Hot Issue Nr. 316
Franz Schausberger appointed rapporteur on the Commission´s "Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2014-2015"
Franz Schausberger, Representative of Land Salzburg in the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and IRE-Chairman, got appointed rapporteur for the important enlarment strategy 2014/2015 of the European Commission at a recent CoR meeting. The enlargement strategy was presented by the European Commission on 8 October. Franz Schausberger will now prepare the opinion of the Committee of the Regions, which will be discussed in the relevant committee in November 2014 and February 2015 and decided upon in the meeting of the Committee on April 16, 2015. The enlargement strategy refers to the candidate countries Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Turkey and Iceland, as well as to the potential candidate countries Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Franz Schausberger will cooperate very closely with the new Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn, in the preparation of his opinion.
Improving public administration at national, regional and local level are urgently needed
Schausberger stressed that fundamental reforms are necessary early in the enlargement process, especially on the three pillars of rule of law, economic governance and public administration reform. Candidate Countries and Potential Candidate Countries need to increase their efforts to improve their public administrations at all levels, national, regional and local. The Commission has to strengthen its support towards the establishment of the necessary administrative structures and capacity in the accession process. Public administration reform has to be a priority in all countries. Transparency, accountability, professionalism and effectiveness of public administration and public financial management also on regional and local level need to be enhanced. The European Commission has to be aware that 70 percent of the EU politics need to be implemented on regional and local tiers.
Criticism of the Commission's report: No statements on regional and local self-government and decentralization
Schausberger announced that his opinion will criticize the Commission's enlargement report, since it does not imply any statements on the situation of regional and local self-government and decentralization in the countries concerned and on the principle of subsidiarity. This has been a request of the Committee of the Regions in its opinions for the past years.
HTL students from Hallein in Brussels Liaison Office
On Monday, October 6, 2014 the representative of the Land Salzburg in the Committee of the Regions, Franz Schauberger, discussed European topics with a group of students of the HTL Hallein, led by Federal Councillor Susanne Kurz in the Liaison Office of the Land Salzburg in Brussels. The students were particularly interested in the crisis in the Ukraine, the independence movements in Europe and the looming threat of terrorism by the so-called "Islamic State" and the EU's position on all these issues.
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