Traduction de «Sous-commission des finances locales et régionales » (Français → Anglais) :

The selection of such financial intermediaries should take place on the basis of their demonstrated ability to use the funding in the most efficient and effective way, with the objective of maximising the participation, within the shortest possible time, of other public and private investors and of achieving the highest leverage between the Union funding and the total investment with a view to raising significant investments in the Union. However, in times of financial and economic crises which have a particularly adverse effect on the finances of local and regional authorities, it should be ensured that the difficul ...[+++]t budgetary situation of those authorities does not hinder them from being able to access the funding.

confirms the willingness of local and regional authorities to play an increasingly active role in promoting the applications of science, technology and innovation policy, provided that an approach is adopted across all EU programmes and projects in which key funding criteria are the mapping of existing top-level global knowledge in the field of the project and its effective utilisation;

notes that the lack of systematic, robust autonomous management of local finances inevitably reduces local and regional authorities’ ability to take full responsibility for managing European funds, which requires adequate administrative and planning capabilities and enough funds to cover the local financial contribution; points out that, with regard to the growing role of programmes aimed at local and regional communities in the EU's neighbouring countries, consolidating ...[+++]the financial autonomy of local authorities is a key part of the process to identify solutions for common problems through regional and cross-border cooperation between local and regional authorities in the EU and Moldova;

Calls on the Commission to revise its ‘Europe for Citizens’ Programme to improve communication with the average Union citizen and to ensure broad dissemination; notes that while structural support for Brussels-based think-tanks and research institutes is important, such organisations do little to inform individuals other than those who are already informed; calls on the Commission refocus its funding on non-Brussels based regional and local civil society and social partner organisations and to introduce, in the future, programmes si ...[+++]milar to very successful ‘Youth in Action Programme 2007-2013’ to help local and regional governmental authorities to inform their residents of their rights as Union citizens; since proposals for multilingualism should not be limited to the main official/ Member State languages, calls on the Member States to disseminate information about Union citizenship also in regional and minority languages;

52. Reminds Member States that, together with the Commission and its initiatives on "energy education", the provision of information to citizens is mainly a national, regional and local responsibility and calls for an increased effort in facilitating the provision of information to citizens and the private sector; considers that this information should include information on the availability of existing and cost-effective technology and on the increasing scarcity of resources; calls on the Commission to support, together with relevant national, ...[+++]local and regional institutions, an EU wide information and awareness raising campaign on best practice in energy efficiency and to support networks of excellence;

The Commission received a total of 88 contributions, consisting of comments submitted by governments of the Member States (Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom) and of a non-member country (USA), and by international, European and national organisations (covering both the private sector and NGOs), regional and local authorities, religious interests and churches, individual citizens and individual companies.