Council of European Municipalities and Regions

LOCAL INSIGHT
Local and regional governments' view
of European affairs

For the first time in Europe’s history, towns, cities and regions are marching along with young people from around the world in a Global Climate Strike for the Future. Six local government networks inspired by the youth’s call to action will join the strike on 15 March in Brussels. They jointly call on the European Union and national leaders to take the necessary steps to address climate change in a just and timely manner.

Their main demand: to take heed of calls by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to limit global warming to 1.5°C. According to the networks, reaching this overarching goal will mean divestment from fossil fuels, urgently rethinking the EU climate strategy and empowering local and regional governments.
 

Towns and regions applaud the European Parliament’s vote on a report establishing the future Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for 2021-2027. As it stands, the AMIF budget will be increased to € 10 billion, which is a 50% increase.  

This vote is a victory for towns and regions as it reserves at least € 220 million for local governments. Furthermore, the Parliament’s vote also means that Member States should collaborate with local governments when defining national strategies on migration and decide how to spend the resources.

Therefore, Europe’s towns, cities and regions are speaking as one voice to call on the Council and the Commission to back the Parliament’s decision.

Did you know that only 16% of Europe’s mayors are women? And that only 8 European capitals have a woman mayor? 

The new CEMR study “Women in politics”, is one of a kind: it provides deep and disturbing insight into the political representation of women, at all levels of governance - local, regional, national and European - between 2008 and 2018. 

With this study, CEMR is calling out a blatant inequality: over the past ten years, the number of women mayors and municipal councillors only rose from 13% to 16%. The same applies to the national level: women’s representation in national parliaments has only increased from 25% to 29% since 2008.    

In less than 100 days, Europeans will cast their vote for the next European elections in a completely unprecedented political context. In this opinion article, CEMR Secretary general, Frédéric Vallier, calls on the future MEPs to work hand on hand with towns, cities and regions, to get Europe closer to its citizens. 

In exactly three months, Europeans will decide upon which future they want. They will elect their representatives at the European Parliament. During these three months, political parties and candidates will present their programmes and answer the many questions concerning the future of our Union.

This election is taking place in a completely unprecedented political context: the United Kingdom might leave the EU without a deal. Populism is growing. New types of protests such as the gilets jaunes in France are appearing. There is also a rise of violence in demonstrations. 

Despite some gains in recent elections, women remain heavily under-represented in politics - at all levels. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s examine the evidence and identify potential avenues for future action.  

The facts stand, and they are appalling. Despite some countries adopting laws to increase parity, currently, only three EU member states have a woman as head of government, and only one third of the Members of the European Parliament are women.

As for Europe’s local politicians, over the last 10 years, the share of elected women has only shifted from 27% to 30%. As an elected representative, I have to say it: Europe deserves better. This lack of representation cannot stand. 

Waste collection. Public transport. Employment services. Social housing. Local and regional governments deliver essential public services every day. And yet, the EU’s many rules on public service delivery were made without sufficient local input. In the future, this needs to change. That’s why CEMR is publishing its position paper on the future of public services in Europe: Strong public services through local governments.

As public service providers, we argue that local governments are part of the solution when it comes to delivering quality public services for all citizens. Towns, regions, states and the EU should work hand in hand to craft purposeful legislation.

CEMR spokesperson on public services, President of the County of Karlsruhe, Christoph Schnaudigel, states that “the capacity of local and regional governments to ensure the day-to-day provision of public services whilst also financing investment in future services […] is a major contribution to the European project.”

It is called Cohesion Policy: it is the main investment, solidarity and development tool of the EU for its cities and regions. It gives a face to Europe on the ground. Still, many erroneously believe it only invests in disadvantaged regions, while more privileged areas are just losing money they send to the EU.
 
With its €346.5 billion over 2014-2020, EU Cohesion Policy brings added value everywhere. It invests in your street, in your children’s school, in the local business. Yet, only a third of Europeans are aware of projects funded by Cohesion policy in their city or region.
 
To curb this lack of awareness, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the European Commission’s DG Regio, together with local government associations and other partners, have engaged in 60 dialogues with citizens in 8 Member States.