Multilevel Governance in the EU From the “Europe of the Regions” to the “Europe

to the “Europe with the Regions”
Francesc Morata
IUEE
Autonomous University Barcelona

become a multilevel polity whose characteristics are poorly understood in

political discourses as well as in academic controversies that are shaped by our conventional understanding of national politics and international relations” (F.W. Scharpf)
An application to the role of the Regions in EU integration

innovative policy making and institutional developments at the EU level

(network governance, partnership, committees governance)
Cohesion Policy (SEA, 1987)
Maastricht Treaty (1993)
New opportunities for regional mobilization

through regional delegations or offices
trans-regional partnerships and para-diplomacy relations
REGLEG

(legislative powers)
CALRE (regional parliaments)

within a multi-level European polity.
neofunctionalism and intergovernamentalism focussing on interaction

between the state and supranational levels, overlooking the sub-state level.
multilevel governance (MLG): alternative conceptualization of European integration

actors at different governance levels.
The EU as a ‘dynamic

multi-level system’
permanent process of institutional change
many actors involved at the various levels
New literature to evaluate the role of the regions

to a few (strong) regional actors;
In general, limited impact on

EU decision making
EU still dominated by central governments (sovereignty-based understandings)
little evidence that the sub-state level had benefited from redistribution of power
subsidiarity was applied in a very narrow way
Committee of the Regions weakness
Regions not equal partners with member states in regional policy

to represent their MSs in the Council of the EU

However, participation and influence are not synonymous (domestic institutional framework and capacities)
The Spanish example

reformulation of the principle of subsidiarity
3) territorial cohesion
4) the implementation of the

partnership principle (2014-2020)

Union shall respect the equality of Member States before the

Treaties as well as their national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government.”

fall within its exclusive competence, the Union shall act only

if and insofar as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, either at central level or at regional and local level, but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved at Union level.”

in national consultations regarding draft legislative acts put forward by

the European Commission

local representatives can challenge new EU laws they consider to

be in breach of the subsidiarity principle at the European Court of Justice

as a strategic pillar of Cohesion policy

How could cohesion policy

improve territorial cohesion?
by promoting a functional approach to integrated development of territories as spaces where citizens live their lives
by fostering place-based policies through cross-sectoral coordination of policies and multi-level governance from local to European
by encouraging cooperation between territories to strengthen European integration
by improving knowledge of territories, to guide their development

capacity gaps in policy making in terms of information, resources,

funding, administrative and policy fragmentation.
However, Partnership is to be organised according to the institutional set-up of each Member State

the Regions”

MLG as a useful conceptualisation of the concrete workings

of European integration (interdependence between levels/actors)

political will and institutional capacity-building remain two necessary pre-conditions if the regions are intending to play an increasing political and institutional role in the EU