Challenges in the Cooperation Between Different Administrative Levels: A View From Practice Caspar Sluiter Senior Policy Officer European Affairs e-mail: caspar.sluiter@vng.nl

Multilevel governance and the VNG European Union National Water board Provincial Local

Network of civil servants The role of the VNG Network of civil servants 390 Municipalities

Relations between the local and national level Lobby with national government and parliament The Code of inter-administrative relations How to inform each other Local impact of national rules Financial compensation of new tasks  This code also applies to the EU

Local-national cooperation in the EU: establishing a NL position EU and Local level increasingly intertwined  constitutional make up of NL ill-equipped to deal with it Common goal: see what influence the EU policy might have on the status quo VNG actively involved in drafting national position

Committee of the Regions Local-national cooperation in the EU: negotiations in Brussels Council The Hague Commission Brussels Parliament CEMR Committee of the Regions

VNG in the EU decision making process Commission Proposes legislation Council Parliament Decision

Future trends Decentralization European integration Differentiation Network society ‘Maak verschil: Krachtig inspelen op regionaal-economische opgaven’ Werkgroep openbaar bestuur ‘Goed geschakeld? Over de regio en de EU’ Adviesraad Internationale Vraagstukken

Challenges Position of regions  treaty change necessary? Differentiation between governance levels: ‘agree to disagree’ How to deal with non-governmental partners? Acceptance of national government that local governments are in the driver seat Differentiation of regions  is the Inter-administrative Relations Code and ‘polder model’ enough?

Challenges in the Cooperation Between Different Administrative Levels A perspective from the VNG