The Committee of the Regions organised on October 24th, 2008 the third Subsidiarity Assizes

"Following on from Berlin and London, Paris hosted on October 24th, 2008 the third Subsidiarity Assizes, organised by the Committee of the Regions in partnership with the French Senate and with the support of the French Presidency of the European Union.  In a spirit of complementarity, at the invitation of Gérard Larcher, President of the French Senate and Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions, these Assizes brought together all the various players involved in European governance, including national and regional MPs, members of the Committee of the Regions, local and regional elected representatives and representatives of the European institutions.  The principle of subsidiarity is intended to ensure that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen and that constant checks are made as to whether action at Community level is justified in the light of the possibilities available at national, regional or local level. Specifically, it is the principle whereby the Union does not take action (except in the areas which fall within its exclusive competence) unless it is more effective than action taken at national, regional or local level. It is closely bound up with the principles of proportionality and necessity, which require that any action by the Union should not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of the Treaty. Summing up the key issues, Luc Van den Brande said: "The subsidiarity principle, conceptualised, interpreted and revised on several occasions, recognised as a legal and then constitutional principle, is lacking in clarity.  It now needs to be demystified and adapted to the realities of European governance, which mean that political decision-making is no longer the exclusive preserve of one level of government".  Lastly, he stressed that "this need for dialogue and cooperation between different levels of responsibility needs to be translated into a partnership in order to establish a genuine culture of subsidiarity in Europe or, in other words, good governance". The presence at the assizes of Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Secretary of State for European Affairs, representing the French Presidency of the European Union and European Commission Vice-President, Margot Wallström, bears witness to the importance that the Council of the European Union and the European Commission attach to respecting the subsidiarity principle in the European decision-making process.  The discussion focused initially on good governance and the multi-level division of responsibilities, which can contribute to improving the regulatory environment in the EU, simplifying the acquis communautaire and transposing community legislation more effectively.  The discussion then went on to focus in more depth on strengthening methods of consultation and evaluation of the impact (particularly the territorial impact) of Community legislation. Read more:

• The principle of subsidiarity – EUROPA website
• The Committee of the Regions – website

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