2. Why a Committee of the Regions ?
To give local and regional government a say over the drafting of EU legislation (70% of EU laws are implemented at local/regional level).
To bring Europe closer to its citizens and to encourage a culture of subsidiarity.
To provide a meeting place where regions and cities can share best practice and take part in a dialogue with the European institutions. 2

3. The Committee of the Regions
A political assembly of the European Union representing local and regional authorities
Created by the Maastricht Treaty (1993)
353 Members (Regional and local representatives)
First Plenary held in March 1994
Six Plenary Sessions per year
Six thematic Commissions and one Commission on budget & administration
28 national delegations
Five Political Groups

4. Key dates 1993 Maastricht Treaty creates the CoR
1994 First Plenary Session held in Brussels
The number of CoR members increases from 189 to 222 as the EU expands to EU-15
Treaty of Amsterdam strengthens the CoR by increasing its field of mandatory consultation and allows referrals from the European Parliament
Treaty of Nice states CoR members must hold an electoral mandate or be politically accountable
The number of CoR members increases from 222 to 317 in the EU-25
The number of CoR members increases from 317 to 344 members
in the EU-27
Lisbon Treaty enhances the status and political role of the CoR
2013 The number of CoR members increases from 344 to 353 members
in the EU-28

5. The CoR and the Lisbon Treaty
The Court of Justice has jurisdiction in actions brought by the Committee of the Regions for the purpose of protecting its rights.
Possibility for the CoR to bring actions on grounds of infringement of the principle of subsidiarity by a legislative act.
Broadening of its area of consultation.
Members’ term of office prolonged from 4 to 5 years.

6. PROPOSAL CODECISION DECISION
CONSULTATION
PROPOSAL
CODECISION
DECISION
European Commission
European Parliament
Council of the EU
CONSULTATION
European Economic &
Social Committee 6

7. Policy fields
Consultation of the Committee of the Regions is mandatory in the following policy areas:
Economic, social and territorial cohesion
Education and youth
Culture
Public health
Trans-European networks
Transport
Sport
Employment
Social policy
Environment
Vocational training
Energy
Climate change
Structural Funds
European Regional Development Fund

8. CoR members and their appointment
353 members (plus 353 alternates) as of 1 July 2013
Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom………….…………..
Poland, Spain…...……………………………………………….....
Romania...………………………………………………………
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece,
Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden……………………..
Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia.….
Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia……………………..……………….….
Cyprus, Luxembourg…….………………….……………….……
Malta………………………………………….…………...…….….... 24 21 15 12 9 7 6 5
Local and regional representatives proposed by Member States
Formally appointed by the Council of the EU
Five-year renewable term of office
Six Plenary Session per year and adoption of about 60 opinions

10. Organisation of the Committee of the Regions
The President
The Bureau
President’s
private office
Secretary-General
Secretariats of the
Political Groups
Internal Audit unit
Secretary-General’s
private office
Administration
Services for members
and Registry
Consultative work
Communication,
press, events
Horizontal policies
and networks
Budget, finance
Legal service
Coordination,
follow-up, etc.
Press, internal and
external communic.
Forward planning,
studies, etc.
Recruitment, career
Internal services
NAT+ENVE
commissions
Events, Forums,
OPEN DAYS
Networks,
monitoring platforms
Working conditions,
rights, training
Registry, members,
nat. delegations, etc.
ECOS+COTER
commissions
Administration,
budget, publications
ARLEM,
decentralised coop.
General
administration
EDUC+CIVEX
commissions
Joint services
Logistics
Joint services
Translation

11. The Bureau
63 members, whose number per Member State reflects a national and political balance:
The President and First Vice-President
One Vice-President per Member State
5 chairs of the political groups
28 other members.
Organisation of CoR work:
Meets eight times a year
Prepares the agenda of plenary sessions
Draws up the Committee’s policy programme
Allocates opinions to commissions
Decides on own-initiative opinions.

12. The Political Groups of the CoR
enable transnational thinking and acting
link up the political families in the different EU institutions and in the member states
implement the CoR’s mandate as political and democratically legitimated organ

13. The Political Groups ECR ALDE EA NON-ALIGNED PES EPP EPP PES ECR ALDE
European People‘s Party
PES
Party of European Socialists
ECR
European Conservatives and Reformists Group
ALDE
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe EA
European Alliance

14. Consultative work: CoR opinions on legislative acts
Planning and preparing CoR opinions - between opinions - on EU legislative acts each year for the six CoR commissions
Involving EU institutions in topical debates
Organising input by experts and stakeholders (conferences, seminars)
Following up and monitoring legislative acts and the impact of CoR opinions

15. The EU budget 2014-2020: The view of regions and cities
End 2012/early 2013, the EU will adopt its new Multiannual Financial Framework In an opinion of December 2011, the Committee of the Regions declared that the level of financing proposed should be seen as the absolute minimum required to deliver the ambitions the Member States have agreed for the EU in the Treaty and the Europe 2020 strategy. It supported the introduction of a new own resources system including a tax on financial transactions. The CoR has also notably reiterated its strong opposition to any form of macroeconomic conditionality and proposed on the other hand that the conclusion of a formal  
partnership agreement between each Member State and their local and regional authorities be a specific ex ante conditionality to the disbursement of EU structural funds. 

16. Communicating the “regional and local Europe”
Communicating to press/TV and Europe’s regional and local government bodies through newsletters, the internet and audiovisual media
Organising about 200 conferences each year (European Week of Regions and Cities; CoR Summits; EuroPCom; co-organising and hosting about 120 conferences with EU institutions, regional offices, associations) with stakeholders
600 group visits each year with a total of participants
Producing publications in all EU languages

17. European Week of Regions and Cities-OPEN DAYS
Since 10 years, the CoR organises together with the European Commission the OPEN DAYS-European Week of Regions and Cities. 200 regional and local authorities, 200 regions and cities, 100 seminars, 6,000 participants, and 600 speakers make the OPEN DAYS the biggest annual event on regional and urban development. In addition, about 350 local events branded ‘Europe in my region/city‘ bring Brussels‘ debates home to an audience of about 30,000 in more than 30 countries.

18. Horizontal policies, studies, networks
Monitoring a number of cross-sector priorities and providing medium- and long-term political options.
Strategic planning of CoR activities.
Producing 40 studies each year and cooperating with academic networks.
Networks and Monitoring Platforms on Subsidiarity, Europe 2020, Covenant of Mayors and the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC).
Supporting the representatives of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP), and decentralised development cooperation.

19. The Europe 2020 strategy: Involving regions and cities
The Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform of the CoR, composed of over 150 regions and cities from all EU Member States, is a tool for local and regional authorities to have a say in the policy process and the implementation of the EU's strategy to promote smart, green and inclusive growth in the current decade. Through meetings of regional and local representatives and experts, consultations and reports, the Platform ensures better implementation of Europe 2020 goals; examines the relationship with cohesion policy, monitors the involvement of strategy's governance process and stimulates exchange.
Visit us at

20. « Achieving Growth and Jobs in EU Regions and Cities – Making the Europe 2020 Strategy Work»
Deliver on Europe 2020 with Regional/Local Authorities
Ensure the « better investment » role of Regional/Local Authorities
Engage with citizens and debate Europe
Develop the territorial dimension in EU relations with external partners
A stronger CoR in a new Europe