Reden, Interviews

European Conference on Subsidiarity, Further contribution by Yannis G. Valinakis

Federal Chancellor,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me first congratulate the Austrian Presidency for organizing this important and extremely timely Conference. It gives us, indeed, an excellent opportunity to discuss “Europe that begins, at Home”.

These days Europe is facing a series of major challenges:

1. to get closer to its citizens,
2. to achieve a better, more democratic and at the same time more effective institutional framework,
3. to improve its place in the world politically, socially and economically,
4. and to preserve its common values, cultural variety and political identity.

Our union has become bigger and more diverse. Some of our citizens have started to feel that they are loosing their grip on decision-making. Some may have begun to lose sight of the original reason for integration. Too often they take peace and prosperity for granted. Incidentally, this message for peace and stability is precisely the message that the E.U needs to send to SE Europe. This is why we support the next enlargement, which will transform what was until recently the powder keg of Europe, into a European neighborhood.

Many of the E.U citizens are not entirely happy about the direction Europe is heading. They see the E.U as a boat that has left the harbor but they don’t know its destination, the sea conditions, the cost, or who the captain is. It is, therefore, more crucial than ever to give the people the facts, to explain what we are doing, and why. To get closer to them. But we need to remember: The citizen’s feeling of involvement with so many Member States, issues and procedures, needs time to grow.

The challenges we face demand strong leadership and clear European vision. We need to sincerely engage ourselves in an effort to rapidly restore public confidence in the European project. The European debate should, therefore,       become not only intensive, but truly public.  

I believe that the crisis we are facing today is not an institutional one, but a crisis of confidence that varies from country to country. Τherefore, the need for the Europeans to talk to each other frankly and as we think out-of-the-box, has never been greater. We must work together with the citizens of Europe to build a “Europe of the Citizens”. In other words, the challenge we face today is not to build a Union of strong nations, but a strong Union of citizens, that will share a common vision about the Future of Europe. A “European Demos”, where all voices are heard. The contribution of the regions and the local authorities, to build this strong Union of citizens is very important. Improving the exercise of subsidiarity can be a prerequisite for engaging citizens in the E.U process.

The Protocols on the principle of subsidiarity and proportionality, attached to the Constitutional Treaty, can play a significant role towards this end. They can help achieve positive and better involvement of the Parliaments, as well as contribution of the Provinces and Local Authorities in shaping the future of Europe and involving the citizens in the decision making process, since these authorities are, somehow, more directly involved with the citizen’s everyday life. If we want a more accountable and democratic E.U, we need to engage our citizens in local debates about what policies there should be at the European, national and local levels.

As I happen to come from a country, whose territory consists mostly of mountain, outborder or island regions, I am well convinced of the need for     a more specifically designed policy of the Union towards a substantial economic, social and cohesion policy. There is no doubt that all regions require support, but the less favored, low populated and island regions certainly require specific coordinated measures to be taken in order to enable them to compete on an equal footing with more advanced areas. We, therefore, need to listen carefully to the citizens of these regions and their representatives, asking for a more effective Strategy and specific Regulation of the Commission on this aspect. Let me, at this point, mention the 2003 Report of the European Parliament on structurally disadvantaged regions,    that proposes certain measures, to which we can fully subscribe.

Greece has recently embarked on a new “National Strategy for Regional Policy” that allocates full priority and a vast amount of funds to regional development; it is based on a new model for development that focuses on the regions and brings them to the forefront of our attention.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The success of the E.U depends on striking the right balance between unity and diversity. And there is a specific role that the regions and local authorities can play, especially in South-East Europe, in strengthening democracy and cooperation between neighboring Member States as well as future Member States. The subsidiarity principle can greatly contribute to this end. Borders should no longer be considered as fortresses but rather as bridges offering opportunities for further cooperation. Opportunities for traditional cooperation

(like crossborder trade, cultural exchanges and events, control of illegal migration and human trafficking), as well as more innovative ones like joint energy projects, tourism development, management of water and other natural resources. There is ample room for creativity and synergies.

I strongly believe that if we concentrate primarily, on the various particularities of each and every region, we will also be able to deal with popular myths     that diminish the European Idea. We should all keep in mind that if we are to win the European public opinion’s support we should better “think globally, but act locally”.

In concluding, let me express my conviction that the need for Dialogue, Democracy and Debate is going to be fully satisfied during the Conference’s proceedings.