Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions is the political assembly that provides local and regional authorities with a voice at the heart of the European Union. It aims are to increase the participation of European regions in Community life. About three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so it makes sense for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws.

The Treaties oblige the European Commission and Council to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that have repercussions at regional or local level.

One important problem is the economic differences across the EU. The difference between the richest and poorest regions is about a factor of 10. In a single market, these are major disparities for its citizens. However, compared to the EU average, the United States GDP per capita is 35% higher and the Japanese GDP per capita is approximately 15% higher.

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