In brief...
- advisory body for the European institutions
- involves regional and local administrations in European decision-making
- 344 members with a regional and/or local political mandate
- Mercedes Bresso
- Brussels
The building of the Committee of the Regions in Brussels
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) has its origins in the Treaty of Maastricht (1992). By involving the local and regional administrations of the Member States in European decision-making, the CoR acts as a bridge between the EU and the citizens.
Role
The Committee of the Regions is the voice for all local and regional administrations within the EU. It provides advice on legislative proposals in relation to matters that affect the regions, such as the environment and education, amongst others. The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission are obliged under the Treaties to consult the CoR in certain circumstances. The CoR can also issue advice on its own initiative, although that advice is not binding for the Institutions.
The CoR includes both elected representatives and holders of executive offices. The members may therefore be regional parliamentarians or local council members, or they may be regional ministers or mayors.
In practice
The CoR is composed of 344 members from all of the Member States of the EU. They all have a political mandate within their Member States, are put forward by their national governments and then formally appointed by the Council. The CoR is a diverse body comprising local and regional politicians from all the Member States.
Every two and a half years, the Committee elects a President from its midst and Mercedes Bresso has held that post since 10 February 2010. The President is supported by a Bureau, which includes the 28 Vice-Presidents.
The plenary assembly meets at least twice a quarter, while the CoR also has six specialised commissions, which prepare the ground for the Committee’s opinions in terms of content.
Since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, the CoR has had the right to challenge European legislation at the Court of Justice where it believes that the principle of subsidiarity has been violated. Subsidiarity is an important detail within the Union. It dictates that decisions must be taken at the most appropriate level, which thus prohibits the European Institutions from taking decisions that would be better dealt with at a different level.