Rule of law and enlargement: Committee of the Regions approves draft opinions

Members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) voiced strong support for the European Union's enlargement in recommendations provisionally adopted on 7 March, while also underscoring that any new Member State must be able to demonstrate respect for the rule of law, an effective division of power, and a healthy local democracy.

The emphasis on the importance of strong democratic foundations in the European Union was similarly evident in another draft opinion adopted on 7 March by the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX), on strengthening the rule of law in the European Union.

Enlargement Package 2024

CIVEX members approved two opinions on the EU's enlargement - one focused on the progress of EU-related reforms by Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, and the other on reforms in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

The opinions, which include country-specific recommendations, call - among other things - for the EU to provide stronger support for local and regional authorities to ensure greater participation in EU-related reforms in candidate countries and in efforts to address environmental and climate-change challenges. The recommendations also advocate for an effective decentralisation of power, for a more concerted effort to combat 'local state capture', and for strengthening the rule of law.

The CIVEX debate included a contribution from Nacho Sánchez Amor (ES/S&D), the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur for Türkiye, who emphasised the importance of ensuring that any new member aspiring to join the EU should be a "mature democracy".

The rapporteur on Western Balkans and Türkiye - Jean-Luc Vanraes (BE/RE), member of Uccle Municipal Council - highlighted the need for a more appropriate division of power between the levels of government, noting that "progress is faster in some countries in the Western Balkans than in others". Speaking of Türkiye, Mr Vanraes noted the lack of progress towards a solution to the division of the island of Cyprus and also the dismissal of elected mayors in Türkiye, saying: "There is enormous work to be done at the local level to really respect the rule of law."

Aleksandra Dulkiewicz (PL/EPP), mayor of Gdańsk, who is drafting the opinion on Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, said: "The enlargement process must be a merit-based process. Secondly, there should be decentralisation, not only as an idea, but also in terms of fiscal decentralisation. Thirdly, we need to be aware of the activities of hostile actors, including those engaging in media manipulation, public opinion manipulation, disinformation. Fourthly, the role of non-governmental organisations is very important to support the integration process. And, lastly, we need bilateral cooperation, city to city, village to village, region to region."

The two opinions on enlargement are scheduled for adoption at the CoR's plenary session on 2-3 April.

Launch of training programme for Ukrainian municipal officials

The CoR's support for Ukraine and its bid for EU accession was also demonstrated at the CIVEX meeting by the launch of a programme to provide Ukrainian local and regional leaders and civil servants with training in managing EU-funded projects.

The programme - the Training and Internship Programme Support for Ukrainian Municipalities and Inter-Municipal Cooperation (TIPS4UA) - will also encourage the forging of city-to-city partnerships.

The TIPS4UA programme is a collaboration with the Ukraine - Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Programme for Europe (U-LEAD) and is partly financed by the EU's Ukraine Facility.

More details about the TIPS4UA programme and its launch can be found here.

Opinion on implementation of the rule of law

CIVEX members approved a draft opinion setting out 'the local and regional perspective in the implementation of the rule of law in the European Union'. The vote followed a debate with Daniel Freund (DE/Greens), a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs, in which CoR members highlighted concerns about threats to democracy in the current geopolitical context and warned about the fragility of democracy within the EU.

Among other proposals, CoR members said in the debate that the European Commission should consider a stronger involvement of the local and regional levels in the EU's rule-of-law monitoring process. Members also argued that greater investment in local democracy would be one of the best ways to strengthen European democracy, and that greater emphasis could be placed on civic participation, particularly on issues involving EU funding.

The rapporteur - Stephen De Ron (LU/Greens) of Hesperange municipal council - described local and regional authorities as an "early warning system" for "creeping authoritarianism" and said that "Europe's true power lies not in central directives or regulations alone, but in synergies of all levels of governance, national, regional and local". We need, he argued, to "nurture a genuine dialogue among local authorities, civil society, the European Commission, the Council [of the European Union] and the European Parliament. We cannot and must not reduce the rule of law to a footnote."

The opinion is scheduled for adoption by the CoR at its plenary session on 2-3 April.

The EU's new Internal Security Strategy

In a debate on the EU's pending Internal Security Strategy, CoR members warned of a rise in the number of attacks on local and regional authorities' IT systems and of a growing sense of insecurity in their communities linked to an increase in organised crime and to the war in Ukraine.

CoR members emphasised the need for localised preparedness and crisis-management plans and for concerted efforts to nurture social cohesion. They suggested that easier information-sharing across borders and clearer legislation are needed, and spoke of the value of an 'administrative approach' to dismantling criminal networks, by, for example, targeting businesses used as fronts for illegal activities.

The European Commission said that the Internal Security Strategy, which is due for publication in April, will advocate a whole-of-society approach, with the aim of developing an EU security culture that addresses threats - traditional or novel, online or offline - in a comprehensive fashion. It foresees the need for close collaboration with local and regional authorities, including to improve technology in ports, prevent corruption, enhance police cooperation, and gather examples of best practice. The strategy is also "very likely" to propose a communications system to improve cooperation and mobility across the Schengen area by both law-enforcement and civil-protection agencies.

The CIVEX meeting can be re-watched here.