Recently, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions
published a new position paper : ‘Strong public services through Local Government’.
Knowing that waste collection, public transport, housing and a lot of
more social services are delivered to the citizens by local
Government, are often the subject of EU legislation and ECJ rulings.
All of this often without sufficient input from local government. CEMR
wants to change this and states that ‘the capacity of local and
regional government to ensure the day-to-day provision of public
services whilst also financing future investments.
CEMR argues that local governments are part of the solution when it
comes to delivering quality public services for all citizens. Towns,
regions, states and the EU should work hand in hand to craft
purposeful legislation.
CEMR spokesperson on public services, President of the County of Karlsruhe,
Christoph Schnaudigel,
states that “
the capacity of local and regional governments to ensure the
day-to-day provision of public services whilst also financing
investment in future services should not be considered as a
problem or an exception. It is part of the solution and a major
contribution to the European project
.”
Public service legislation can and needs to change on several
fronts. The position paper underlines the need for an EU and
international public procurement regime that supports local economic
growth, social value, environmental benefits and innovation.
A regulatory state aid regime at EU and international level is
also necessary to allow local and regional governments organise and
provide essential services. Another highlight in the position paper is
the need for a comprehensive involvement of local and regional
governments on relevant issues during international trade negotiations.
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