Ms Mary Freehill:

The recent Task Force Report on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and "Doing Less More Efficiently" emerged as part of the debate around the future of Europe. One of the three questions posed by President Juncker at the outset of the workforce’s work was to consider the involvement of local and regional authorities in the preparation and follow up of Union policies. Councillors Murphy and McCarthy have mentioned the importance of communication, both in communicating the opportunities of the EU but also in ensuring that there is a mechanism to feed back the perspectives of local communities via the local and regional authorities. This is a key message emerging from the report, in terms of the development and preparation of legislation and in assessing the impact of this legislation at the local level. This is not just a challenge for the EU institutions, but also at the national level in member states. Surveys of the Irish population show a high level of positivity towards the European Union, but this is not something that should be taken for granted. Ireland’s role within the EU will also continue to develop and change as we face into a new budget period as a net contributor, and in a European Union without the UK as a member.

At the local level we are aware of how certain legislative measures can prove contentious. In this context, the report’s recommendation that the European co-legislators host hearings with local and regional authorities as part of the legislative process is to be welcomed. Similarly, the delegation welcomes the aim of improving the flow of feedback and viewpoints from local and regional authorities through public consultation questionnaires, and the role that the Committee of the Regions can play in supporting this. The report is sensitive to the fact that different governance structures exist across the member states. It is important to focus on what is possible within our own local regional government structures in Ireland. As such, I would like to draw the attention of the committee to the report’s recommendations in relation to the European semester and the need for both the European Commission and the member states to engage meaningfully with local and regional authorities in this process. At present the delegation is consulted in the preparation of the national reform programme, but we would argue that there is considerable scope to intensify this engagement. As mentioned previously, the three regional assemblies are currently developing their regional spatial and economic strategies. These strategies will provide the link between our national planning framework and county-level planning. Members of the committee will be aware, and recent EUROSTAT research confirms, that disparities continue to exist at the regional level in Ireland. This regional structure provides a new opportunity for Ireland to more actively involve our regional and local authorities in the preparation of the national reform programmes. Such engagement would also present an opportunity to increase awareness around the importance of the European semester process more widely throughout the country. Our attendance here today is a positive example of how we can share information and experience, and the delegation hopes that we can continue to build on this in the future.