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European Committee of the Regions to adopt proposals to improve €315bn EU Investment Plan

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Claude GewercHow to ensure all EU regions and cities benefit from and contribute to the €315bn EU Investment plan – launched by the European Commission in November last year – will be the key issue for debate during the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) April plenary session. Members of the CoR will look to adopt its opinion on the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) on 16 April and with over 140 changes put forward to the original draft, the Committee's members will help shed light on the potential regional impact of the plan. The Plenary debate will be preceded the day before by a high level conference – "An Investment Plan for Europe: joining forces" – where CoR President Markku Markkula will welcome the European Commission's Vice-President Jyrki Katainen.

The opinion drafted by the President of the French Region of Picardy, Claude Gewerc (pictured) (FR/PES), presents proposals to improve the EFSI regulation, seeking to increase public and private investment at regional level as well to ensure that less developed territories are able to take advantage of the new fund.

Resource efficiency in Europe's building sector

As part of its efforts to creating a more sustainable economy, the European Commission is considering how to improve energy use in buildings. Led by Csaba Borboly (RO/EPP) President of Harghita County Council in Romania, the CoR will look to adopt its opinion on the Commission's plans. Borboly is concerned that "the role of local and regional authorities will be overlooked despite the fact that they have a major role in spurring on resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact". As well as ignoring the use of renewable energy which can significantly contribute to a building's sustainability, the draft opinion suggests the EU should help less developed regions meet the challenges involved in sustainable buildings and facilitate the expansion of green infrastructure.

End of EU milk quotas system

With the EU milk quotas regime having come to an end on 31 March, the CoR will debate the impact of dairy production in the EU regions on the basis of a draft opinion led by René Souchon (FR/PES), President of the French Region of Auvergne. The rapporteur raises concerns over the worrying consequences of the reduction or abandonment of milk production in disadvantaged or vulnerable regions where dairy production is crucial for maintaining employment and is an essential pillar of the regional economy. As part of his recommendations, he calls on the EU to take urgent measures to safeguard the income of all dairy producers and asks for an immediate raise in the level of the European Commission's safety net for dairy farmers, pending the introduction of another mechanism.

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