Region (Europe)
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The European Union created the Regions of Europe as the layer of EU government administration directly below the nation-state level. The Regions of Europe are represented by the Committee of the Regions headquarters in Brussels.
Reasons for this include:
- reflecting the historic and cultural claims for autonomy in many regions all over the EU
- strengthening the political and economic situation in those regions
Competence
The regions elect delegates to the Committee of the Regions. The Committee is a consultative body, and is asked for its opinion by the Council or the Commission on new policies and legislation in the following areas:
- education
- training
- culture
- public health
- fight against drugs
- Trans-European Networks
- social and economic cohesion
- structural funds
Political Influence
The politics of the regionalism have also had their impact on the pan-European level. The regions of Europe have lobbied for an increased say in EU affairs, especially the German Länder. This has resulted in the creation by the Maastricht Treaty of the Committee of the Regions, and provision for member states to be represented in the Council by ministers from their regional governments.The desire of the German Länder however has been frustrated by other member states, which are opposed to direct involvement by the regions in EU decision-making. The German Länder successfully lobbied the German government (which has in turn lobbied the European Council) for the 2004 IGC to deal with the division of powers between the EU, national and regional levels of government.
The Council of Europe also has a Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, similar to the EU's Committee of the Regions.
Strengthening economic competition between communities further supports the creation of authentic regions within the EU and almost all EU member states recently have or currently are re-organizing their administration to create competitive EU regions. Often these regions better reflect culture and identity and a sense of common interests.
History
The idea for a representation of regions within the administration of the European Union relates to some regions' long history as autonomous regions. Examples include the Basque Country, which lies in both north-eastern Spain and south-west France, Scotland and Wales in the United Kingdom, indeed, historically and culturally the UK is made up of three separate countries (England, Scotland and Wales, with Northern Ireland being a province). For example, Scotland is seen by many in the UK as a non-sovereign nation within the UK state, having historically kept its own legal, education, cultural and religious institutions, and even more so today with its own legislature having power over most aspects of Scottish life. All of these regions have growing or well established nationalistic sentiments (see Basque nationalism, Welsh self-government, Scottish independence).
References
Loughlin, John et al.: Subnational Democracy in the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities. Oxford University Press. Oxford, 2004.
See also
- Euroregion
- Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)
- Historical regions of Central Europe
- Historical regions of the Balkan Peninsula
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