EUROPEAN UNION: PRODI WANTS TO REINFORCE ROLE OF THE REGIONS IN EUROPE.

• Position: Romano Prodi - Brief Article

For the Commission, it is important to improve the procedures of the Economic and Social Committee (ESC) and of the Committee of the Regions (CoR). "I want a strong Committee of the Regions", he said. The White Paper recommends a more systematic consultation of civil society, even if it does not have an institutional role to play, before the adoption of proposals by the European Commission. But, to improve the consultation process, the European Commission wishes first of all to put some order into the long list of committees which are consulted. There are currently more than 700 Consultative Committees. And the Commission envisages the adoption of a code of conduct before the end of the year which will set minimal standards to define which is consulted, and on which matters. This improvement of the consultation upstream should make it possible for the Commission to be more selective in respect of legislation, the objective not being "to do more but to do better", Mr Prodi said.Indeed, the institutions are confronted with a paradox: the population expects the Union to adopt effective measures but at the same time it is losing confidence in the institutions. To answer this challenge it is necessary to involve the citizens more in the design and the application of decisions. A change is needed immediately - without awaiting the next reform of the Treaty of Nice planned for 2004. "We must put in our own house in order before attacking the remainder of the town", he explained.The Member States should also play a role, Mr Prodi said: they must reduce the body of EU law in force. Increased delegation to independent agencies...