Representation of the regions in the European Union: the V4 experience

Autori publikácie: Patrik Kováč
Dátum publikácie: 15. februára 2020

Zoznam publikácii

Apart from national governments, interests of the citizens could be also represented by regional and local authorities. Regional politicians are in more frequent contact with their electorate which often allows them to better identify and address their needs. The European Union offers several possibilities to promote and advocate interests of regions. The only formal institution with direct representation of the regional and local politicians is the European Committee of the Regions. However, there are other informal options such as establishing of Regional office in Brussels or participating in bigger regional platforms. This paper examines what is the place of the regions in the EU policy shaping process with the specific focus on the regions of the Visegrad Four countries. The paper builds on series of research interviews with the representatives of the Visegrad Four Regional offices in Brussels, National coordinators and members of the European Committee of the Regions, Permanent representations to the EU, experts of the European Commission and regional platforms, conducted in September and October 2019, as part of the Think Visegrad Fellowship in Brussels.

P. Kováč – Representation of the regions in the European Union: the V4 experience