Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on Restarting the Process of European Union Reform in View of the European Council of 21 and 22 June 2007

The Committee of the Regions supports the EU Presidency in its commitment to the process of European Union reform and the need to maintain the substance of the Constitutional Treaty signed by all Heads of State and Government on 29 October 2004 in Rome.
It calls on the Heads of State and Government, at the European Council of 21 and 22 June 2007, to commit to working towards completing the Treaty reform process without compromising the progress made by and for local and regional authorities, including in terms of the principles of subsidiarity and good governance, as well as the territorial cohesion of the European Union, and requests that these provisions be fully retained in any future Treaty,
It requests to be asked to give an opinion on the roadmap that the European Council will propose for the continuation of the European Union reform process and wishes to participate in the negotiation phase.
It believes that the absence of a Constitutional Treaty would be detrimental to the recognition of the virtues of the European integration model, which seeks to respect and promote diversity within the EU, and notes that without a Constitutional Treaty, the European Union will benefit neither from the recognition of regional and local autonomy as a pillar of the European Union’s democratic system, nor from a relative capacity for action to guarantee territorial cohesion and strengthen Community solidarity.
It reiterates that it is convinced of the urgent need to promote, through a decentralized communication policy, the debate based on common values, the achievements of European integration and Community policies as well as on the challenges for the future of the European Union and to adopt a two-way approach, as communication with local and regional authorities is currently very one-sided and top-down.
It believes that the European Union’s communication policy will become more coherent and effective if the European institutions find a legal framework or basis that favors the implementation of an appropriately targeted program based on this policy and supported by adequate financial resources.