Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly that provides local and regional authorities with a voice at the heart of the European Union.

Established in 1994, the CoR was set up to address two main issues. Firstly, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so it makes sense for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Secondly, there were concerns that the public was being left behind as the EU steamed ahead. Involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of closing the gap.

The Treaties oblige the Commission and Council to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that have repercussions at regional or local level. The Maastricht Treaty set out 5 such areas - economic and social cohesion, trans-European infrastructure networks, health, education and culture. The Amsterdam Treaty added another five areas to the list - employment policy, social policy, the environment, vocational training and transport - which now covers much of the scope of the EU\'s activity.

Outside these areas, the Commission, Council and European Parliament have the option to consult the CoR on issues if they see important regional or local implications to a proposal. The CoR can also draw up an opinion on its own initiative, which enables it to put issues on the EU agenda.

There are three main principles at the heart of the Committee\'s work:

Subsidiarity

This principle, written into the Treaties at the same time as the creation of the CoR, means that decisions within the European Union should be taken at the closest practical level to the citizen. The European Union, therefore, should not take on tasks which are better suited to national, regional or local administrations.

Proximity

All levels of government should aim to be \'close to the citizens\', in particular by organising their work in a transparent fashion, so people know who is in charge of what and how to make their views heard.

Partnership

Sound European governance means European, national, regional and local government working together - all four are indispensable and should be involved throughout the decision making process.

The Irish Delegation

All Irish members are elected members of their local authorities with the nine full members and nine alternate members appointed on a recommendation of the Irish Government. Members are nominated by the Government to reflect gender and geographical balances, as set out in national legislation.

All Irish full members are also members of their Regional Authorities (NUTS III level) and are required to keep these authorities informed of proceedings of the CoR, by providing an annual report. Many alternate members are also members of their Regional Authorities and both full and alternate members may also be members of their respective Regional Assemblies (NUTS II level).

The Midland Regional Authority is represented on the CoR by one full member; Cllr. Constance Hanniffy, Member of the Midland Regional Authority, and one alternate member; Cllr. Barney Steele, Longford County Council. Cllr. Hanniffy is currently the 1st Vice-Chair of the Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS) and takes over as President of ECOS in July 2008. Cllr. Constance Hanniffy has previously acted as \'Rapporteur\' for CoR Opinions.

IRISH MEMBERS:

Head of Delegation 2006-2010

Cllr. Seamus MURRAY

List of Members

Full

Cllr. Maria CORRIGAN
Cllr. Cathal CROWE
Cllr. Michael FITZGERALD
Cllr. Constance HANNIFFY
Cllr. Denis LANDY
Cllr. Declan McDONNELL
Cllr. Patrick McGOWAN
Cllr. Seamus MURRAY
Cllr. Paul O\'DONOGHUE

Alternate

Cllr. John PENDER
Cllr. Noreen RYAN
Cllr. Terry BRENNAN
Cllr. Michelle MULHERIN
Cllr. Veronica CAWLEY
Cllr. Peter COYLE
Cllr. Barney STEELE
Cllr. Pat DORAN
Cllr. Mary SHIELDS

Coordinators

Mr. Robert COLLINS
Tel: 32-2-282 8474 - e-mail: robert.collins@iro.ie

Mr. John CROWLEY
Tel: 353-1-874 5018 - e-mail: jcrowley@cor.ie