CEMR General Assembly

Municipalities and regions are essential for meeting citizens’ needs: General Assembly opened by Prince of Asturias“Local and regional authorities reinforce our democracy. They are essential when it comes to providing basic services efficiently and managing the basic needs of our citizens properly in all fields.” Such was declared by the Prince of Asturias at the opening session of the 25^th General Assembly of European Municipalities and Regions on 26 September 2012.

Ilmar Reepalu, mayor of Malmö and host of the 24^th General Assembly held in 2009, passed on the CEMR flag to Teófila Martínez Sáiz, mayor of Cádiz. At this occasion, he looked back on the situation of local and regional Europe since the previous Congress edition, and underlined that “working with sustainability in our cities has proven beneficial to creating the jobs that our society needs, especially in today’s crisis-ridden context”.

rnThe mayor of Cadiz, the host of this year’s Congress, stressed that “national and European governments need to look at what local and regional authorities are doing, even if the challenges they face seem far away because, to our citizens and local elected representatives, these issues seem like giants.”

rn“We need to adopt a proactive attitude and work in solidarity,” continued Íñigo de la Serna Hernáiz, mayor of Santander and president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP). “There is no room for unilateral action. And while today, austerity, efficiency and the implementation of structural funds need to be at the centre of our actions, these cannot take away from our need to work on global challenges together in order to meet the needs of our citizens.”

rnThe president of CEMR and mayor of Stuttgart, Wolfgang Schuster, addressed the 700 participants by declaring that “the crisis must also be seen as an opportunity. However, and in order to do so, we need a common basis for action, which can only be achieved if all levels of governance work together.”

rnFor his part, the Spanish secretary of state for public administration, Antonio Beteta Barreda, concluded that “Europe is no longer a dream but rather a tangible reality that continues to evolve. There is no question that we need more Europe.”