Brussels, 4 February 2016
116th PLENARY SESSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
WEDNESDAY 10 AND THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2016
ITEM 2 – APPENDIX 3
MINUTES OF THE 115th PLENARY SESSION
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
STATEMENT BY FRANS TIMMERMANS, FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN CHARGE OF BETTER REGULATION,
INTERINSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS, THE RULE OF LAW AND THE CHARTER OF
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
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EN
-1Statement by Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission in charge
of Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of
Fundamental Rights
Mr Timmermans began his speech by thanking the European Committee of the Regions for giving
him the opportunity to discuss the European Commission’s Work Programme for 2016 with them. He
stressed that the expertise of the CoR, especially when it came to the territorial impact of EU
initiatives, was very important to the Commission.
Introducing the 2016 Work Programme, Mr Timmermans said that the motto of the Work Programme
was "no time for business as usual", and that the Commission had pledged to make bold and
pragmatic proposals in 2016 to allow us to overcome our common challenges. In preparing the Work
Programme, the Commission had taken into account the views of the EU institutions and bodies,
including those of the European Committee of the Regions expressed in its July Resolution on
priorities for 2016. Mr Timmermans said that he was pleased to note that the programme adopted by
the Commission reflected considerable convergence with the Committee’s priorities and a shared
focus on key challenges such as growth and jobs, migration and global stability.
Mr Timmermans stressed that these challenges required working in close partnership with actors at all
levels – national, regional and local. The support of regions and local authorities was essential for
fostering jobs and growth and for applying European rules on the ground.
He highlighted the following areas:
First of all, a continued focus on the implementation of the European Agenda on Security (adopted in
April 2015). The terrorist attacks in Paris had added a tremendous sense of urgency to work on
implementing this agenda. On 2 December 2015, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive
on terrorism and an agreement on the Passenger Name Record Directive would hopefully be reached
before the end of the year. Mr Timmermans stressed the importance of local and regional authorities
for the implementation of almost all the measures proposed in the Commission Work Programme and
the European Agenda on Security, particularly with regard to prevention and de-radicalisation
initiatives. Local actors were in direct contact with those most at risk of radicalisation, and they
needed to be properly equipped to recognise the signs of radicalisation and assess what intervention
might be needed.
Secondly, the European Commission would continue to prioritise the refugee and migration challenge
in the framework of the European Agenda on Migration. Our current migration system had proven to
be insufficient for the current flow of refugees and we needed to rethink the way we managed our
common external border and strengthen the implementation of the Common European Asylum
System. On 15 December 2015, the Commission intended to set out measures on how to address most
effectively the challenges posed by the migration crisis. It would present a Border Package, proposing
to strengthen the mandate of the Frontex Agency and to establish a European Border and Coast
Guard. The Commission aimed to ensure that in times of crisis, the EU would step in to support the
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-2frontline Member States to address the challenges they face at the common external border both better
and more suitably.
Thirdly, Mr Timmermans said that we had to keep our sights on creating jobs, growth and
investment. The Investment Fund was now operational and delivered high quality investments to
boost the European economy. The Commission would now focus on improving the investment
economy and deepening the single market so that it delivered better outcomes, fewer barriers and the
right environment for innovation, especially among SMEs and start-ups. A range of proposals to
implement the digital single market strategy would therefore be presented, such as cross-border
portability of online content services in the internal market, proposals on digital contract rights and a
review of the Audio-visual Media Service Directive.
As the EU was a lead player in the Paris climate talks, the Commission had outlined a follow up with
three important packages under the Energy Union. Furthermore, on 2 December 2015 the
Commission had presented its comprehensive and ambitious Circular Economy Strategy, which
addressed the full lifecycle of products. It included revised legislative proposals on waste, establishing
a clear and ambitious long-term strategy for waste management and recycling, underpinned by targets
and tangible measures to address obstacles while taking account of different situations across
Members States. Here, Mr Timmermans stressed the importance of regular and intensive contact with
local and regional authorities when preparing the strategy and shaping ambitious but realistic
proposals.
2016 should become a year of real social progress, Mr Timmermans continued. The Commission
would present a "new skills" agenda that would aim to promote skills development and promote
vocational training and higher education. It would also aim to reap the full potential of digital jobs.
The Commission would also set out legislative and non-legislative action to give a new start to
work/life balance for parents, including supporting women in the workplace. The recent withdrawal of
the Maternity Leave Directive would be used as a new start to address the challenges facing working
parents and carers today. On 2 December 2015, the Commission adopted a proposal for a European
Accessibility Act, which aimed to enhance accessibility for disabled people in key areas such as
transport and ICT. The labour mobility proposals currently being prepared would help people use the
opportunities of free movement whilst addressing abuses in the benefits system and social dumping.
Furthermore, the 2016 European Semester would put a stronger focus on the economic and fiscal
situation and on Member States’ employment and social performance. This would be complemented
by the development of a European pillar of social rights that would modernise and address the gaps in
existing legislation and identify common principles and reference benchmarks built on national best
practices, with a view to upwards convergence of employment and social performance over time. The
Commission would shortly be holding an orientation debate on the pillar of social rights and the
involvement of the social partners.
However, the Commission would also continue work on many other fronts, including an update of the
EU Occupational Safety and Health acquis, which aimed to secure a simplified structure and a
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-3reduction in the number of directives whilst keeping the same level of protection. The Commission
would press for further progress towards fair, efficient and growth-friendly corporate taxation, follow
up on the trade and investment strategy as well as the Five Presidents’ Report for a more resilient and
prosperous economic and monetary union, and update the Multiannual Financial Framework to make
it fit for purpose. Finally, the Commission would continue its efforts on better regulation.
With regard to the Better Regulation Agenda, Mr Timmermans underlined the importance of the
Committee’s support and welcomed its commitment to territorial impact assessment and the close
cooperation with the Commission in this regard. Furthermore, as chair of the REFIT platform, he
welcomed the CoR as a member of this Platform with the nomination of Francois Decoster. The
Platform was designed to look into burdens on the ground which resulted from the implementation of
EU rules, as well as looking into the rules themselves. The CoR's contribution could be particularly
valuable, given its close relationship with stakeholders and the administration of law on the ground.
Mr Timmermans stressed that he expected the CoR to play a leading role in ensuring the right design
and combination of EU and regional regulation and administration with a view to minimising
regulatory burdens. Furthermore, the Committee could help shape the Platform's agenda by
identifying key areas where simpler, less burdensome requirements could provide more efficient
results. The Commission would therefore value its contribution, perhaps in the form of an outlook
opinion, in the course of the following year. Finally, the Better Regulation Agenda offers plenty of
new possibilities to provide input throughout the policy cycle. Mr Timmermans strongly encouraged
the Committee to make full use of these as well as of its membership of the new REFIT platform to
voice the suggestions of its members.
On behalf of the PES Group, Sir Albert Bore (UK/PES) referred to the European Commission's
slogan, being big on big things, and acknowledged that the European Commission was certainly big
on urgent things, welcoming the proactive way in which the Commission had come forward with
proposals with regard to migration and the Greek crisis. However, he felt that the content and
timelines of the big packages outlined in the Work Programme were not always very clear. He was
convinced that increasingly, proposals were shaped at the implementation stage rather than through
the decision-making policy process or the institutional triangle with a role for the European
Committee of the Regions as advisory body, which called into question the value of the work carried
out.
Furthermore, Sir Albert conveyed the CoR’s general disappointment with regard to the scant concern
for regional matters in the Commission’s Work Programme. There was no specific mention of the
Urban Agenda, a priority for the upcoming Netherlands Presidency, territorial cohesion or territorial
and urban impact assessment. He was sceptical about the circular economy package, as he believed
that it was much less ambitious than the previous package. Finally, Sir Albert stressed the PES
Group’s dismay at the Commission’s decision to postpone the adoption of the Labour Mobility
Package. The package was still being prepared, although it was meant to be one of the Commission’s
flagship initiatives to tackle social dumping and social tourism and strengthen social rights in Europe.
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-4On behalf of the EPP Group, Hans Jansen (NL/EPP) acknowledged the efforts of the European
Commission to speak clearly and make sure thatpolicies were effective. He underlined the importance
of a European home where the institutions were in contact with the regions and Europeans and
therefore welcomed the Commission’s Work Programme for 2016 as it upheld the principles of
subsidiarity and proportionality. With respect to the Circular Economy Strategy, he urged the
Commission to take into account the CoR’s recommendations on this subject. As regards Better
Regulation, Mr Jansen said that legislation had to be implementable, and referred to the initiative from
the Dutch provinces. Finally, he was interested in the role planned for the European Committee of the
Regions with regard to interinstitutional cooperation.
Bas Verkerk (NL/ALDE), speaking on behalf of the ALDE Group, praised the summary provided by
Mr Timmermans with regard to Better Regulation and the role for local and regional authorities with
regard to security, migration, jobs and growth. He specifically thanked Mr Timmermans for his
inviting attitude towards the CoR with regard to Better Regulation, highlighting the CoR’s
involvement in REFIT.
As regards the Urban Agenda, Mr Verkerk argued that more legislation in this field would be
welcomed. Dialogue in cities and decentralised solutions were important and seemed to be the way
forward. Although the Committee was already in close contact with many Commissioners on this
matter, he called on Mr Timmermans to stress the expert role of the CoR and called for even stronger
involvement.
On behalf of the EA Group, Anthony Buchanan (UK/EA) thanked Mr Timmermans for expressing
his support for the role of local and regional authorities in European policy making, whilst underlining
some areas for improvement. With regard to the Transparency Register, he argued that representatives
of local and regional authorities and their offices should not be treated in the same way as professional
lobbyists. The mandatory registration was currently preventing them from playing their role as
legitimate and equal representatives of European citizens, and not registering could, according to the
new guidelines, even lead to being banned from meaningful contact with the EU Institutions. This had
a negative impact on local and regional authorities, in particular those without a CoR member to
represent them, and Mr Buchanan therefore called on the European Commission to reverse this
situation as soon as possible. By way of compromise, he suggested using the CoR’s own register of
local and regional authorities as a reference, arguing that those authorities already registered with the
CoR should no longer need to be registered in the European Commission Lobbyist Register.
Mr Buchanan welcomed the robust processes behind measures taken in the field of Better Regulation,
which ensured that local outcomes were properly assessed when drafting EU legislation, but called for
a more structured method of consulting local and regional authorities or their associations on draft
legislation, particularly when local and regional competences were concerned. In that respect, he
called for the DG REGIO pilot scheme, whereby local and regional authorities were involved in the
assessment of the application of EU law on the ground and in the frontline, to be extended to all
European Commission DGs.
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-5Gordon Keymer (UK/ECR), speaking on behalf of the ECR Group, referred to the Border Package
addressed by both Mr Timmermans and the Commissioner for Migration and asked to elaborate on
the principle of "smart" borders. With regard to REFIT, Mr Keymer called for the CoR to be involved
as a governance partner instead of a stakeholder.
The First Vice-President of the CoR, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, underlined the CoR’s interest in the
2016 Work Programme and highlighted the importance of the resolution on this Work Programme, to
be adopted afterwards by the CoR and containing the detailed viewpoint of local and regional
authorities. The CoR was convinced that the building of Europe could not take place without the
active participation of the local and regional authorities that implemented EU policies. The CoR had
an essential role to play in ensuring that Commission proposals were adapted to real life situations on
the ground and the EU's regional diversity. Another essential CoR role was to take account of, and
pass on, the messages of individuals and local and regional elected representatives to the EU
Institutions, and the Commission in particular. Finally, although the feeling was that Commission had
been somewhat modest in its ambitions on this subject, the CoR welcomed the Circular Economy
Strategy which was of particular importance to local and regional authorities, and would look into it
closely.
Hella Dunger-Loper (DE/PES), rapporteur for the Urban Agenda, stressed the work carried out by
the Committee to set up and improve the partnership between urban areas and rural areas, focusing on
the needs of both. The importance of the Urban Agenda was underlined by a report on the Urban
Agenda that had been adopted in the summer of 2014, a consultation from the Commission in 2015
and a resolution from the Parliament in September 2015. Furthermore, it was one of the main
priorities of the upcoming Dutch presidency. However, it was not mentioned once in the Work
Programme of the European Commission for 2016, which the CoR found rather disappointing.
In his reply, Mr Timmermans stressed the Commission's commitment to the Urban Agenda, but
warned against a lack of focus. There were so many aspects within the Commission’s remit that were
affected by the Urban Agenda that we should first concentrate on an integrated approach. In cities
across the European continent, you could see a concentration of both the problems and the solutions
facing the EU. However, the real problem was the lack of interface. In order to move forward, he
invited the Committee to cooperate with him in trying to formulate the next steps, saying that this
should not necessarily imply more legislation.
With regard to the Circular Economy Strategy, Mr Timmermans argued that the new package was
certainly not weaker than the previous proposal, especially from the perspective of local and regional
authorities. The Commission had endeavoured to focus on tangible measures and results and place
controls and checks at the most appropriate level, thus creating a more realistic programme to achieve
a higher net effect for the environment.
Speaking about the Labour Mobility Package, Mr Timmermans said that sometimes new legislation
was delayed because of the overwhelming daily reality facing the Commission and requiring urgent
action, but the Package was underway and very important to the Commission.
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-6-
Furthermore, he thanked the Dutch Provinces for the very useful document they had provided which
showed exactly how and where regional authorities were confronted with red tape and where better
regulation was needed, and encouraged other local and regional authorities to follow this example.
Finally, Mr Timmermans said that according to the regulations on the Transparency Register, elected
representatives did not need to register, although associations representing local or regional interests
have to. He was aware of the Committee's views on this matter, and announced that this would be
discussed further with the Parliament and the Council with the aim of finding a suitable solution.
Commenting on the question about smart borders, Mr Timmermans explained that this referred to
better use of modern communication and existing databases to identify people entering or leaving the
EU. However, in order to achieve this goal, reservations about sharing data needed to be overcome
and increased cooperation between authorities at all levels was needed.
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