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Best Practice Examples of EU lobbying AER TRAINING ACADEMY 10-11 September 2007. Françoise CHOTARD Ile-de-France regional office in Brussels. The specificities of French regional offices in Brussels. Small offices/other nationalities : between 3 and 7 staff average
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Best Practice Examples of EU lobbyingAER TRAINING ACADEMY10-11 September 2007 Françoise CHOTARD Ile-de-France regional office in Brussels
The specificities of French regional offices in Brussels • Small offices/other nationalities : between 3 and 7 staff average • Different kind of organization: Regional Council alone, or larger partnership (County Council, Cities…) • Different status: association, service of the Regional Council…. →IMPORTANT: work in networks/size of the offices
The main principles of lobbying for Fench regional offices • A good dissemination of information between the network’s members • Possibility of common actions of lobbying • Example of the CDPF (Cercle des Délégués Permanents Français: association of French permanent delegates), in close relationship with the Permanent Representation: 1st step of a common work between French offices • Importance of a permanent presence in Brussels
→ Lobbying: long term work → Importance to have a position « en amont »(in an early stage) ex: answers to consultations launched by the Commission: Green paper or less informal types of consultation → importance of privileged contacts with European actors: Commission, European Parliament and also national actors: NCP (National contact points), Permanent Representation… → Importance to focus on major policies (related to the Region priorities and competencies) to have a real impact
Some examples of lobbying • The regional policy reform 2007-2013: the example of Ile-de-France negociations networking with other European regions • The European mobilization of the Val d’Oise County Council against airport nuisances • The Ile-de-France Regional Council : lobbying for the seventh research framework programme 7FP
1) The regional policy reform 2007-2013: the example of Ile-de-France networking with other European regions: Two networks: Capital Regions and Cities + Cities for cohesion → Regions dealing with similar issues : big metropolitan Regions with high economic development but infraregional disparities
The debate in an early stage: a relevant moment for a dialogue with the Commission Dialogue launched by the publication of the second report on cohesion (January 2001) : • - June 2002: first position of the network « Cities for cohesion »: 10 fundamental principles of the future European cohesion policy • - January 2003: Memorandum of the network Capital regions and cities: « For a real urban dimension » • Venue of the President of the Regional Council Jean-Paul Huchon in Brussels for a seminar on May 2003 • 8 July 2003: Meeting in Brussels organized by Michel Barnier (French Commissionner): intervention of the Vice-President of the Ile-de-France Region, Christian Feuillet on behalf of the network Capital regions and cities • August 2003: Paper of the network Cities for cohesion entitled « For a stronger intervention of the Union in urban areas »
Follow-up of the dialogue with the Commission • Publication of the 3rd report on cohesion in February 2004 (principles of the reform) • April 2004: Joint position of the 2 networks on this report • Forum on cohesion: 10-11 May 2004: presence of the President of international and European actions Committee of the Ile-de-France Region and dissemination of the joint position paper.
Projects of regulations on structural funds (Commission 14 July 2004) • A general regulation: general principles, objectives, rules for FEDER, FSE and cohesion fund • 3 specific regulations: FEDER, FSE, Cohesion fund • 1 regulation on the European cross-border cooperation groupings (EGCC) → Joint Position of the 2 networks on the Commission proposal dealing with the regulations on structural funds : « Reaction of big urban areas », September 2004.
Lobbying of the two networks , with partial collaboration of Eurocities, nearby the EP • For the regulations on structural funds: • Joint elaboration of proposal of amendments in January 2005 by the 2 networks, in collaboration with Eurocities • Personalized contacts with European parlamentarians dealing with this issue • Also work with the urban/housing intergroup chaired by Jean-Marie Beaupuy
Towards the European Commission • On the CSG (Community Strategic Guidelines) : joint position of the 2 networks in response of a consultation launched by the Commission in September 2005 • Decision of Danuta Hübner to ask services to prepare a complementary document on the urban dimension of the CSG that would be discussed during an informal meeting of the ministers in charge of regional policy in Bristol on December.
2) The European mobilization of the Val d’Oise County Council against airport nuisances → The wish to find a European solution Airport nuisances concern territories around airports and decisions have to be taken at the European level because of risks of distorsion of competition.
Importance to raise the issue at the political level: → Importance of contacts with the relevant European actors: European Parliament: • 31 March 2005: letter to the President of the EP Joseph Borrel Fontelles : dossier attributed to Paulo Costa, President of the EP transport Committee • 25 August 2005: the County Council send a letter to all the European parliamentarians members of the Committees transport and environment of the EP
European Commission: • 22 June 2005: meeting between François Scellier, President of the Val d’Oise County Council, Yanick Paternotte, first vice-President in charge of economic development and employment and Jacques Barrot, European Commissionner in charge of Transports. Jacques Barrot expresses the difficulty for the European Commission to propose the ban of night flights but gives support to the initiative and proposes to facilitate a meeting with the general director of the European Agency for Airport Security : Patrick Goudou • 21 March 2006: François Scellier and Yanick Paternotte meet the chief of Cabinet of Stavros Dimas, European Commissionner in charge of environnement
Difficulty of identifying other Regions and local authorities → Work through direct contacts within the Comittee of the Regions and within the ARC (Airport Regions Conference). Preparatory meetings: • March 2006: Contacts with Margaret Anne Mary ASTON , President of Buckinamshire and David DAVIES, President of Surrey, territories bording the Heathrow airport and Job COHEN, mayor of Amsterdam for the Schiphol airport • 21 March 2006: Meeting with Evelyne Huytebroeck, minister in charge of environment at the Brussels Region : exchanges on the experiences of the 2 territories concerning airport nuisances.
Meeting with Gerhard Stahl, general secretary of the CoR, with Matthieu Hornung, member of the cabinet of Michel Delebarre, President of the CoR. • June 2006: the County Council decides to become a member of the ARC • 12 July 2006: President Scellier invited to speak during a COTER Committee debate about European airports futur (airport package)
Decision to organize a « Round Table of European « overflown » Regions» • 11 May 2007 :Round table organized by the Val d’Oise County Council and Brussels Capital Region with support of the ARC • choice of the date within the framework of the evaluation of Directives 2002/30 and 2002/49 dealing with the introduction of noise-related operating restrictions and the management of environmental noise • Near 50 regional and local authorities represented • Recommendations of the local and regional authorities for reducing aircraft noise pollution
3) The Ile-de-France Regional Council : lobbying for the seventh research framework programme 7FPDialogue with the European Commission: • End of 2004: contribution of the Ile-de-France Region to a public consultation launched by the Commission before the legislative proposal. • Publication of the legislative proposal: follow-up of the dialogue with the Commission: → sending of a letter signed by President Huchon and the Vice-presidents Haddad and Lipinski to the Commissionner in charge of research: Janez Potočnik expressing the support of the Region concerning the orientations defined in the legislative proposal of the Commission for the 7FP
European Parliament • Tabling of amendments in relationship with two parliamentarian reports (initiative report in 2005 and report on the legislative proposal in 2006). • To underline the increasing role of the Regions in the support of the actors of research and innovation and to sensibilize the parliamentarians to the regional dimension of these thematics. • Work realized in coordination with other representatives of European Regions sharing common interest (ERRIN network)
Council of the European union and France • Regular exchanges with the French Permanent Representation in Brussels • Writing and sending letters to French Prime minister to support the Commission proposals and to make the French position at the Council more favorable in terms of budget and permit a raise of the budget of the 7FP.
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