The Committee of the Regions welcomes the objectives and the form of governance outlined in the Europe 2020 Strategy but stresses that its effectiveness will be limited if local and regional authorities only play an implementing role downstream of the decision-making process.

Speaking after the adoption by the Commission of its Communication on Europe 2020, A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth , Mercedes Bresso, the President of the Committee of the Regions, noted that the strategy was more realistic than the proposal set out in the consultation document on which the Committee had expressed its views at the end of 2009 , as it "finally gets to grips with the crisis which is hitting our businesses, citizens and regions".

Nonetheless, the CoR President regretted that Europe 2020 had not really learned the lessons from the failure of the Lisbon Strategy. "The Europe 2020 Strategy does not go far enough in mobilising the driving forces of our society, and it would be much more effective if it enabled local and regional authorities to take an active part in framing national reform programmes and flagship initiatives rather than simply being limited to implementing them", stressed Ms Bresso.

Even more seriously, the strategy currently stopped at national level, and failed to take account of the fact that, in many countries, it was the regions who were the main players in the field of economic policy: support for innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises, lifelong learning, employment training schemes, etc. This fact has disappointed COR members.

The CoR also criticises a lack of specific measures for implementing territorial cohesion at a time when the Lisbon Treaty has just come into force.

The triple objective of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the seven flagship initiatives, reflect the problems and concerns of local and regional authorities and have the backing of the Committee of the Regions. Measures such as the objective to combat poverty and the changes in the rules on public procurement and state aid are a positive feature of the document. But if this European strategy is to become a reality, the key question of financial resources needs to be developed further.

Speaking on the strategy's financial dimension, Mercedes Bresso was keen to stress that the Committee of the Regions would closely monitor the links between the Europe 2020 strategy, cohesion policy and the future EU budget. In accordance with the Lisbon Treaty, the Committee would also take care to ensure that the draft legislation implementing the strategy was fully compliant with the conditions outlined in the new protocol on subsidiarity.

The Committee of the Regions

TheCommittee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives. The mission of its 344 members from all 27 EU Member States is to involve regional and local authorities and the communities they represent in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies.

The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are obliged to consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. It can appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers.