WE CALL on the EU Commission to take the necessary steps to strengthen the position of the regions.

WE NOTICE that the conditions for the EU basic regions differ in political status. Some regions have strong and extensive legislative powers, others are limited to specific public sectors, while yet other EU regions are bureaucratic constructions without any real democratic legislative powers.  

WE NOTICE that the belief in state-based democracy is falling among all age groups – many citizens seem to be slipping away from politics.  

WE NOTICE that the lack of standardised nomination and voting procedures among Member States for the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) causing inequality among the CoR members. 

WE NOTICE that the Member States are permitted interpretive precedence to ARTICLE 3b on subsidiarity in the Treaty of the European Union. Subsequently, the Principle of Subsidiarity in an EU context is mostly applied between the EU and the Member State. 

WE NOTICE that the Treaty on the European Union states: RESOLVED to continue the process of creating an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.