By Luc van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union

This is a comment on the article "Getting the regions’ Brussels role right is the key to EU credibility" by Anna Terrón i Cusí and Javier Sánchez in the Autumn Issue 2009 of Europe's World.

In a world which is becoming more and more interdependent and competitive, Europeans have to face up to new challenges. Just a year ago, the world was brutally shaken by a systemic crisis, and its shock waves are still being felt today. Indeed, the changes that are inevitably related to progress and their consequences are accelerated; the imbalances in the current economic and financial system are being highlighted, as is the vulnerability of many of our fellow-citizens. Above all, there is a need for a new form of governance.

It is all about the issues lying ahead of us in the years ahead: climate change and energy needs are forcing the international community to conclude an "ecological new deal"; demographic changes and migratory pressures are key factors in developing a new concept of solidarity and international relations; the need to find new sources of growth is pushing us to search for a new world balance between traditional powers and emerging countries, to make changes and invest in a knowledge-based society and in technological progress.

Therefore, it is vital for Europe to be in a position to put forward, defend and adapt its development model and its governance system.

Right from the start of the European integration, nothing would have been possible without the combination of a common vision and ambition. As the Reverend Father Karel Verleye, one of the founding fathers of the College of Europe, liked to emphasise: "European unity must not only be sought in the continent's historical past and traditions: it can only be alive if there is the prospect of a new collective task."

"Where there is no prospect, no vision for the future, the people perish." This idea has never been as relevant as it is today. It is the responsibility of all politicians at the European, national, regional or local level to move the integration process forward. The Committee of the Regions has tried to shoulder this responsibility fully within its own sphere of influence by publishing the White Paper on Multi-level Governance. In this paper, it submits its idea for a Community method based on a system of governance which involves local authorities in the framing and implementation of Community policies.

For the Committee of the Regions has been defending the advances in European integration since 1994 and pleading for greater democratisation in public affairs. It is therefore essential that in the decisive phases of the Union's political process, Europe should be built in partnership. I have been asked many times if this is a call to replace a Europe of nation-states by a "Europe of regions." My answer is quite clear: we need a "Europe that is built with the regions, with the towns and cities and with the local authorities."

It is essential to abandon the hierarchical and pyramid-like approach which places Europe above the Member States, the Member States above the regions, the regions above the towns and local communities. Instead of this constraining system, we need a new partnership in order to respect the constitutional rules in force in the Member States and Community law – "a partnership for the future" – between these different levels of power and legitimate centres of democracy.

I think that we have shown, with this White Paper, that multi-level governance was not a utopia or just an ideal or a model. It is a method and a solution for: 

• making the Community method more inclusive and efficient; 
• developing a culture of inter-institutional cooperation; and 
• stimulating participation in the European process.

During the Committee of the Regions workshops, we entered into dialogue with the academic world, and particularly the teaching staff at the College of Europe. It allowed us to involve more than 70 specialists and experts from several fields in the drafting of this White Paper. This, in turn, strengthened our conviction that European and global strategies can only succeed as part of coordinated action between the various levels of power.

Multilevel governance was introduced in the EU lexicon as a form of ‘good governance’ that improves the EU's legitimacy by sharing its making through real co-ownership, either in the pre-legislative 'shaping' phase or later, during the decision-making mechanisms, when the most appropriate. Multilevel governance is therefore not a theory, which seeks to clarify complex decision-making processes; rather, it is an approach to make EU decisions better shared. It also represents an instrument of analysis, whilst it does not address the sovereignty of states or the 'communitarian method'. In other words: multilevel governance removes the grey area between intergovernmentalism and supranationalism, leaving a descriptive structure in its place.

Today, it is important to understand multilevel governance in the context of globalisation. The vertical dimension covers all levels of policy-making: from the global to the local. It highlights the increasingly fading distinction between domestic and international politics. Furthermore, all levels cannot be neatly pigeonholed. This image is misleading: levels are essentially interlocking. Indeed, when implementing a strategy commonly agreed upon as the Lisbon or Climate Change Strategy, all actors – public and private – should take the proper responsibility, assigned to them in a democratic society. In an EU context, especially the involvement of the regions and cities enhances legitimacy.

Multilevel governance should not be confused with ‘decentralisation.’ This is the term we normally use to talk about the shift of power from the central state towards other kinds of governance. Multilevel governance, therefore, is not a threat but an opportunity for decentralised institutions, since they are being given access to the policy-making process in the EU at the conceptualisation phase, and not just at the moment of implementation. Consequently, the principle of subsidiarity is enhanced by a dynamic understanding of multilevel governance. This principle, enshrined in the Treaties, means that decisions within the European Union should be taken at the closest practical level to the citizens. The EU should not take on tasks which are better suited to national, regional or local level. On the flipside, the European Union must take action in case where it represents the best level for pursuing common objectives. I’m against any form of strict delineation of competences or ‘Kompetenz Abbachnung’. Multilevel governance is about sharing competences, rather than splitting competences. The legitimacy of the EU lies in its efficiency, in its openness, its participation, accountability, effectiveness, delivery and coherence. Multilevel governance strengthens all of these principles and guarantees their interconnectivity.

Finally, multilevel governance in the EU is essentially multi-channelled as well. Regions and cities must have the opportunity to choose freely through which gateways they voice their concerns, ideas and interests. This idea is intrinsically linked to participative democracy as society is becoming more pluralistic. People want to participate, decision-making is scattered, and top-down or unilateral decisions are simply no longer acceptable in our democracy. Multilevel governance offers a participatory answer in providing tools for participation to regions, cities, and ultimately the citizen.

In 2001, the European Commission paved the way with the White Paper on European governance, highlighting the role of consultation. Today, a new stage is necessary since, instead of favouring confrontation between various sovereign entities, multi-level governance encourages a more inclusive approach. This will enable the development of a new dynamic in the EU policy-making by allowing for a genuine partnership between all levels of government (vertical subsidiarity), including socio-economic partners (horizontal subsidiarity).

Multi-level governance is also a valid way to strengthen the democratic debate in Europe. I fully support the call for the European debate to be politicised. So far, the working methods of the institutions, which encourage a consensus culture, have impeded the European debate from being sufficiently politicised. This is currently Europe's greatest weakness.

When we look towards 2020 - 2030 and the global challenges becoming crucial factors which should be considered by all European policy makers, good Governance and Solidarity are the two essential issues that stand out for the future of Europe. They must be at the heart of our concerns, especially if we want to extend the outlandish dream of the founding fathers of this century and go beyond the union of a whole continent and the building of a single market. The next step we should move towards should be delivering the ownership of the European project to citizens. The Committee of the Regions' offer to build Europe in partnership answers this necessity. "A political European Union is built on common values and inclusive governance".

After eight years of institutional reforms (to which the Committee of the Regions has largely contributed in its initial phase, during the European Convention), we must acknowledge that the European Union finally has a stable institutional base which we will live with for a long time thanks to the Lisbon Treaty.

It is my conviction that the EU's multilevel governance, as a form of "intelligent organisation", is the best way to co-govern globalisation in an increasingly interdependent and network-oriented world. I am confident that multilevel governance through innovative participatory mechanisms will help the EU establish a fruitful partnership approach for improving citizens' quality of life.

It is the responsibility of all politicians at the European, national, regional or local level to move the integration process forward in this direction.

The development of a European culture of multilevel governance is an ongoing challenge. Indeed, Europe is every day the mission of regional and local representatives. Above all, it is the mandate of the members of the Committee of the Regions.

+++
In June 2009 the CoR launched a consultation on its White paper. All interested parties are warmly invited to contribute before 31 December 2009.  

or governance@cor.europa.eu