BASIS FOR RE-CONNECTING CITIZENS TO THE EU

There are five principles of good governance: Openness, Participation, Accountability, Effectiveness and Coherence.

1. An EU based on the principle of openness should be constituted of institutions that work in a transparent manner. Working together in a more open manner requires co-operation between the EU, the member states and the regions, communicating actively about what the EU does and the decision that it takes. A language that is accessible and understandable to the general public should be used. This is of particular importance to improve public confidence in complex institutions. Transparency improves the ability of the citizen to be able to scrutinise European legislation and thus to ensure that the European institutions are accountable to the citizens that they represent.

2. According to the principle of participation, those who are affected by policies should be allowed to participate in all stages of the decision-making processes. The quality, relevance and effectiveness of policies depend on ensuring wide participation throughout the policy chain, from policy conception to implementation. Improved participation is likely to create more confidence in the end result and in the institutions which deliver policies. Participation crucially depends on governments at all levels following an inclusive approach when developing and implementing EU policies. Participation means the active involvement of European citizens in the political discussions about European policies, to overcome the sentiment of a just functional and therefore apparently cold bureaucratic 'Brussels'. The use of Internet forums provides a practical means to ascertain public opinion about the policies on the day's agenda in Brussels. Not only lobbyists and other actors involved in European affairs need to participate. It is vital that participation does not stop in Brussels, it must take place closer to the citizens. In order to ensure participation, the European Union already makes use of direct democratic instruments, such as the elections to the European Parliament. Additional direct democratic instruments could be developed. For example, the possibility to execute cross-border referenda in the Union provides a very practical tool to connect citizens from different countries through the power of common participation.

3. Accountability requires the reasons and processes behind the decisions to be clear and justifiable; this depends upon the existence of transparent decision-making process. Each of the EU institutions must explain and take responsibility for what it does in Europe. There is also a need for greater clarity and responsibility from the Member States and all those involved in developing and implementing EU policy at whatever level. Better consultation is key to improving accountability.

4. The principle of effectiveness requires policies to be delivered on the basis of clear objectives with a proper evaluation of their impact on the ground. Policies must be effective and timely, delivering what is needed on the basis on clear objectives, and making an evaluation of possible future impacts and, where available, of past experience. Effecttiveness also depends on implementing policies in a proportionate manner and on taking decisions at the most appropriate level.

5. Last but not least the principle of coherence means that policies must complement one another and must provide a logical framework for addressing policy issues. Policies and action must be coherent with one another and easily understood. The need for coherence in the Union is increasing: the range of tasks has grown. EU enlargement has increased diversity, challenges and demographic change across the boundaries of the sectoral policies on which the Union has been built, and regional and local authorities are increasingly involved in EU policies. Coherence requires political leadership and a strong responsibility on the part of the institutions to ensure a consistent approach within a complex system.

Above all, good governance should allow citizens to articulate their interests.

For the European Union to have a firm future anchored in the grassroots and based upon the principles of good governance, it is clearly and urgently necessary to bring the European citizens closer to the EU. What it desperately needs is proximity to its citizens. Even the most anti-EU voices among the populist parties would agree with this. Regions have  akey role to play: regional governments enjoy local and regional credibility and benefit from a proximity to regional issues, needs and interests. Regional and local authorities possess the striking advantage that they are directly in touch with their citizens. They know about the local circumstances and have access to the necessary information about the consequences of political decisions. Already regions are part of the implementation process of the vast majority of European legislation. Nobody could deny that the administration responsible for implementing the legal norms should be able to provide its expertise and opinion on actual political tasks. Involving regions in European policy processes therefore has the potential to bring the EU closer to the citizen.

Moreover, regions have a democratic legitimacy, and can bring this legitimacy back into the European governance and policy-making process. This can help to retain democratic control of European policy-making. The increased involvement of democratic bodies in European affairs will help to address the perceived democratic deficit.

There are a series of concrete actions that regions can take in order to play their full role in reconnecting Europe with its citizens. Firstly, if the European Union is to reconnect with its citizens, it must pay special attention to engaging young people, on whose shoulders the success or failure of the European project will ultimately rest. Education is a crucial part of the modern socialization of tomorrow's European citizens: this is therefore key to Europeanization and the creation of a feeling of European citizenship.