President Schuster suggests governance in partnership to Commissioner Hahn
'In terms of applying multi-level governance, I would suggest using a -governance in partnership' approach, involving all levels of governance and relevant actors, including civil society,the private sector and academia,".declared Wolfgang Schuster, president of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and mayor of Stuttgart, during a meeting with Johannes Hahn, commissioner for regional policy.
Indeed, the term -multi-level governance' risks reflecting too much of a hierarchical structure while governance in partnership is more holistic and focuses less on legal competences. Commissioner Hahn expressed an interest in this approach and remains open to receiving further ideas on the issue.
The future of cohesion policy
On another note, Hahn underlined the importance of lobbying central governments and convincing them that Europe needs a strong cohesion policy in the future. Indeed, 'in the discussion on the multi-annual financial framework, it is important to highlight the added value of European cohesion policy and its need for adequate financing," the Commissioner told Schuster.
President Schuster also presented the idea of mobilising municipalities, regions and local actors involved in economics and civil society in the elaboration of concrete actions based on the Europe 2020 strategy's seven flagship initiatives.
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Climate, Sustainable Finance Officer
