The Euroregion is a model region for Europe - seminar CIVEX - Bolzano, 07/08/13

International Seminar of the CIVEX Commission: “The Euregio is a model region for Europe” Hundred experts from 28 European countries gathered for a two-day meeting of the CIVEX Commission, part of the Committee of the Regions. Governor Luis Durnwalder, president of the EGTC Tyrol – South Tyrol – Trentino, held the welcome address on “Multilevel governance in practice at local and regional level – Decentralised policy strategies in the European Year of Citizens”. In times of globalization -it was stressed citizens rightly demand to be directly involved in decision-making processes and to contribute to them. Close contact with citizens on all levels, from the municipal level to the European level, is a key factor for successful policy making. We have talked a lot about civic participation, especially about democracy, on various levels. Therefore it is important to give vivid examples: In the case of South Tyrol there are three different ethnic groups and autonomy. As we can demonstrate, integrating different social groups into decision-making processes and sharing responsibilities with them is the means for creating welfare. I am convinced that our autonomy increased our welfare. We are a region, a border region, where collaboration is possible on a transnational level, endowed by the European spirit. We can furthermore provide an example of how important volunteering really is. As a state of 500,000 inhabitants and 116 municipalities we are home to 3,300 associations in the cultural, social and economic domains. Therefore we can give an example of how civil society can contribute on various levels to increase not only welfare but also the quality of life. As a result we are at the forefront of all Italian regions. Therefore one can assume that civil participation leads to quality of life. It was repeatedly suggested that the Euregio was a regional model. In the Euregio challenges and chances of trans-border collaboration are omnipresent and dealth with on a daily basis. As a result a strong allegiance to Europe has already been internalised. The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation is a trans-border institution of the European Union which was incorporated in 2006, during the presidency of Austria, and is a facilitator for close collaboration on a cross-border level. The main advantage is the transnational collaboration of regions and municipalities. In the case of Tyrol the stakeholders are the State of Tyrol, the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol and the Autonomous Province of Trento and we have lived some excellent experiences over the past years. One field for further work is to increase the visibility among our population and to communicate about how great the benefits really are, especially because one can illustrate the success story of European Integration best on a local and regional level. The Tyrolean EGTC sets a best-practice example for all European groupings of territorial cooperation, due to the fact that all three participating regions can rely on far-reaching legislative powers and a great deal of legal competences. Thus there is a huge potential for a major breakthrough for common policies during the upcoming years. CIVEX, the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional & External Affairs, is responsible for coordinating the Committee of the Regions‘ work on issues which include justice and home affairs, fundamental rights and freedoms, smart regulation and administration, citizenship and broader institutional issues on governance. It is very important for the Committee of the Regions to give an opinion to the European Commission and to the European Parliament on topics concerning civil rights, cross-border issues, European integration and regional development, because all these topics have a profound impact on people’s future lives. The members of the CoR are the ones who best represent the citizens of the local cities and regions. Therefore the opinions of the CoR are very important. Since there are still borders within Europe, we must do and we will do our best to facilitate life for our fellow citizens, as long as these borders exist. On the late afternoon the representatives of the CIVEX Commission were invited to visit the Euregio. They visited EURAC, the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano, home of the Common Bureau of the EGTC Tyrol – South Tyrol – Trentino. During their visit they learned about on-going projects on renewable energy production. After the official part of their visit was completed, the delegates visited the photo exhibition “Terra in Montanis”. The aim of the exhibition is to show the beauty and hallmarks of the Euregio as portrayed by the distinguished photographer Alberto Ceolan. 1,000 photographs, collected in one book, illustrate the daily routine of people living in Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Trentino. The first day ended with a dinner at castle Runkelstein. A great occasion to review the most important topics in an informal setting: The stronger integration of citizens into important institutional decision-making processes. Tuesday, 9th of July, second day. The South Tyrolean MP Mr. Herbert Dorfmann, a well-respected expert in European Affairs, professor Mr. Heinrich Neisser and Mr. Walther Baumgartner, representative of the South Tyrolean State Parliament, emphasised the key role of citizens and local administrations in shaping the future of Europe. The experience drawn from the Euregio is a source of added value that can benefit the whole continent. On Tuesday the seminars organised by the EGTC in collaboration with CIVEX were attended by numerous participants. Experiences on multi-level governance within existing local and regional decentralised forms of collaboration were shared among the participants in four working groups. Different approaches of regional policy making in various European regions were discussed as well.