Prešov Region) Žilinský kraj (Zilina Region) Košický kraj (Košice Region)

United Kingdom Cornwall Yorkshire & Humber Lancashire Warwickshire Leicestershire Nottingham South East England West Midlands East of England

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